Mevlana Museum
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
The former dervish seminary attached to the mausoleum is now a museum devoted to manuscripts of Mevlana's works and various accoutrements of the sect.
The tomb of the great Turkish thinker and mystic philosopher Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi is situated in The Konya Mevlana Dergah (dervish retreat). It was turned into a museum in 1927. It contains objects pertaining to Mevlana and the Mevlevi order.
Rumi teachings expressed that love is the path to spiritual growth and insight. Broadly tolerant of all people and other faiths, he says,
“Whoever you may be, come
Even though you may be
An infidel, a pagan, or a fire-worshipper, come
Our brotherhood is not one of despair
Even though you have broken
Your vows of repentance a hundred times, come.”
The Museum is open: May-October: Monday 10.00-18.00; Tuesday-Sunday 9.00-18.00.
November-April: Tuesday-Sunday 9.00-18.00.
Entrance fee – 5YTL (April, 2008).
You may have Virtual Tour of Mevlana Museum.
You can watch my 1 min 52 sec Video clip Konya Mevlana Museum with Turkish music. You may watch my high resolution photo of Konya on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37° 52' 14.44" N 32° 30' 15.12" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mevlana Museum .
Reason is powerless
...
by yakacik
Reason is powerless
in the expression of Love. Love alone is capable of
revealing the truth of Love and being a Lover. The
way of our prophets is the way of Truth. If you want
to live, die in Love; die in Love if you want to remain
alive.
Mevlana Jelalu'ddin
Rumi
The name Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi stands
for Love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. Mevlana is
one of the great spiritual masters and poetical geniuses of
mankind and was the founder of the Mevlevi Sufi order, a leading
mystical brotherhood of Islam.
Rumi was born in Balkh (Afghanistan)
in 1207 to a family of learned Persian theologians. Escaping
the Mongol invasion, Rumi and his family traveled extensively
in the Muslim lands, performed the pilgrimage to Mecca and
finally settled in Konya, Anatolia (Turkey), where he succeeded
his father in 1231 as professor in religious sciences.
He was introduced into the mystical
path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin of Tabriz. His love
and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression
in a surge of music, dance and lyric poems, 'Diva i
Samsi Tabrizzi'. Rumi is the author of six volume huge
didactic work, the 'Mathn wi',
and discourses, 'Fihi
ma Fihi', written to introduce his disciples to metaphysics.
If there is any general idea underlying
Rumi's poetry, it is the absolute love of God. His influence
on thought, literature and all forms of aesthetic expression
in the world of Islam cannot be overrated.
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi died on December
17, 1273. Men of five faiths followed his bier. That night
was named Sebul Arus (Night of Union). Ever since, the Mevlevi
dervishes have kept that date as a festival.
For more about Life of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Whirling Dervishes Links
"Konyalým"- Turkish folk song
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
One of the best known Turkish folk songs is named "Konyalým" (making reference to a loved one from Konya). The song's slightly suggestive lyrics are known virtually by everybody in Turkey.
You can listen to this beautiful song while watching my 2 min 17 sec Video clip Konya with music by Hatice – Konyalim.
Friendly Turkish dog
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
You can imagine how I was missing my dogs staying in Moscow! So every dog I saw in Turkey reminded me my German shepherds which were waiting for me in Moscow. This dog at Caravansary seemed to be extremely friendly to all tourists who crowded near the bus…
I know two Turkish breeds.
The Sivas Kangal Dog is a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and is the national breed of Turkey. This dog, which can grow as large as 64 kg, was originally used as a Livestock guardian dog.
Have a look here Kangal Dog.
The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a breed of dog from Anatolia and bred for guarding flocks of sheep from wolves, bears, jackals, and even cheetahs.
Have a look there Anatolian Shepherd .
Catalhoyuk - the world's oldest town
by mikelisaanna
Catalhoyuk is the oldest known town ruin in the world, dating back over 9000 years. It sat forgotten for centuries under a large mound of dirt. Then, in the 1960's it was discovered by archaelogist James Mellaart. The excavations are now being done under the leadership of a team of archaeologists from Cambridge University in England. The archaeologists have uncovered about 15 layers of buildings, stretching back to about 7500 BC at the bottom.
At its peak, Catalhoyuk had about 5000 people. Its homes were single-story structures, which were entered through holes in their ceilings. Each home had a fireplace for heating and cooking. The outside walls of the outer homes formed the town's defensive walls.
Today, there is a small museum adjacent to the excavation site that is open to the public. Tours of the excavation site can be arranged, but must be done in advance. The active excavations are not open to the public. Fortunately, a friend of ours was able to have us added to a group tour that a colleague of hers had arranged. It was definitely worth it.
Catalhoyuk is located about 45 minutes southeast of Konya.
Hadja Nasreddin at Aksehir
Konya - Bazaar
“Kirazlibahche” restaurant
“Sema” - whirling dervishes dance
