AP PHOTOS: Cairo's dervishes spin for their supper

Many visitors to Cairo are familiar with the whirling dervishes — the stylized spinning dancers who perform across the city at cultural centers, cruise ships, hotels and weddings.

The art form draws its roots from the ecstatic movements of Sufi Muslim mystics seeking a state of delirious oneness with God.

But Amr el-Toney, founder of the Mawlawiyah dervish dance troupe, says there are also parallels to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.