ITHACA , NY – More than 180 Cornellians and Ithaca citizens gathered on April 15th at Cornell University , Willard Straight Hall – Memorial Room to experience an evening full of culture from the land of Rumi , the famous 13 th century muslim scholar and poet.

The keynote speaker of the event was Dr. H. Ali Yurtsever, visiting professor at Georgetown University and president of Rumi Forum , Washington , D.C. In his talk “The Symbol of Love for All Times: Mawlana Jalal-addin Rumi”, Dr. Yurtsever emphasized how Rumi's philosophy enlightened the path of peace, dialogue and respect between members of different cultural and religious backgrounds. In memory of this event, Cornell Rumi Society presented Dr. Yurtsever a handcrafted artwork which was presented by Rev. Janet Shortall, associate director of CURW.

Murat Keyder, Atakan Sari, and Mahbud Burton performed live Sufi music. Their Turkish themed music selection was well appreciated by the audience. The evening was capped with a memorable performance by The Whirling Dervishes. At the end of the program, the audience had the chance to taste some delicious Turkish appetizers as well as to meet and talk with people from diverse cultures.

The event was organized by Cornell Rumi Society and co-sponsored by Cornell University Department of Near Eastern Studies, Department of Peace Studies, Cornell United Religious Work (CURW), and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission (GPSAFC).

Some audience testimonials after the event: “Thank you very much for a great glimpse of Rumi life, poetry, and the context culture – a wonderful spirit, everyone so special, the food was excellent!”, “The event was a good introduction to Rumi. Thanks!”, “Have such events more frequently”, “I greatly appreciated learning about Rumi. His ideas are inspiring. It was a privilege to get glimpse culture & religion”, “Very interesting. I will seek to learn more about Rumi. I liked the music. Thank you for sharing us rest of the world I have never seen.”, “Thank you for this event on campus, I enjoyed it very much”, “Wonderful event! The roses are a great touch! Food = 10!”.

Cornell Rumi Society would like to thank to all contributors and audience for making this event a success.

Please click to see photos.

WHIRLING DERVISHES - I

WHIRLING DERVISHES - II



For additional information please,
contact: Cornell Rumi Society,

For centuries, Rumi, the great philosopher/poet of 13 th century and master of the Whirling Dervishes, has been speaking in his works to people from various cultures and backgrounds through the language of love and mutual understanding. Rumi, as he is mostly known in the West, or “Mawlana” in the East, is one of the few people who have exerted a great influence over space and time. As one of the most published poets in the West, Rumi builds bridges of understanding between the Islamic world and the West, and his work represents common ground for dialogue.

In the effort to Rumi and his Sufi path to the West and to celebrate his 800 th birth anniversary, UNESCO not only declared that 2007 will be “Rumi Year”, but also announced that the Mevlevi Sama Ceremony (of Whirling Dervishes) has been accepted as a Masterpiece of the Oral Tradition of the Intangible Heritage of humanity, which is an international distinction destined to raise public awareness of the value of this heritage.

To celebrate this fact, Cornell Rumi Society organizes the event “An Evening of Tranquility, Love and Culture: Living Rumi”. The specific focus of the event is to understand the effect of Rumi's philosophy in modern day life. The event includes live Whirling Dervish performance along with a short live Turkish Sufi Music Concert. The performances will be followed by the short lecture “ The Symbol of Love for All Times: Mawlana Jalal ad-din Rumi” Prof. Ali Yurtsever, the President of Rumi Forum, Washington DC. There will be also short remarks from Ithaca residents who visited the land of Rumi , Konya in Turkey about their experiences on the topic. Audiovisual presentation about Rumi's philosophy and Konya , Turkey will also be provided. Samples of Turkish appetizers with recipes from the land of Rumi will served to the guests at the end of the event.

The event will take place on April 15 th , Tuesday at 6:30 pm in Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall at Cornell University Central Campus and is open to public for free of charge. Event is supported by Cornell University Department of Near Eastern Studies, Alice Cook House and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission (GPSAFC).

Cornell Rumi Society (CRS) is a Cornell University-based student organization founded in 2001 by graduate students and faculty members of Cornell University with an aim of fostering mutual understanding and dialogue between members of different cultures and religious traditions in Ithaca . CRS organizes dialogue dinners, Ramadan banquets, interfaith gatherings, academic seminars, and film exhibitions with cooperation of other university-based organizations.

All Cornell and Ithaca community is cordially invited to the event of “An Evening of Tranquility, Love and Culture: Living Rumi” to be held on 04/15/2008 , Tuesday- 6:30pm, at Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall at Cornell University .

For additional information please,
contact: Cornell Rumi Society,