Profile
Rumi: The Mystic Poet Who Still Speaks to the World
Persian poet and Sufi mystic, 1207–1273
Jalal al-Din Rumi was born in Balkh, in present-day Afghanistan, around 30 September 1207.
His family fled the Mongol advance and settled in Konya, in Anatolia, where he became a respected religious scholar.
His great work, the Masnavi, is a vast poem of stories and teachings, often called the Quran in Persian.
Career highlights
- 1207Born in Balkh: Central Asia
- c.1228Konya: family settles in Anatolia
- 1244Shams of Tabriz: life-changing friendship
- c.1258Masnavi: begins his masterpiece
- 1273Death in Konya: mourned by many faiths
Did you know?His tomb in Konya, topped with a green tiled dome, is now a museum visited by more than a million people a year.
