Rumi Tour: Konya, Turkey

If you want to attend the ceremonies in Konya, Turkey, commemorating the anniversary of the death of Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi, here’s the best way: this Argeus Tourism & Travel 3-day (2-night) tour includes hotel, meals, sightseeing tours to the places and institutions Rumi would have known and visited, tickets to the Mevlevi sema in the Konya’s Mevlana Cultural Center, and transportation in Konya.

It can be difficult to obtain hotel rooms and sema tickets!This tour is the easiest way.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the high demand for travel services, (flights, hotel rooms, etc.) places on these travel programs are limited. Please reserve your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

This short version shows you only Konya. If you want to see more of Turkey, look at the Constantinople & Konya of Rumi Tour, and the Cappadocia & Konya of Rumi Tour.

Also keep in mind that Argeus Tourism & Travel can combine this short tour with any other arrangements you may wish to make to visit other places in Turkey on your own.

The Konya of Rumi (3 Days/2 Nights)

Day 1: Konya of Rumi (LD)
Our driver transfers you from the train station or the airport to our hotel in the very heart of the city.

After settling in at our hotel, we stroll the streets of Konya, visiting first the Tomb of Rumi in the glittering Mevlana Museum, an important place of pilgrimage for Muslims and indeed all lovers of Rumi.

Next door, we visit the Ottoman-era Sultan Selim mosque before having lunch in a traditional Turkish restaurant. We drive along Mevlana Caddesi, Konya’s main avenue, to reach the age-old Alaettin Hill (a prehistoric tumulus) to visit the 1000-year-old Alaaddin Mosque, where Rumi often prayed. In its courtyard are the tombs of many of the Seljuk Turkish sultans who ruled during Rumi’s lifetime, and who consulted him for spiritual guidance.

Walking down the north side of the Alaettin Hill we pass the remains of the Seljuk sultan’s palace, then cross the street for a view of the elaborate portal of the medieval Great Karatay Medrese theological college (the interior is currently closed for restoration), after which we return to our hotel for dinner and the night.

Day 2: Konya of the Whirling Dervishes (BLD)
Today we visit some of the wonderful Seljuk Turkishmonuments that Rumi would have known and visited: we drive to the north side of the Alaettin Hill to visit the Seminary of the Slender Minaret (Ince Minare Medrese, 1264), a 13th-century theological college that’s been beautifully restored and now serves as Konya’s Museum of Stone and Wooden Inscriptions, with works of art from the 1100s and later.

A short drive takes us to the Sahip Ata Mosque Complex (1283), including a school, a travelers’ inn, Turkish bath, and the tomb of its founder, the Seljukgrand vezir who also built the Seminary of the Slender Minaret. A few steps away, we visit the Konya’s Archeological Museum to see the marble high-relief sarcophagus “The Trials of Hercules” and many items from Konya’s ancient past (up to 7000 years ago).

A short walk takes us to Konya’s Ethnographic Museumto see cultural artifacts from 1000 years of Turkish culture in Anatolia, including several 700-year-old carpets from Seljuk times.

Lunch at a local restaurant introduces us to more Konya culinary specialties, including many cooked slowly in a tandir (“tandoori,” clay pot buried in hot coals).

After lunch we walk to the Mosque and Tomb of Şems-i Tebrizi, Rumi‘s closest companion, spiritual mentor, and inspiration for many of his poetic works, then continue on foot past many shops to our hotel.

In the evening, the climax of our adventure: the spellbinding Mevlevi sema performed in Konya’s grand Mevlana Cultural Center in honor of Şeb-i Aruz, Rumi‘s “wedding night with the Divine,” witnessed by thousands of devotees and pilgrims.

Day 3: Departure (B)
Our driver takes us to Konya’s airport or train station for your onward journey.

What’s included in your tour:

• 2 nights’ accommodation, 2 buffet breakfasts, 2 à la carte lunches (ie, choose as you like from the menu), and 2 table d’hote dinners (ie, set menu), water and soft drinks included, at a 4-star hotel in Konya, as indicated in the tour itinerary (B = buffet breakfast; L = à la carte lunch; D = à la carte dinner)

• Private tours in Konya as described above

• Private airport/train station-to-hotel and hotel-to-airport/train station transfers in Konya

• Luxury minibus or midibus with professional driver on tours & transfers

• Professional licensed tour guide

• Tickets for Seb-i Aruz Rumi Commemoration Ceremony in Konya

• All admission fees to museums and sights

• Taxes

What’s NOT included in your tour fee:

• Transportation to or from Konya (ie, no flights or train tickets are included)

• Meals not specifically mentioned as being included (above)

• Tips to guides and drivers (at you discretion)

For tour prices, contact Argeus.