Mevlâna Museum

Jalal ad-Din Rumi died at Konya in 1273, and the lodge that grew around his grave became the mother house of the Mevlevi order until the dervish orders were dissolved in 1925; it reopened as a museum in 1926 and now receives more visitors than any other museum in the country - the great majority of them Turkish, and most of them there to pray rather than to look. The building is instantly recognisable from its fluted turquoise-tiled dome, the Yeşil Kubbe. Inside are Rumi's sarcophagus under an embroidered cover and those of his family and successors, the semahane where the turning ceremony was performed, the dervish cells around the courtyard, and cases holding manuscripts of the Masnavi, instruments, prayer rugs, illuminated Qur'ans and a casket said to hold a hair of the Prophet. Every December the Şeb-i Arûs, marking the anniversary of his death, brings ceremonies and very large crowds.

What you actually see

• The turquoise dome - the fluted tiled roof over the tomb.
• The sarcophagi - Rumi's and those of his family and successors.
• The semahane - the hall where the sema was performed.
• The manuscripts - Masnavi copies, instruments and Qur'ans.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Mid-December for the Şeb-i Arûs commemoration, when Konya fills and rooms book out months ahead.

Honest expectations

This is a shrine in practice - shoes are covered, dress must be modest, headscarves are expected for women in the tomb chamber, and people are praying around you. It is crowded most days. Photography is restricted inside.

Nearby

The Karatay Medrese and Alaeddin hill are a short walk; Sille is eight kilometres north-west.