KONYA
Commemorations of the 741th anniversary of the death of Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi will begin Sunday in the central Anatolian province of Konya, where he is buried.
The ceremony is also known as "Seb-i Arus," or reunion with the Beloved.
It will begin with a candle-lighting ceremony in collaboration with various institutions and foundations in Alaadin Hill where the 13th-century Sufi mystic and Islamic scholar encountered his spiritual instructor, Shams Tabrizi.
The candle-lighting ceremony will be followed by a "walk of love and tolerance" to the Mevlana Museum where children will perform a sema ceremony, followed by the traditional Gulbang prayer reading at Rumi's coffin in the museum.
The Mevlana Culture Center Exhibition Hall will host a series of exhibitions between 7 and 17 of December.
Masnavi lectures in Turkish and English, conferences, panel, workshop, theatre and poem performances will be part of the program.
Sixty thousand visitors are expected to come to the annual ceremonies.
Mustafa Cipan, provincial director of culture and tourism, said the goal is not only to commemorate Mevlana but also to understand him and his teachings better and share them with others.
He said the visitors will have chance to attend different scientific, culture and art activities along with a whirling dervishes ceremony.
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