The 12th session on Rumi Studies in Turkey of the 3rd International Conference on Mawlawi, titled “Mawlawi Research in Turkey”, was held virtually on December 14, 2020, with the partnership of the University of Isfahan and the ECO Educational Institute.
The international conferences on Mawlawi Research have been held with the cooperation of universities, mainly the University of Isfahan, and other related institutes since 2017, in order to commemorate Rumi, one of the greatest mystic poets, analyze the foundations of Mevlana's thoughts and works, gather the international research on Rumi and pass it on the future generation. The 3rd International Conference on Mawlawi, which is designed as weekly meetings, has started on November 17th and continues until December 17th. A total of 14 meetings is conducted with speakers from Iran, Turkey, China, the Balkan region, subcontinent, and Arab-speaking countries.
ECO Educational Institute, has partnered for a joint session on Rumi Studies in Turkey, as it is important to revisit our common heritage and highlight our long-lasting bonds, especially in these difficult days brought by the pandemic. For the past seven centuries, Rumi's influence and his spiritual legacy have been transcending national borders and ethnic divisions and bringing together Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and become part of the global literature. As ECO Educational Institute, it is our primary mission to make the contribution of this common heritage known and prominent both in our region and throughout the world.
The “Mawlawi Research in Turkey” Panel was joined by esteemed scholars whose work on Mawlana made a wide-ranging impact on how we understand and expand his philosophy and love. Prof. Ali Temizel of Selçuk University has received his doctorate from Ankara University on Persian Language and Literature. He has previously taught at Tehran Allame-i Tabatabai University and conducted workshops at the University of Sistan and Baluchistan. He was the lead convenor of the Conference on “Mawlana, Joining Nations and Civilizations” in Dushanbe. He is currently the Director of Mawlana Research Institute at Selçuk University. He is fluent in Persian, Azerbaijani Turkish, and German, Prof. Dr. Ali Temizel published several works both in Turkish and Persian on Turks in Iran, Turkish Language, and Mawlana. Dr. Fahretin Coşguner, Kırıkkale University, also received his Ph.D. from Ankara University on Persian Language and Literature. He is the co-author of a rich ‘Bibliography on Mawlana’ and worked on his Masnawi, covering several subjects about its literary, political and cultural aspects such as Turkish words, Çelebi Husameddin, the concept of ‘nefs’ in Masnavi, and Mawlana’s ideas on ‘Futuvvet and Ahilik’. Dr. Kadir Turgut of İstanbul University. He has taught classes in Persian grammar and translated several poems from modern and classical Persian poets. His works on Rumi include a ‘Commentary on the Preamble and First Eighteen Beyts of the Masnavi’ and Masnawi selections and manuscripts such as ‘Jawahir Al-Mawlavi and Laali Al-Masnavi’.
This specialized session and the conference allow the people of the region to better understand one and other and expand Rumi’s wisdom, philosophy, and love to other peoples and future generations.
