Lucy Garnett lived in Turkey for many years and travelled widely within its boundaries. Here she provides an excellent study of the systems and practices of various Dervish Orders, tracing the history and rise of the sect or brotherhood. She describes the principal figures whose successive influence helped spread the dervish "power;" the succession of saintly beings unto whom the will of Allah has been revealed, and through whose instrumentality the destinies of mankind are governed - the holy men who are admitted to intimate communion with the Deity. Garnett describes the numerous shrines and monasteries of the Dervishes and the life of the sheiks and their little bands who inhabit them. She goes into vivid detail about the famous "Dancing Dervishes" and their unusual pattern of dance. The ceremonies of initiation with the prayers, rubrics, and rituals are described in elaborate detail. The various items of Dervish dress with the mystic and symbolic meaning attributed to each part, and the forms and use of the reed flute, drum, alms bowl, and rosary are interestingly given.