Konya Bumi Rumi!

Vroommmm..The bus slowly departed snowy Kapadokya for Konya. The journey took about 4-5 hours. Somehow Denise was the one who really excited about her going back to Konya. Simply she had a crush with our good-looking bus attendant! I must say that transportation system in Turkey is way better than in Malaysia, particularly the inter-city bus system (bas ekspres la). Of course the guy on the bus did not function just to impress some random girl from Malaysia, but he served snacks, fruit juices and also coffee! They not only had a foldable table for eating, but also a 7 inch- built in LCD monitor for every passenger so that you can watch movies, random Turkish music and stuffs. A WIFI connection in a moving bus will simply pop your eyes off!

 Kuda di tengah bukit

Punctuality is their main mission. So punctual to the extent where me and Zaki were nearly left behind during a stopover. Luckily Denise, after sweating herself because of our lateness, managed to convince the bus driver to wait and forced her good-looking bus attendant ran after us! I knew this will not be the last time Denise will be sweating throughout the journey.

The Whirling Devishes

That night, we managed to arrive at Mevlana Cultural Center on time. Yes people, that night we were witnessing the infamous (or famous?) Whirling Dervish. Yes, Konya is the home of Whirling Dervishes. To be frank, I did not have a clear idea how the dance was invented and whether it is accepted in Islam. As for me, watching the whole ceremony behind my eyes made me think that it’s a quite strange event. So much strange neither solace nor peace came across the heart. Allah knows best.

 With Amja Sultan Camii and fellow Turkish brothers

Kalau air kolam tak cukup beku, jangan diuji kaki sendiri.

 

The amja who did not speak English, but tirelessly explain to us about the Camii

Makan malam kami

 One for me, one for Denise

Konya is considered as one of Islamic cites in Turkey. Unlike other modern parts of Turkey, one will hardly find any women without hijab. Every man, especially the elderly shall have a kopiah on top of his head. People here are more friendly, charming, kind-hearted and trustworthy. There was one uncle who is a caretaker of Sultan Selim Camii. He invited us and also Denise to have a look at the historical mosque (year 1566). After telling him that we wanted to visit the Shrine of Rumi (which is located adjacent to the mosque), he volunteered himself to walk with us to the front gate of the shrine. Even though it was only steps away, the old man will not be forgotten!

Budak-budak ni baru habis tengok bola kat stadium.Semangat semacam!

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī , also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī and popularly known as Mowlānā but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mawlawīyah Sufi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony (Wikipedia). So you know who invented the Whirling Dervishes now eh?

 Makam Maulana Jalaluddin Ar-Rumi berada di bawah kubah hijau itu

 Ya, kamilah yang beria-ia mahu ambil gambar bersama

Setiap kamu terhadap kehidupan ini adalah seperti rumah tamu. Setiap hari kamu dikunjungi pelbagai tamu dengan pelbagai kerenah. Bukalah pintu untuk mereka dan layan sebaik yang kamu mampu. Andai kamu menutup pintu, kamu sangka diri makin selesa tetapi hakikatnya kamu semakin kehilangan segala-galanya” – Jalaluddin al-Rumi