Come, come, whoever you are. With these words, Mevlânâ Jalaluddin Rumi, who spread his philosophy of tolerance and love to all humanity, has made Konya a center of attraction for centuries. The Mevlana Lodge in Konya continues to keep Mevlânâ’s message alive and has welcomed visitors as a museum since 1927. The Mevlana Museum is one of the most visited museums in Turkey and hosts many precious artifacts, including Mevlânâ’s Green Dome (Kubbe-i Hadra), lodge items, valuable manuscripts, calligraphy panels, oil lamps, and musical instruments. Some interesting pieces in the collection include the Eight-Stringed Violin, considered an ancestor of the modern violin, the Stones of Patience used as a test of endurance, and a celestial globe said to have been used in astronomy education during Galileo’s time.
The Rose Garden, gifted to Mevlânâ Jalaluddin Rumi’s father, Sultan al-Ulama Bahaeddin Veled, by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad, became the site where the lodge would be established. After Mevlânâ’s death on December 17, 1273, the first tomb was built in 1274, and its tiled dome was added in 1396. During the Seljuk period, the lodge and semahane buildings were added, but they became insufficient over time. In the 16th century, Sultan Selim II commissioned today’s semahane and mosque. Under Sultan Murad III, a kitchen (matbah-ı şerif) and dervish cells (dedegan) were added, turning it into a complex. Serving as the center of the Mevlevi Order until 1925, the lodge was converted into a museum with the closure of the dervish lodges. Opened to the public in 1927 as the “Konya Asâr-ı Atîka Museum,” it was officially named the “Mevlana Museum” in 1954. The museum’s Special Library was founded in 1854 by Postnişin Mehmed Said Hemdem Çelebi and houses over 4,000 manuscripts in 2,756 volumes from the Seljuk, Karamanid, and Ottoman periods. These manuscripts have been digitized and made available to researchers.
Today, the Mevlana Museum is open to visitors every day of the week. Especially between December 7–17, the Şeb-i Arûs (Night of Union) events and the International Mevlânâ Commemoration Ceremonies held throughout December attract visitors from all over the world. We recommend that guests wishing to attend these events in Konya make their accommodation reservations early. Şeb-i Arûs ceremony tickets can be obtained via biletinial.com. The International Mystic Music Festival in memory of Mevlânâ is usually held in Konya in September.
- Whirling Dervish Performances: Free whirling dervish performances are organized every Saturday at 19:00 at the Mevlâna Cultural Center by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality (except during the Şeb-i Arûs week). We recommend including this mystical experience in your itinerary during your stay.
Day Trip: The distance from Sillehan Boutique Hotel to the Mevlâna Museum is approximately 12 km, which takes about 20–25 minutes by car. Private guided city tours of Konya can be organized for interested guests.