KONYA
A Seb-i Arus ceremony took place in the central Anatolian province of Konya on Monday in order to commemorate Jalal al-Din Rumi.
The ceremony took place in the Mevlana Culture Center and was attended by many dignitaries including the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Messages of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek were read aloud at the ceremony.
The Seb-i Arus ceremony began with opening remarks by the Mayor of Konya Tahir Akyurek and continued with an Islamic sufism concert by Ahmet Ozhan.
The ceremony ended with a performance by the whirling dervishes and a prayer which included verses from the Holy Quran.
Rumi also was commemorated in Sarajevo
A Seb-i Arus ceremony also took place in Bosnian capital of Sarajevo in order to commemorate Jalal al-Din Rumi.
Sarajevo ceremony took place at the Naksibendi Dervish Lodge in historic Bascarsi with participation of dozens of residents.
Verses from the Holy Quran, Masnavi and hymns were read during the ceremony. The participants of the ceremony listened to parts of Rumi's life and his poems during Monday's ceremony.
The Ottomans ruled in the Balkans for about 500 years. It is still possible to see the traces of movements like Rumi's in the region.
