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Each year in December
commemoration ceremonies are held in Konya,
Turkey, for Jelaleddin Rumi (Mevlana),
the great 13th-century Sufi (Islamic mystic)
poet and founder of the Mevlevi
(Whirling) Dervish order.
Rumi's death in mid-December
1273 (called Seb-i
Aruz (SHEB-ee
ah-ROOZ) is considered
his "wedding
night," the night he departed
this earthly life and was finally united
in love with the Divine.
In 2009, the world celebrates
the 802nd anniversary of Rumi's
birth and the 735th
anniversary of his death.
Many readers of my
guidebooks and travelers who
use TurkeyTravelPlanner.com have
asked me about attending
the Rumi ceremonies and seeing
the dervishes whirl in Konya,
Rumi's home city.
In the past, it has been
difficult for me to help, as hotel
rooms and seats on
flights to and from Konya are
in great demand and fully booked
far in advance for the commemoration
ceremonies.
Since 2006, Argeus
Tourism & Travel has
organized travel programs in
Turkey that center on the commemoration
ceremonies in Konya,
and also visit Istanbul and Cappadocia.
Argeus has reserved hotel
rooms and flights for
tour participants, making it possible—easy!—for
non-Turks to attend.
IMPORTANT
NOTE:
Because of the high demand for travel
services, (flights,
hotel rooms, etc.) places on these
travel programs are very
limited! Please reserve
your place as soon as possible to
avoid disappointment.
Here are the
three travel programs that
take travelers back to the time
of Rumi (the
13th century) in December
2009:
1.
Constantinople & Konya
of Rumi
(9
Days/8 Nights, 6-14 December 2009)
This fully guided travel program shows
you the Byzantine Constantinople
(Istanbul) of
the 13th century—Rumi's
time—with
its
great
palaces,
mighty
city
walls, and gorgeous mosaics, and includes a whirling
dervish sema in a historic
Beyoglu dervish lodge.
Then
you'll
board
a sleeping-car
train (or fly, if you prefer) to Konya to
visit Rumi's
glittering tomb and the great Seljuk
Turkish monuments that Rumi
would have known and loved. After the whirling
dervish
sema in
Konya's splendid new Mevlana
Cultural Center, you'll return to Istanbul. More...
2.
Cappadocia & Konya of Rumi
(9
Days/8 Nights, 6-14 December 2009)
A fully guided travel program starting
in Istanbul,
taking you to Biblical
Cappadocia for a stay in a comfortable cave
hotel and visits to the Byzantine
painted churches and monastic
valleys that were
thriving during Rumi's lifetime. Then
you'll drive along the ancient Silk
Road to Konya to
visit Rumi's
glittering tomb and to explore
the actual buildings where Rumi visited,
prayed
and taught.
After
the
whirling
dervish sema
in Konya's splendid new Mevlana
Cultural Center, you'll return to
Istanbul. More...
3.
Konya of
Rumi
(3 Days/2 Nights,
11-13 December 2009)
You may join us for just the Konya portion of
the tour.
We'll visit Rumi's
glittering tomb and the city's splendid Seljuk
Turkish monuments where Rumi would
have walked, visited and taught, enjoy Konya's hospitality,
and
attend the whirling dervish
sema in
Konya's splendid new Mevlana
Cultural Center. This tour includes the essentials:
hotel and
meals in Konya,
guided explorations of the city, and tickets to the
sema, but no
intercity transport (available, if you
need it, from Argeus at additional cost.)
Although I am
not organizing these programs, I'll
personally be with you on
portions of each tour, and in
Konya,
to help
you understand the
significance of Rumi,
his place in Seljuk
Turkish society, and in the world
at large.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. I am not organizing
or operating these tours. They
are being organized and operated
by Argeus
Tourism & Travel,
a reputable Turkish company. (I
am not a travel agent or tour operator.
My company, Travel
Info Exchange, Inc., does not operate any tours,
and is not responsible for tours
operated by other companies. My role
is solely as guest expert on Argeus's
tours.)
Please make your
reservations and ask your
questions about these tours directly
with Argeus.
2. Space is limited—these
are small groups—so
please reserve early if
you want to participate. Argeus has
reserved a limited number of flight
seats, hotel rooms,
and tickets for the commemoration ceremony,
and
it
will be difficult to get these essentials
later, so please reserve
your places as soon as possible.
3. Kurban
Bayrami: the
2008 tours will take place in part
during Kurban
Bayrami, the Islamic
Festival of Sacrifice (dates), a particularly
interesting time to be in Turkey.
I've attended the Rumi
commemoration ceremonies numerous times,
and each time I have found them spellbinding and uplifting:
the orchestra plays, the chorus chants
and the Mevlevi
dervishes whirl as people from
dozens of countries near and far, rich
and poor, Islamic and
non-Islamic, sit and silently participate.
Every year the commemoration
ceremonies reaffirm that we are all
one people, and that we can and should live
together in harmony no matter
what our background or beliefs.
Rumi's message of peace,
love, tolerance and acceptance is
as vital and urgently necessary today
as it was in the time of the Seljuk
Sultanate of Rum, when Rumi lived.
I hope you can join us
for this spellbinding, unforgettable
event. I look forward to meeting you!
—Tom
Brosnahan
Rumi
Tour: Konya & Cappadocia
Rumi Tour: Konya & Istanbul
Whirling
(Mevlevi) Dervishes
The
Whirling Ceremony (Sema)
Jelaleddin
Rumi (Mevlana)
Seljuk
Sultanate of Rum
Konya
Cappadocia
Istanbul
Argeus
Tourism & Travel
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