UNESCO Remembers Mevlana in 2007

From the German press
UNESCO gedenkt 2007 des Islamischen Philosophen Mevlana

Touristik Presse – Das Medienportal für Reise und TouristikPressekontakt: Ulrike Demmel

SummaryAt the suggestion of Turkey, Egypt, and Afghanistan UNESCO has named 2007 as “Mevlana Year” in memory of the Muslim philosopher and mystical poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. 2007 sees the 800^th anniversary of his birth. The Mevlana Year also serves one of the most important purposes of the United Nations, that of peaceful dialogue between cultures.

Born in 1207 and best known as ‘Rumi’ he was one of the most influential representatives of Sufism, the spiritual way of Islam. The aim of a Sufi is to be as close to God as possible. God is called the ‘Beloved’ and manifests in all of his creation. With meditation, ascetic practices, and ritual dance the Sufi strives to surrender his/her individuality and to attain a pure soul.

According to Rumi love is the greatest power in the universe.

The dance of the Mevlana Sufis forms the central expression of their faith and is a moving experience. They turn in a large circle with one hand opened upwards to receive divine light and the other hand downwards to transmit this light to the earth.

The Mevlana Order also has a presence in Germany; the branch in Nürnberg, for example, has existed for fifteen years and has forty members.

In Konya, where Mevlana Rumi lived for most of his life, they are busy with preparations for the celebrations. Konya lies 200 km from Ankara and the mausoleum of Mevlana attracts many Sufis. Over a million tourists visit the town every year and in 2007 the honouring of Mevlana by UNESCO will be a great contribution to the dialogue of cultures which the town authorities are very happy about. The international Mevlana Jalaluddin Festival takes place in Konya and Istanbul from the 8^th to the 11^th May.

Germany also plans many events that are open to all who are interested. Sufi concerts and conferences are planned in New York, Geneva, Jakarta, Cairo, London, Melbourne, Rome, Sydney, Damascus, Chicago, Tokyo, Washington, and New Delhi.

More information is available at: http://www.mevlana-ev.de/