Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273) was a Persian-language poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic born in Balkh, in present-day Afghanistan. After his family fled the Mongol advance, he settled in Konya, in present-day Turkey, where he taught and gathered disciples; the Mevlevi order of whirling dervishes was established there in his name after his death. His major works include the Masnavi, a six-volume didactic poem, and the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, a collection of lyrics named for his teacher Shams. His poetry has been translated into dozens of languages and circulates widely worldwide.
