Contents Acknowledgements List of Figures Introduction 1 A Manifesto: The Qalandarnama , by Amir usayn Harawi 2 In Search of the Margins1 In the Streets of Herat 1 A Presentation of the Ali Shir Nawai's Mabub al-qulub 2 Musicians, Singers, Storytellers 3 Ruffians, Bohemians, Paupers 4 Real and False Dervishes 5 Other Sources: Names and Words2 Outside the Madrasas of Bukhara 1 About the adab al-ariq , by ajji Abd al-Raim 2 The Head of the Dervish 3 The Trunk and the Arms 4 The Lower Body 5 From Lexis to Relics 3 In the Ruins of Aksu 1 Kharabati, a People's Poet 2 To Peasants, Artisans, Doctors and the Powerful 3 The Call to Renunciation 4 On the Paradox of Language 4 In the Depths of the Grottoes of Central Asia 1 Silences in Khotan 2 Whispers in Tashkent and Samarkand 3 Graffiti in Manguistaou 4 Legends in Fergana and Pamir5 On the Road with Cantors and Itinerants 1 The madda in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang 2 Abdal tili , the Language of Outsiders 3 Argot and Mystical Language Conclusion: Dervishes Yesterday and Today Bibliography Index of Names Index of Places.