Looking beyond the ecstatic whirling; viewing African artists via their books

The dervish ethos goes way beyond whirling.That's likely to be one takeaway from "Dervishes and Their Belongings," an exhibition of about 300 historical artifacts at the Turkish American Community Center in Lanham, Md. The exhibition, which was brought to the United States by the New East Foundation (NEF), a nonprofit group with offices in Istanbul and Rome, includes talismans, prayer beads, instruments, beggar bowls, ceramics, headgear and a turban-adjustment tool that resembles an enormous pai...