Mevlana Week

Mevlâna Week is the official commemorative period marking the anniversary of the death of Mevlâna Celâleddîn-i Rûmî (1207–1273). Since Mevlâna referred to the day of his death as “Şeb-i Arûs,” meaning “Night of Union with the Divine” or “Wedding Night,” these events are also known as “Şeb-i Arûs Ceremonies,” “Commemoration Ceremonies for Hazreti Mevlâna,” and “International Commemoration Ceremonies for the Anniversary of Union.”

^{Mevlâna Celâleddîn-i Rûmî} (İslam Ansiklopedisi)

Mevlâna passed away on 5 Jumada II 672 (17 December 1273). For many years in Türkiye, the period between 10 and 17 December was recognized as Mevlâna Week; some institutions adopted the week of 2 to 9 December as a symbolic commemorative period. Today, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism organizes the ceremonies over eleven days, from 7 to 17 December. The 2025 ceremonies mark the 752nd anniversary of Mevlâna’s union with the Divine.

The events are jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (General Directorate of Fine Arts) and the Konya Metropolitan Municipality, with support from the Konya Provincial Governorship.

The theme of the 2025 program is “The Time of Peace.” The program will begin on Saturday, 6 December 2025, with the “Mader-i Mevlâna” event at the tomb of Mevlâna’s mother, Mümine Hatun, at the Aktekke Camii in Karaman. The main ceremonies will take place over eleven days in Konya from 7 to 17 December 2025.

• Daily Sema ceremonies at the Mevlana Culture Center,
• Mesnevî discussions, conferences, panels, and talks,
• Exhibitions, workshops, and concerts,
• Storytelling sessions of Mesnevî tales for children,
• Prayer and peace walks at the Shrine of Şems-i Tebrizî,
• Ney performance in memory of the late Niyazi Sayın,
• “Exhibition of Annotated Mesnevî Manuscripts” at the Istanbul Rami Library (70 annotated Mesnevî copies — the first and most comprehensive exhibition of its kind).

The Sema ceremony is the central element of Mevlevî culture and an indispensable part of the ceremonies. In 2008, it was inscribed by Türkiye on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Sema is performed in accordance with traditional customs and rituals.

The events are promoted to millions of people across approximately 200 countries through special promotional films and the GoTürkiye platform, facilitated by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA). Each year, visitors from all over the world travel to Konya to participate.

Mevlâna Week is a broad cultural and artistic initiative encompassing Sema ceremonies, academic events, exhibitions, and children’s programs. These ceremonies transform Konya every December into an international center of spiritual gathering and peace, representing the most extensive and official contemporary expression of Mevlâna’s universal call to humanity, first articulated in the 13th century.