Mevlana Celalattin Rumi Cami

Mevlana Celalattin Rumi Camii bears the full name of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī (1207–1273), the great Persian-language Sufi poet and theologian whose Masnavi remains one of the towering works of Islamic spiritual literature and whose tomb in Konya continues to attract pilgrims from around the world. Rūmī, known in Turkish simply as Mevlana, is among the most beloved figures in the entire Turkish Islamic tradition, and mosques bearing his name are common across the country as expressions of affection for his poetry, his teaching, and the broader Mevlevi Sufi order that continues to transmit his legacy. The Batıkent mosque bearing his name is a substantial modern structure of careful design, with a central dome, a single slim minaret, and a stone-paved forecourt. Inside, the prayer hall is carpeted in warm tones, and the mihrab is finished with particular care. Calligraphic panels along the walls include verses from the Qur'an as well as, in some cases, selected couplets from Mevlana's own Persian poetry in elegant nastaʿlīq script. The imam's Friday sermons often draw on the themes that run through the Masnavi — the love of God, the journey of the soul, the transmutation of suffering into wisdom — woven together with the practical counsel of a settled Sunni piety. Women pray in a spacious upper gallery, and Qur'an classes for children run throughout the year. Ablution facilities are clean and heated. During Ramadan the mosque runs a full programme of tarawih, and the commemoration of Mevlana's ʿurs in December (the Şeb-i Arus, his 'wedding night' with the divine) is often marked with special programmes. The mosque's annual observance of the Şeb-i Arus, Mevlana's 'wedding night' with the divine marking the anniversary of his death on December 17th, is attended by worshippers from across Ankara and includes the recitation of selected passages from the Masnavi in the hushed atmosphere of the prayer hall after the night prayer, one of the most affecting devotional gatherings of the year for lovers of the Mevlevi tradition. For Muslim visitors to the western districts of Ankara, this mosque is a particularly fitting place to pray for anyone drawn to the poetic and Sufi dimension of Turkish Islam.