The Mevlana Love, Tolerance and Culture Train will leave Konya on Dec. 17 to tour Europe

By Ilyas Dal - Anadolu News Agency (aa)/Zaman Online, Antalya, Konya
Saturday, August 19, 2006

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) preparations for 2007, known as the “year of Mevlana” have been completed.

In a tribute to Mevlana Rumi, Turkey’s celebrated 13th century mystic and theologian, there will be various activities throughout the year The Mevlana Love, Tolerance and Culture Train will travel across Europe for three months, thanks to the Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as the General Directorate of State Railways. The trip will include an introduction to Mevlana, his philosophy, Sufi music concerts and sema rituals.

The Mevlana Love, Tolerance and Culture Train will leave Konya on Dec. 17 and head to Ankara, Eskisehir, Afyon, Bilecik, Istanbul and Edirne. On Jan. 5, the train will depart Turkey for Europe.

The train will travel through 16 countries and stop in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Macedonia and Greece. The train has 18 carriers that will host whirling dervishes and Sufi music groups to perform sema rituals and concerts in the cities the train will stop.

A silk carpet with a figure of Mevlana on it will be weaved throughout the journey. The carpet is expected to be complete before the train stops in Spain . Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will give the silk carpet to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as a gift.

“The year of Mevlana” activities will start on August 27 in the ancient Aspendos Theater in Antalya to host the Katre Music Group.”

German Channel Shows Mevlana Documentary
A documentary film about Mevlana by German Director Martin Wenhart will be shown by ARD German television on the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and worship. In the film, Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi’s first visit to Konya and his first meeting with Sems-Tebrizi is shown. During the film’s production, the famous German director Wenhart reportedly memorized the story of Mevlana’s life along with is works.