Mevlana Jalalludin Mohammad (Rumi)(Balkhi)

  
 

Jalalludin Mohammad, the Persian Sufi poet and Mystic was born in Balkh - in the north-eastern provinces of Persia(Iran), present day Afghanistan – 800 years ago. He is also known as "Rumi", "Balkhi", “Mevlana”, "Mowlavi", "Molavi", "Mowlana", "Molana" and "Maulana". He was the son of Baha'u-'d-Din, who decided to leave Balkh when Mevlana was about 5. The family traveled to Baghdad, to Mecca on pilgrimage, and to Damascus. They eventually settled at Konya (in present day Turkey). In Konya, Mevlana lived the rest of his life.
 

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Mevlana Museum expects record number of tourists

 

Monday, October 22, 2007
KONYA - Anatolia News Agency

Around 1,250,000 visitors has visited the Mevlana Museum in Konya, hometown of the great 13th century Turkish philosopher and poet Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, since the beginning of 2007, designated �The Year of Mevlana� by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Naci Bakırcı, Deputy Director of the museum, said there was a 25 percent in the number of tourists since the beginning of 2007 when compared to the last year's figures, which indicated just over a million visitors.

The museum attracted 1,389,502 domestic and international visitors in 2004 while 1,392,710 in 2005 and 1,267,065 in 2006, according to the information given by Bakırcı, who said although the holiday season ended, the number of tourists wasn't less than 4,000 a day. �The declaration of �The Year of Mevlana' has led to a drastic increase in the number of foreign tourists in particular,� he said, adding that they expected the number of tourists to reach 1,750,000 by the end of the year. �Our museum will then reach its record for number of visitors,� he noted.


Number of US and Russian tourists increases:

Bakırcı said that besides the regular foreign tourists including Japanese, British, Italian and Korean, there were a growing number of tourists from the U.S., Russia and Iran. �We actually know that Russians like the Mediterranean coasts. This year however there is a visible increase in number of Russian tourists as well as U.S. tourists. I think it is the publication of the book on Mevlana in the U.S. that has attracted the U.S. tourists because the book was among bestsellers in there,� he said.

UNESCO's declaration of 2007 as the �The Year of Mevlana� has made the real impact. The promotional activities held abroad by both the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Konya Municipality have attracted tourists to the museum, Bakırcı says.

The entrance fee for the museum in YTL 2 for both domestic and international tourists.

  Mevlana’s 800th Birth Anniversary

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 2007 as the Year of Mevlana Jalalludin to mark the prominent Iranian poet’s 800th birth anniversary. Special ceremonies are going to be held in different countries. (esp Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan)

How Mevlana became “Mevlana”?

Jalalludin was about 37 when Shams entered Konya. Shams, a wandering dervish, became Mevlana’s mentor. Mevlana was deeply touched by Shams’ thoughts. He, who was a teacher of religion and a highly attained mystic before, became an inspired poet and a great lover of humanity after meeting Shams.

Modern Man and the Message of  Mevlana

Morality is lost in the life of today’s man. Mevlana is one of the few great men of literature and meditation, who have invited people to live a moral life in all of their works. What Mevlana said 800 years ago is still new to the man of 21st century. This is why his works are still being translated to different languages.

Mevlana Works

Mevlana’s major work is Masnavi-e Manavi (Spiritual Couplets). other books: Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i (The Works of Shams of Tabriz - named in honor of Mevlana’s great friend and inspiration), Fihi Ma Fih (In It What's in It), Majalis-i Sab'a (Seven Sessions), Robai’yat (the couplets), Makateb (the written pieces)

Mevlana Death

The poet passed away at the age of 68. Konya was all in black. Even Christians and Jewish people of the city mourned for him. Mevlana was buried beside his father in Konya, Turkey. A tomb was built for the great Sufi poet and remains a sacred site that is visited by visitors from every part of the world.

Mevlana is not Rumi

Jalalludin Mohammad was born in Balkh - in the north-eastern provinces of Persia (Iran), present day Afghanistan. His father Baha'u-'d-Din decided to leave Balkh. After a long travel, they eventually settled at Konya. Mevlana's Work are in Persian, so he is a part of Persian Culture, not other Cultures.

 

  
 
 

Related Sites: MowlanaYear.ir - MaulanaNews.com - Mevlana.ir - Mowlana.org - Molanaidea.com - Rumionfire.com - Khamush.com
 

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