Erdogan attends Seb-i Arus ceremony in Konya

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended a Seb-i Arus ceremony, marking the 739th anniversary of the passing of the 13th-century poet, mystic and master of the Mevlevi Sufi order, Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi, at the Mevlana Culture Center in the central Anatolian province of Konya. The ceremony was also attended by many prominent figures including President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Chairman of Higher Education Council (YOK) Gokhan Cetinsaya, Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Akyurek and leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Messages of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek were read aloud at the ceremony. The Seb-i Arus ceremony began with opening remarks by Akyurek and continued with an Islamic sufism concert by Ahmet Ozhan. The ceremony ended with a performance by the whirling dervishes and a prayer which included verses from the Holy Quran.