Mevlana Celaleddin Belhi-Rumi, the great 13th-century Sufi(Islamic mystic) poet, was born in 30 September 1207 in Balkh, presently Afghanistan.достоинства и недостатки пластиковых и деревянных окон
He lived almost all of his life in Konya, Turkey, and died there 17 December 1273. He is arguably one of the most famous poets in the world. In Turkey he is referred to as Mevlana (the Turkish spelling of Maulana – which means “Our Master”).
Rumi’s death is considered his “wedding night, the night he departed this earthly life and was finally united in love with the Divine” and each year, on 17 December, elaborate ceremonies are held in Konya, celebrating Rumi’s life and remembering his death, to which tens of thousands of pilgrims come.
In the shrine there is a silver plated step on which the followers of Mevlana rub their foreheads and place kisses. This area is usually cordoned off but is opened for these devotional actions during the December pilgrimage festivities.
Mevlana was a Sufi or Islamic mystic. Sufis believe that Sufism is the inner mystical aspect or dimension of Islam. Sufi orders or Tariqas (Tarikat in Turkish) can be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups. Sufis belong to Tariqas, lodges (tekkes) or orders, have a master who teaches sacred knowledge to others in the group.
After many years as a teacher and Sufi master, an event occurred that changed Rumi’s life. A wandering mystic known as Shams al-Din from Tabriz came to Konya and began to exert a powerful influence on Rumi. The holy man represented to Rumi the the true image of the ‘Divine Beloved’, which he had long been seeking. Rumi became completely devoted to Shams al-Din, ignored his own disciples and departed from scholarly studies. Jealous of his influence on their master, a group of Rumi’s own students twice drove the dervish away and allegedly murdered him in 1247.
The loss of Shams caused Rumi to withdraw from the outside world and developed an ecstatic love of God that began to be expressed through poetry, listening to devotional music and trance dancing which eventually gave rise to the extraordinary outpouring of poetry for which he is famous today.
Rumi was the founder of the Mevlevi Dervish order which are famous the world over. According to some sources, “A Dervish (Derviş in Turkish) is a Sufi Muslim ascetic, known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.” The ceremonial Whirling dance that is usually associated with Dervishes, was originally the practice of the Mevlevi Order in Turkey, and is part of a formal ceremony known as the Sema. The Sema is performed to try to reach religious ecstasy. The name Mevlevi comes from Mevlana who was a Dervish himself. This practice, though not intended as entertainment, has become a tourist attraction in Turkey.
“The Sema ceremony, in seven parts, represents the mystical journey of an individual on their ascent through mind and love to union with the divine.
Mirroring the revolving nature of existence and all living things, the Sufi dervish turns toward the truth, grows through love, abandons ego, and embraces perfection. Then he returns from this spiritual journey as one who has reached perfection in order to be of love and service to the entire creation.
Dressed in long white gowns (the ego’s burial shroud) and wearing high, cone-shaped hats (the ego’s tombstone), the dervish dances for hours at a time. With arms held high, the right hand lifted upward to receive blessings and energy from heaven, the left hand turned downward to bestow these blessing on the earth, and the body spinning from right to left, the dervish revolves around the heart and embraces all of creation with love. The dervishes form a circle, each turning in harmony with the rhythm of the accompanying music as the circle itself moves around, slowly picking up speed and intensity until all collapse in a sort of spiritual exaltation.
” Excerpt from Shrine of Rumi
UNESCO organized an international day of commemoration on 6 September 2007 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of “Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi-Rumi, one of the greatest poets, philosophers and scholars of the Islamic civilization.”
According to American Howard Cincotta, Rumi is “the most popular poet in the country today…(measured either in public interest or total book sales)…One element of Rumi’s appeal…is his sense of inclusiveness, his ability to bridge the barriers of religion and culture, which is one reason UNESCO has chosen to honor the man who said, ‘I do not distinguish between the relative and the stranger.‘”
The Mevlana shrine and museum is the third most visited place after Topkapi Palace and Ayasofia in Istanbul. It is under restoration but visitors can still visit during the restoration work. Every year more people visit Konya and the museum. In the first 10 months of 2010 for example 1.4 million Turkish and foreign tourists came to the site compared to 1.1 million in 2009.
800th Anniversary of the Birth of Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi-Rumi
Mevlana.net “the only website that is owned by Mevlana’s own family.”
Mevlâna Jelaleddin Rumî (1207-1273) is among Islam’s greatest poets and mystic philosophers.
Sufi Poet and Mystic Rumi Remains Compelling to American Readers
UNESCO designates 2007 as International Year of Rumi
Shrine of Rumi, Konya, Turkey “Situated at an altitude of 1016 meters in the south central region of the vast Anatolian steppe, the city of Konya is famous far beyond the borders of Turkey.”
“Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam. Sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam.” The BBC-Sufism
Turkey restores Mevlana Museum in Konya
Mevlana Museum located in the central province of Konya is undergoing its largest-ever restoration. Friday, 20 November 2009 11:53
Konya, Turkey
“Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the capital of the Konya Province, and had a city population of 1,003,373 in 2009 while the provincial population (including the other urban centers in the Konya Province) was 1,959,082 in the same year.”
