The Mevlana Museum, built after the death of renowned Sufi thinker Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi and home to his iconic green-domed tomb, continues to captivate millions with the mystic’s timeless, 752-year-old call: “Come, come, whoever you are.”
Drawing global attention with teachings rooted in divine love, compassion, tolerance, peace and brotherhood, the museum is experiencing one of its busiest periods during the “752nd International Commemoration Ceremony of Rumi’s Vuslat Anniversary.”
In addition to its spiritual atmosphere, the site offers visitors a rich blend of history and aesthetics through its ornate wall decorations, tile work and calligraphy.
One of Türkiye’s most visited museums, the Mevlana Museum welcomed 3,048,055 visitors last year and received 2,776,000 people in the first 11 months of this year.
Naci Bakırcı, director of the Mevlana Museum, told state-run Anadolu Agency that the grounds were once the “private rose garden” of Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat. He said Rumi’s father, Bahaeddin Veled, often visited and admired the garden, prompting the sultan to donate the land after Veled remarked, “I feel the scent of my children and companions here.”
“The first structure was the tomb of Rumi’s father. After Rumi’s death on Dec. 17, 1273, the initial form of today’s mausoleum was built in 1274 by Seljuk viziers and a noblewoman from the palace. Over time, additions were made, transforming it into the present-day complex,” Bakırcı said.
He noted that 174 Mevlevi lodges across 22 modern countries were once administered from Konya. This year, 171 rare artifacts from the museum’s collection were displayed for the first time. The site also attracts a significant number of foreign visitors — around 500,000 — from East Asia and Western countries.
Visitors enter the museum through four symbolic gates — Dervişan, Hamuşan, Çelebiyan and Küstahan — each carrying its own meaning. In the mausoleum, the intricately carved sarcophagi of Rumi and other Mevlevi leaders feature floral motifs and elegant calligraphy reflecting the spiritual depth of the tradition.
Structures such as dervish cells, the matbah (kitchen) and the Hürrem Pasha Tomb surround the courtyard, which is enriched by architectural elements including the fountain commissioned by Yavuz Sultan Selim in 1512, the Şebiarus pool and a selsebil water feature.
The museum’s collection includes Mevlevi objects, manuscripts, prayer beads and musical instruments from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Among its highlights are nine Qur’an pages believed to date back to the era of Caliph Osman and Qur’an leaves written in Kufic script on gazelle skin, donated by the mother of an Ottoman caliph and Bereket Han, grandson of an Indian ruler.
Beyond the mausoleum, visitors can explore sections offering detailed insights into Mevlevi culture. Exhibitions such as “Mevlevi Garments,” “Tomb Keeper” and “Waqf Scribe” display objects used in daily life and ritual practice.
In the matbah, displays illustrate cooking traditions, table arrangements and ritual practices. Serving not only as a kitchen but also as a training space for novice dervishes, the area reflects the humility, discipline and spiritual values that shaped the community’s social and religious life.
