Flower producers have cultivated 190 different rose varieties as a special commemoration for the 750th anniversary of the passing of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, more widely recognized as Rumi in the Western world, in the central province of Konya, Türkiye. Rumi was a revered 13th-century mystic, poet and philosopher.
A total of 14,000 square meters of land (nearly 150,700 square feet) in Konya’s town of Karatay have been used to grow the flower, which is frequently mentioned in the works of Rumi, Hasan Kılca, the town’s mayor, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Noting that people from around the world visit Konya to pay their respects to Rumi, Mayor Kılca said: “Roses are frequently mentioned in Rumi’s works. That’s why we dedicated this garden to him on the 750th anniversary of his passing.”
Kılca said that the Mevlana Rose Garden garden was named after the legendary mystic.
Ten days of commemoration ceremonies will be held in Konya, where Rumi is buried, with the participation of scores of local and foreign guests.
Rumi, who is known as Mevlana in Türkiye, was born in 1207 in Balkh, a city that is now part of Afghanistan. He settled in Konya, where he died on Dec. 17, 1273. He is regarded as one of the most important Sufi philosophers and members of the Mevlevi Order follow his teachings.
With his peaceful and tolerant call to far corners of the world: “Come, come again, whoever you are, come! heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!” he said. Having been translated into many languages, his words of wisdom and unique literary style have reached every continent.
Instead of mourning his death, the ceremonies in Konya celebrate what his followers believe is Rumi’s union with God. The main feature of the “Şeb-i-Arus,” or “night of the union,” is the ritual in which the whirling dervishes revolve with their right hands symbolically turned up toward God and their left hands turned down toward the earth.
