TEHRAN -- The anniversary of Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi’s decisive encounter with dervish Shams-i Tabrizi on November 30, 1244 was celebrated during a ceremony in Tabriz on Sunday.

Rumi experts Mohammad-Ali Movahhed, Karim Zamani, vocalist Homayun Shajarian and a large number of Iranian literati attended the ceremony, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Monday.

“At the present time, holding such a great meeting in commemoration of Shams-i Tabrizi in his hometown is very satisfying,” Movahhed said.

“Tabriz has always been source of many great developments for the country over its fascinating history,” he added.

Shajarian, who has recently returned from Konya, the southern Turkish town that is home to the mausoleum of Rumi, also delivered a short speech.

“Before attending this meeting I did a bibliomancy,” he said and added, “Accordingly, I have attended this meeting with open eyes and ears and a closed mouth.”

Zamani of the University of Tehran also spoke to the audience.

“Shams’ expression is in a literary style and one of his characteristics in teaching religious lessons and mysticism is his objectivism,” he stated.

“To comprehend Rumi’s poetry and to take pleasure from his work, we need to raise our morals and to eschew committing sins,” he added.

The ceremony came to an end with presenting Movahhed, Zamani, Shajarian and Belarusian Ambassador Victor Rybak with busts of Rumi.

Rumi undertook one or two journeys to Syria, during one of which he met the dervish Shams.

However, he was deeply influenced by Shams during their second visit in Konya on November 30, 1244.

For months, the two men constantly interacted, and as a result, Rumi neglected his disciples and family, who could not tolerate the close relationship.

One night in 1247, Shams disappeared forever. This experience turned Rumi into a poet. The Divan of Shams (The collected Poetry of Shams) is a true translation of his experiences into poetry.

Photo: Mausoleum of Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Konya, Turkey (Mehmet Tunçez)

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