Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273) was born in Balkh, in present-day Afghanistan, and became the most widely read poet in the world, with work translated into dozens of languages. A Persian-language poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic, he spent most of his adult life in Konya, in what is now Turkey, founding the Mevlevi order of the whirling dervishes. His major works include the Masnavi, a six-volume poem of extraordinary scope exploring spiritual love and the soul's longing for union with the divine, and the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, lyrics dedicated to his spiritual teacher. His poetry meditates on love, longing, unity, and the nature of God with an ecstatic lyric power that has transcended cultural and religious boundaries for centuries.