Tourists gather in central Turkey to commemorate Rumi

By Melike Kinaci</p> <p>KONYA, Turkey (AA) – Local and foreign tourists gathered in a Turkey’s central province to mark the 745th death anniversary of Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi — a 13th century Sufi mystic, poet and Islamic scholar.</p> <p>Events to commemorate the anniversary of Rumi’s passing, known as “Sheb-i Arus&quot; (the night of union), started on Dec. 7 in the central Anatolian province of Konya, where he is buried.</p> <p>Ugur Ibrahim Altay, mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, told Anadolu Agency the city is hosting locals and tourists from every part of the world.</p> <p>&quot;Hopefully, the final program will be organized on Sheb-i Arus on Dec. 17 with the participation of the Turkish president,&quot; Altay said.</p> <p>Rumi is fondly remembered by his followers in Turkey as Mevlana — which means scholar. He was a Sufi poet and philosopher born in present-day Afghanistan.</p> <p>Upon his death in 1273, Rumi’s followers founded the Mevlevi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for the Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony.</p> <p>Every year, an international commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of Rumi’s union with God is held in Konya between Dec. 7-17 as a reverence to the Muslim scholar.