Tracing History, Sufism and Literary Spirit in Konya
TAC’s Turkish Literature Department organized a field trip to Konya for grade 10 students
on December 9-10-11.
After an enjoyable bus trip to Konya, we had a good night’s rest and the following morning our field trip officially started with the visit to the Rumi’s tomb. At this guided tour, we took notes and made interviews towards the project assigned by our course teachers. Our next stop was the tomb of Shams-i-Tabrizi, the spiritual instructor and beloved companion of Rumi. These settings reinforced the learning and interpretations of the students about the novel “Bab-ı Esrar” by Ahmet Ümit, set in these landmarks in Konya, which they studied in their Turkish literature class. Then, during lunch, they tasted one of Konya’s culinary claims to fame, the “meat bread”. In the hours that followed, the explorations about “Rumi’s Konya” transformed into those of “Konya, the former Capital of the Seljuk State” as the TAC group toured the Karatay Medresse, an Ottoman school, in its enamelled tile adornments, and Alaeddin Mosque. With the feeling of curiosity and the desire of learning the story behind them as we walked inside these great historical edifices, we were treated to a travel through time. The group also stopped in Sille, a village near Konya which was home to the first civilizations of Anatolia way before the Seljuk period. At the church of Agia Eleni, we learned more about the history of this village which has hosted a peaceful coexistence of Greeks and Turks for many centuries. After dinner, we attended the Şeb-i Arus (Reunion Night) ceremony which marks the anniversary of the death of Rumi. On that very special night, where the venue with capacity to seat 10.000 people was filled with people from all over the world, we were the witnesses of the divine “Reunion” embodied in the dance of the whirling dervishes in the 743rd year of Rumi’s death.
At the end of the visit which blended culture, history, mysticism and Turkish literature, we departed from Konya with intense feelings and very vivid visual memories about the city and its culture.
Çağla Küpük