MEVLANA MUSEUM (MEVLANA MÜZESI)

Main point of interest of Konya, the monastery was until 1927 (date of the prohibition of the brotherhood), the place of residence of the whirling dervishes, the mevlevis, a Sufi order inspired by the Persian mystic poet Djalâl ad-Dîn Rûmî, called Mevlana. The tekke of Mevlana consists of a large courtyard with a fountain (16th century) and 4 türbe on the left after the door, the building of the cells where the dervishes, after an obligatory period of manual labor could devote themselves to prayer facing the entrance the building where the tomb and the museum of Mevlana are located and, to the right of the entrance, the old kitchens. The convent was restored by Beyazıt II in the 15th century. To enter the türbe where the great sage is buried, one must remove his shoes. Women will cover their heads. The tomb is covered with a velvet cloth embroidered with gold.

In the samâ (ceremony room), you can admire a collection of musical instruments, including the famous ney (flute), with the plaintive sound so characteristic of the ritual music of the dervishes. You can also see the original manuscript of Mathnawi, the poems of the master. The next room, an ancient mosque, displays Korans and illuminations. Return to the courtyard and you will see a reconstruction of the life of the followers in the building that housed their cells. In the corridor, objects that belonged to Mevlana are displayed. And in the old kitchens, there are life-size scenes of the dervishes' communal life.