Born: 30 September 1207 · Died: 17 December 1273 · Age at death: 66
How old was Rumi when he died?
Rumi died aged 66. He was born on 30 September 1207 and died on 17 December 1273.
Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose Masnavi and love poems are among the most widely read poetry in the world
Did you know?His followers founded the Mevlevi Order, famous for their spinning ritual known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes.
Quick facts
Date of birth30 September 1207
Date of death17 December 1273
Age at death66
NationalityPersian
BirthplaceVakhsh, Tajikistan
Occupationpoet, ulema, writer
Editor's Take:
Rumi is proof that poetry can cross centuries and borders without losing its fire. A thirteenth-century scholar and Sufi mystic, he wrote about longing, love and the search for the divine in images anyone can grasp. His meeting with the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz transformed him from a respected teacher into an ecstatic poet. Today his verses are quoted on social media, at weddings and in self-help books far from his home in Anatolia. Few medieval writers have ever felt so contemporary.
Key Milestones
c.1228: Konya – family settles in Anatolia
1244: Shams of Tabriz – life-changing friendship
c.1258: Masnavi – begins his masterpiece
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), commonly known as Rumi, was a Sufi mystic, poet, and founder of the Islamic brotherhood known as the Mevlevi Order. His family hailed from Balkh.
