Millions of copies of medieval Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi’s poetry have been sold and are being sold in the United States and around the world over the years. He was born 813 years ago in the year 1207 and even today there is no shortage of his fans all over the world.
Brad Gooch, author of Rumi’s autobiography, Secrets of Rumi, says that “his personality has been so high and attractive for centuries.”
Gooch is also known for his critical work on Frank O’Hara and Flannery O’Connor ( American writers). “The map of Rumi’s life spans 2,500 miles,” says Gooch. Rumi started his journey from his birthplace Balkh. This place is now in Afghanistan. From there he traveled through the Uzbek city of Samarkand to Iran and Syria, where he studied in his youth in Damascus and Aleppo.
His last stop was Konya, Turkey, where Rumi spent the last 50 years of his life. Today, devotees and heads of state gather at Rumi’s tomb every year on December 17 to commemorate his death.
