The first dervish lodge in the city was built in 1492 and belongs to the Mevlevi order founded by Mevlana. The present wooden structure on the site dates from the late 18th century. It is situated in a large garden that includes a cemetery in the Tunel district of Pera. Historical objects and literature of the order are displayed.

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Divan Literature Museum is located in the Galata Lodge of Dervishes, which is the most ancient and greatest dervish lodge of Istanbul. The buildig which was used as a lodge from its construction till the closing of convents, was turned into a museum in 1975.

The dervish lodges which combined music and science for centuries had considerable impact on Turkish culture. Many people gathering around the lodges had education on many branches of fine arts and put a mark on science as well.

The lodge which is located on one end of the slope descending to Yuksekkaldirim in Beyoglu province, ws built in 1491 on the hunting mansion of Iskender Pasha who was the governor-general of Sultan Bayezid period. The Lodge whose first sheikh was Mehmed Sema-i Celebi was damaged by a fire in 1766 and in the same period the lodge which is existing to date was commisioned. In the following years, the building had undergone repairs in the periods of Sultan Selim the 3rd, Mahmud the 2nd and Sultan Abdulmecid.

The Lodge which continued its service until 1925 was repaired again between the years 1967-1972. It was originally built as a complex of buildings and is comprised of a sema hall, dervish quarters, sheikh quarter and sultan maksoorah, women’s section, library, fountain, clock room, kitchen, tombs and a treasury office. Sometimes there are religious sema dances, classical Turkish Music concerts and conferences held in the Dervish Lodge.