We are traveling to Cappadocia today, but first we stop in Konya for a special treat.
This is the burial place of Rumi, the 13th century Sufi poet.
The name of his burial site translates to "the green dome", shown here from the outside.
The grounds include other burial sites, such as this "mother's graveyard".
You enter this door after covering your shoes.
In the foyer are various scrolls and artifacts celebrating Rumi.
The burial sites of other high members of the Mevlevi Order.
Each is buried with their ceremonial headgear on top of the tomb.
Rumi's tomb is to the right at the end of this corridor.
He wanted to be buried simply and with no fuss, so this is what they came up with.
Is there anything more American than taking a selfie with a tomb?
A small museum area with various artifacts from Rumi's life.
Some of Rumi's writings...
...set in his own hand.
This supposedly contains hair of his beard, and people try to inhale there to get a molecule of it.
A Quran on the special stand for holding it during reading.
Outside, a fountain for the ritual ablutions.
A special garden of tombs for the ney players, the flutists that accompany the dervish service.
Another view of the green dome.
In the kitchen area are mannequins showing the dress and style of the time.
Other mannequins working the ovens.
Several rooms are kept as they were at the time. Others hold artifacts such as these neys.
A description of the life of a dervish in one of the cells.
An overview of the mosque in which he is buried.
Next door, the newer mosque.
A quick spot of lunch. Wade has some chicken soup; all of the soups there are delicious and rich.
Kimberly has some salad; Turkey is much more lush than expected, and the vegetables are all fresh.
We also split a pide, kind of like their pizza or flatbread with toppings.
A shot back toward the two mosques.
They tell us we weren't going to be ballooning the next day, so Kimberly takes a shot of some
balloons in a shop, to approximate the experience.
