Mevlana Museum

The Mevlana Museum in Konya is a spiritual complex that grew over seven centuries around the tomb of the Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi. It contains tombs, dervish cells, an ablution fountain and structures added under successive sultans. Displays include manuscripts, musical instruments, devotional objects and personal belongings associated with Rumi. A mother-of-pearl casket holds a relic traditionally identified as a hair from the Prophet Muhammad’s beard. The museum receives around two million visitors annually.

Legend says that after Mevlana was buried, the grave of his father rose upright in respect. The story reverses the custom in which a son stands before his father, suggesting that the father himself honoured the son’s spiritual greatness.