
Rumi
Famous as: Great Poet
Born on: 30 September 1207
Born in: Balkh (in present-day Afghanistan)
Died on: 17 December 1273
Nationality: Iran (islamic Republic Of)
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Works & Achievements: "Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi" (collection of ghazals) and "Mathnawi" (compilation of six volumes of poetry) are the popular works of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi.
He is regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects.
Born in 1207 AD, he belonged to a family of learned theologians.
He made use of everyday life's circumstances to describe the spiritual world.
Rumi's poems have acquired immense popularity, especially among the Persian speakers of Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan.
Numerous poems written by the great poet have been translated to different languages.
Childhood
The migrating caravan traveled extensively in Muslim lands, including Baghdad, Damascus, Malatya, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri and Nigde. After performing pilgrimage in Mecca, they eventually settled in Konya, located in the present-day western Turkey. At that time, Rumi’s father was an Islamic theologian, a teacher and a preacher.

Turning Point Of Rumi’s Life
The meeting proved to be a turning point in his life. Shamsuddin and Rumi became very close friends.
Shams went to Damascus, were he was allegedly killed by the students of Rumi who were resentful of their close relationship. Rumi expressed his love for Shamsuddin and grief at his death, through music, dance and poems.
- Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi: Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi (or Diwan-e-Kabir) is one of the masterpieces of Rumi.
- It is a collection of ghazals named in the honor of dervish Shamsuddin, who was Rumi’s great friend and inspiration. It also contains an assortment of poems arranged according to the rhyming scheme. Diwan-e-Kabir has been written in ‘Dari’ dialect. It is regarded as one of the greatest works of Persian literature.
- Mathnawi: Mathnawi is a compilation of six volumes of poetry, written in a didactic style. The poems are intended to inform, instruct as well as entertain the reader. It is believed that Rumi started the work of Mathnawi at the suggestion of his then companion, Husam al-Din Chalabin. Mathnawi attempts to explain the various facets of spiritual life.

Legacy
He was buried beside his father in Konya. A tomb named Mevlana mausoleum was built in Konya, commemorating the great Sufi poet.
It consists of a mosque, dervish living quarters and a dance hall. The sacred site is visited by his admirers coming from different parts of the world.