Konya and Rumi: A Reunion at the Qibla of Love
Being silent under the Green Dome, understanding Sheb-i Arus, and listening to the call 'Come, whoever you are'.
Presence of the Pir: Tomb Visit
One enters the museum through the 'Gate of Dervishes'. The fountain in the courtyard, the cells, and that spiritual atmosphere surround you immediately. When you enter inside, the inscription 'Ka'betu'l-ushshaq bashad in maqam' (This place is the Kaaba of lovers) welcomes you. When you see Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi lying side by side with his father Sultan al-Ulama behind the silver cage, words get stuck in your throat. People cry silently there, pray. So much is told in that silence... This is the eternal resting place of a friend of Allah who saw death as 'Sheb-i Arus' (Wedding Night).
Sema: Not a Dance, But a Dhikr
It is essential to watch the Sema ceremony held every Saturday in Konya. That turning of the whirling dervishes is not a dance show; it is accompanying the rotation of everything from the atoms of the universe to the planets. Their right hands are turned up (to God), their left hands down (to the people). This means 'We scatter what we receive from God to the people, we do not claim anything for ourselves'. Those white tennures symbolize the shroud, the sikke on the head symbolizes the tombstone. Sema is the death of the ego and the resurrection of the soul. Your dizziness while watching is because your soul wants to turn with them too.
Flavor Stops: Meat Bread and Oven Kebab
Konya cuisine will satisfy you as much as spirituality. The first thing that comes to mind when Konya is mentioned is 'Meat Bread' (Etli Ekmek), but don't confuse it with lahmacun, locals get angry! Very thin, long, and crispy... And there is 'Oven Kebab', which is lamb meat cooked in the oven for hours becoming like delight. It is customary to eat 'Sac Arası' dessert after the meal. It is impossible to stay hungry in this city; both your soul and your body heal here.
"Have you ever thought about why people from all over the world flock to this steppe city? What attracts them? That gravitational force you feel in your heart when you see that turquoise tiled 'Green Dome' (Kubbe-i Hadra) from afar as you approach Konya... That is Hazrat Mevlana's call 'Come' transcending centuries. This is a dervish lodge where the troubled find remedy, the burning cool down. Leave the world outside as you enter the door, because inside there is only 'Love'."
Conclusion
A visit to Konya is not just a historical museum tour; it is a journey one makes into oneself. Standing at the head of Rumi's sarcophagus and reciting Al-Fatiha, you feel as if he is smiling at you and saying 'do not grieve'. A couplet from the Masnavi, a turn of the whirling dervishes, that plaintive tone of the reed flute... They all remind you that we actually came from Allah and will return to Him. When leaving Konya, not only the taste of meat bread remains, but an indescribable lightness in your soul. Reunion (vuslat) is possible at any moment, as long as the door of your heart is open.