Mevlana Museum

The Mevlana Museum in Konya, south-central Turkey, occupies the former tekke (lodge) of the Mevlevi Order of Sufi mystics — the whirling dervishes — and the tomb of Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, known in Turkish as Mevlana, the 13th-century Persian-language poet and Islamic mystic whose works remain among the most widely read spiritual writings in the world. The museum is one of the most visited sites in Turkey and the most significant pilgrimage destination in Konya.

The building's exterior is immediately recognizable by its brilliant turquoise fluted conical dome (a kalem kubbesi or 'calligrapher's dome'), which rises above the tomb chamber and has become an icon of Konya's skyline. The complex was established shortly after Rumi's death in 1273 and expanded by successive Seljuk and Ottoman rulers. Sultans and nobles are buried in the domed mausoleum alongside Rumi, their sarcophagi wrapped in embroidered cloth and silk robes.

The main hall containing Rumi's tomb is entered through a low doorway — symbolically requiring visitors to bow upon entry. Inside, Rumi's sarcophagus occupies the central position under the turquoise dome, covered in an embroidered cenotaph cloth of extraordinary quality and flanked by elaborately carved wooden cenotaph covers. Silver-tipped water jugs, calligraphy banners, and the possessions of Rumi and his followers are displayed in glass cases around the chamber.

The surrounding museum rooms display the personal effects, musical instruments, prayer rugs, illuminated Quran manuscripts, and clothing of Rumi and later figures in the Mevlevi Order. The semahane (whirling ceremony hall) contains costumes and ceremonial items. A sema (whirling dervish ceremony) is performed in Konya every Saturday evening at the Mevlana Cultural Centre, not in the museum itself.

The museum is free of charge and attracts enormous numbers of Turkish and international pilgrims alongside tourists. Modest dress is required, including covered hair for women.