An island of serenity: Neyhane

 Every now and then, one of the listeners in the group, let's say a teacher from a mosque, might get a cell phone call that he answers, saying, “I'm at the Neyhane.” But the person on the other end of the line might hear this as “I'm at the meyhane,” which means “I'm at the music and dance hall,” so the man then really has to enunciate the “n” in his speech. Anyway, all this happens at a small türbe (shrine) right next door to the Merkezefendi Türbesi in Zeytinburnu. Come to the Neyhane, whether you want to play the ney or just listen for a while.

You can be sure that the Turkish ney is a more fortunate instrument than either of its traditional counterparts, the tambur or kanun, since there is a specific spot devoted to ney-playing and listening: the Neyhane. Whether through luck or fate, a tomb ordered to be built by the governor of Maraş, Abdülbaki Pasha, has now turned, 400 years later, into a location where ney lovers gather. The pasha is, of course, not actually buried inside this tomb, but in fact lies at rest in a small corner near the door. So why does a man order a magnificent tomb to be built for himself, only to later be buried outside it? Come to the Neyhane and you'll see that, in fact, everything here is influenced by the sufi culture the ney represents.

You see, as the story goes, the pasha decided he could never be laid to rest in a tomb more magnificent than the one right next to his, where Merkezefendi Pasha had been laid to rest. So the tomb he had ordered to be built for himself lay empty, with its high ceilings and domes: a capacious room with lots of windows. First it was used as a library and then was left untended for many years. In the end though, the Zeytinburnu Municipality decided to restore it, and last Ramadan it reopened as the Neyhane. So, that's the basic story behind this structure and its current function.

Why the ney?

The decision on what to do with this historic structure, which was under restoration for two years, had a lot to do with the fact that the cultural director of the Zeytinburnu Municipality, Mustafa Aydın, is a ney player himself. Aydın, who contributes to Ney Magazine (an Internet publication), says of the Neyhane: “It could have never been an ‘udhane' or a ‘kanunhane.' The ney, in addition to being a very original kind of ‘saz,' also represents a certain kind of lifestyle. It brings to mind not only traditional Turkish music, but also sufi mysticism and Mevleviism. It has a very strong symbolic dimension to it.” What's more, the location of the Neyhane in İstanbul is quite appropriate. It is very near the Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi, and, of course, right next door to Merkezefendi Cemetery, where the graves of renowned musicians Tamburî Cemil Bey and Sadettin Kaynak are located. It's impossible to say whether new Dede Efendis will emerge from the Neyhane, surrounded as it is by Turkish musical traditions and sufi culture, but the fact that younger ney audiences who listened to the masters play the ney last Ramadan played the ney themselves this year under the iftar tent is a hopeful sign.

The Neyhane is a small enclosed spot. The crescent-shaped lounge here can seat 150 people. Which is actually a plus, since you get to hear and see ney musicians from up close, not in a large, impersonal concert hall. The Neyhane was open during Ramadan between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. every day, but now that it's after bayram, it's open between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. And if you do decide to visit during these hours, you will no doubt see young ney players practicing their art. You'll have to wait for the weekends, though, if you want to listen to the real ney masters play their reed instruments here.

Waiting for traditional ney master Sadrettin Özçimi at the Neyhane

Mustafa Aydın is hoping that all those who love to play or just listen to the ney will work to see that the Neyhane is a success. Aydın notes that while traditional ney players Sadrettin Özçimi and Ahmet Şahin have not yet come despite invitations, the Neyhane serves as a critical meeting place for younger generations interested in the ney. He explains: “For example, one of the most important names in the younger generation of ney players, Başar Dikici, comes here on Sundays between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and offers free lessons to young people. The doors of the Neyhane are open to all different styles of ney players. We take no sides when it comes to the ney.”

Neyhane dream of steeped Rize tea served up in sparkling glass cups

Mustafa Aydın worked for three months to see that the Neyhane got electricity. Now he is working on getting the water running here, too. All of his efforts are to see that ney players and audiences are able to enjoy freshly steeped tea while at the Neyhane.