TEHRAN – The northwestern Iranian town of Khoy hosted the 8th edition of the International Conference on Rumi and Shams-i Tabrizi on Thursday and Friday.

Shams and Rumi scholars and literati from several countries attended the meeting, which is held by the officials of the town, home to the tomb of Shams, to celebrate the 8th of Mehr, Rumi Day on the Iranian calendar.

The outlook of Rumi and Shams on peace, compromise, coexistence and the principles of dialogue in the thought of the mystics was one the topics discussed at the conference.

Philosophy of Shams and Rumi in the religions practiced in the East was also studied during the meeting.

The conference also surveyed different narratives about Rumi’s first encounter with his mentor Shams in historical texts and travelogues.

Among the issues scrutinized were training and psychological attitudes in the system of thought of Rumi and Shams.   

Earlier in April, the Khoy City Council announced UNESCO’s plans to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the active life of Shams-i Tabrizi in 2022 and 2023.

The council said that international programs to commemorate Rumi and Shams across the world will be focused on the vibrant story of Rumi’s first encounter with his mentor Shams.

Khoy plans to celebrate the occasion with a program entitled “Meeting of Two Seas”, which will be organized under the auspices of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.

“The Line of Mysticism” is part of a program designed to be held during the conference to bring together experts on Rumi and Shams from Balkh, Neyshabur, Tabriz, Khoy and Konya to exchange their latest studies on the two luminaries of Persian literature. 

Rumi undertook one or two journeys to Syria, during one of which he met the dervish Shams.

However, he was deeply influenced by Shams during their second visit to Konya on November 30, 1244.

For months, the two men constantly interacted, and as a result, Rumi neglected his disciples and family, who could not tolerate the close relationship.

One night in 1247, Shams disappeared forever. This experience turned Rumi into a poet. The Divan of Shams (The collected Poetry of Shams) is a true translation of his experiences into poetry.

Photo: A poster for the 8th International Conference on Rumi and Shams-i Tabrizi.

MMS/YAW