Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad R?m? commemorated 747th death anniversary on December 7 and December 17 at Seb-i Arus Ceremonies held in Konya, one of the major cities of Turkey.

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JAKATA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach - 23 December 2020 - When
the news of the pandemic first broke early this year, many plans revolving
travelling, large weddings and unions for festive celebrations were put on hold
for the greater good. While many countries have yet to open their doors for
international travelling, Indonesia is one of the few who still allows their
locals to cross borders internationally (with the strict ruling to follow the
proper SOPs), allowing for Indonesians to carry on with their wanderlust dreams
yet witnessing meaningful occasions such as the Seb-i Arus ceremony in Turkey.

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Seb-I
Arus ceremony (An annual ritual In Turkey)

Every year since 1937, Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad�R?m? is
being commemorated on his death anniversary at Seb-i Arus (Night of Reunion
with the Divine) commemoration ceremonies in Konya, the birthplace of the
Mevlevi order in the 13^th century and home to Rumi's tomb. Konya is
a city known not only for Mevl�na, but also for its rich culture that blends
significant historical heritage.

2020 marked the 747^th
death anniversary of the world-renowned Sufi mystic, poet, and scholar Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad�R?m? known
to the world as Rumi. This year on December 7 and December 17, with the support
of the T.R. Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Turkish Tourism Promotion
and Development Agency, Sema ceremonies as part of Seb-i Arus ceremonies were
held at Rumi Cultural Center, in Konya. Due to the pandemic and limited
participation apart from the special guests and invitees of the ministry, the
ceremonies were livestreamed on GoTurkey's Twitter and Facebook accounts and
real time stories will be shared from GoTurkey's Instagram account (www.goturkey.com).

With the participation of Speaker of
the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Prof. Dr. Mustafa ?entop and Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri
Ersoy to
the celebrations, Vice President of International Mevl�na (R?m?) Foundation, Esin �elebi Bayru (who is also Rumi's 22^nd
generation granddaughter and sociologist) and writer and Rumi expert, Ali
Bekta? got together with journalists from all around the world.

According to Indonesian travel-enthusiast
and social media personality, Wira Nurmansyah, the teachings of Mevl�na about
love is widely known in Indonesia and has a great effect over locals such as
himself.

"The witnessing of the ritual is deeply
touching to me. Not only that, the spiritual atmosphere of Konya has a positive
influence for a Muslim such as myself, apart from the many other Muslim
attractions located in Turkey," said Wira, who added that this ceremony left
him a great impression on his first trip to Turkey on early December 2020.

Another of Indonesia's social media
personality, Ashari Yudha had also attended the ceremony with Wira on this
trip, which they were personally invited as guests hosted by Turkish
Embassy Tourism Office and Tourism Tourism Promotion and Development
Agency for this special occasion.

Seb-i Arus ceremonies, an annual
ritual in Turkey

Seb-i Arus ceremonies, which are held
every year on December 17, means 'wedding night' in Turkish. The wedding night
is known in the Mevlevi order as the night Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad�R?m? died. Since Jal?l ad-D?n Muhammad�R?m? considered
his death not as an end but as a reunion with his beloved God, his death
anniversary is called the 'Wedding Night' also referred as 'The Night of Reunion'. Rumi interprets
death as a return to one's origin, a "return to Allah" due to the fact that its
source is a divine ore; according to him death is not the disappearance of the
body, but the flight towards Allah. Rumi expresses his philosophy about death
with these words: "Everyone refers to it as departing, I, however, refer to
it as a reunion."

For further information about Seb-i
Arus please visit https://sebiarus.gov.tr/

For more
about Turkey please visit: www.goturkey.com

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