Weekend in Konya II: Rumi and the Mevlana Museum

Another must see in Konya is the Mevlana museum, which houses the tomb of the most famous sufi, the Seljuk poet Rumi. The museum is more of a shrine, with a mosque just across the courtyard. Outside, one is struck by the turquoise-tiled tower, which is amazingly beautiful. Inside, the numerous tombs of sufi dervishes are ornately covered, and topped with large turbans. The interior of the museum is equally stunning, with beautiful tile work and calligraphy. There were copies of the Qur'an dating back to the 8th century, one of which was writing on gazelle hide.


The exterior of the Mevlana museum, and the tomb of Rumi

The atmosphere inside was surreal, with people who had made pilgrimages to the site praying, and in the background, a recording of the nay, a type of wooden flute, was playing softly. Truly amazing.

read more about Rumi and sufiism at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi