Prashant Bhatt's notes

Mevlana Museum, the shrine of Jalaludin Rumi and other important figures of this spiritual movement. The relations between Asia Minor, Constantinople, Europe come alive through the many exhibits related to books, music. The rose garden around the museum is a particularly charming place to sit in the winter sun.

The relation between Shams of Tibriz and Jalaluddin, the scholar -legal expert who turned into a mystic after contact with Shams is one of the great mentorship stories.

Many come to pay their homage to Jalalaluddin, whom the name Rumi has stuck.

In the times of the Seljuks, the Arabs called this part of the world Rum, and the persons staying here Rumi. Only later, this name was going to stick to one person, the poet, mystic, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.

Whirling dervishes

A carpet weaver asked me if I had visited the Tomb of Shams.

“No one knows where Shams is, how he disappeared. Even Rumi could not find him in his life time, and many of his spiritual poems speak of this loss and love. So how can there be a tomb of Shams,” I asked this local person of Konya.

He agreed that no one knows where is Shams.

But then, Shams is everywhere.

Mevlana museum- Returned at Night, to take a different perspective of the same monument.                                  Night photography has its charms

This story teaches us about the informal but very important role of Mentors in all aspects of life. Remembered and did a thanksgiving prayer for some of my mentors at the tomb of Shams of Tibriz in Mevlana, Konya

Turkish countryside, on way from                           Eskisehir to Istanbul