Mevlana Museum and Tomb

The Mevlana Museum and Tomb in Konya is the principal memorial complex of Jalal al-Din Rumi, known in Türkiye as Mevlâna, and a major destination for people interested in Sufi history and Mevlevi spiritual culture. The site developed around a garden given by the Seljuk ruler Alaeddin Keykubad to Rumi’s father, Baha al-Din Walad.

After Rumi died in Konya on 17 December 1273, the celebrated Green Dome mausoleum was built over his grave in 1274. The complex grew over later centuries into the central Mevlevi lodge, with a semahane, mosque, dervish cells, kitchen and other structures. Following the closure of dervish lodges in 1925, it opened as a museum in the 1920s and received the name Mevlana Museum in 1954.

Rumi’s tomb and the memory of his teachings remain the spiritual focus for many visitors. The annual Şeb-i Arûs commemorations mark the anniversary of his death within Mevlevi remembrance. Such devotion is recorded as living religious tradition, while the architectural chronology and museum history are documented separately. Visitors encounter both a museum and a deeply revered memorial space and should behave accordingly.