as a sufi, rumi was a member of a group of devout muslims who focus on nurturing their own and othersn. a whole tourist industry has sprung up around rumi in konya and every year hundreds of thousands of people also come here to study sufism. perhaps best—known of all sufi traditions are the world famous dancers or dervishes who whirl in a trance—like state to release untapped energy and make a devine connection. now this is a very special place indeed. this is where they make the sikke, which is a traditional hat worn by the sufi. they've used the same technique for hundreds of years and it's all handmade. translation: in the teachings of mevlana everything has a meaning. people, objects, animals and plants. kissing this band on the hat symbolises the value of these things. so you put the sikke on your head, like this, and the ribbon comes down to your heart. the green band symbolises knowledge and you can think of this like a channel, which means all knowledge should lead to the heart and to love. if knowledge doesn't reach the heart, then it's worthless. although whirling dervishes

musicians from top 90s grunge group nirvana to madonna have used text attributed to rumi in their worke best—selling poet in america. the son of a religious scholar, rumi spent much of his childhood travelling throughout the islamic world before finally making his home here in kenya, in central anatolia. he became well—known not only for his interpretation of koranic verse, but also the honesty and humour in his writing and his clear sense of morality, leaving behind countless poems that still resonate today. and now many people come here to kenya to see where the man, who is often referred to as the islamic shakespeare, is buried and to learn more about his work an his teachings. i've been incredibly lucky as a direct descendant of the great man himself has agreed to meet up for a chat. listen to the reed, how it tells it tale, complaining of separations. saying, ever since i was parted from the reedbed my lament has caused man and woman to moan. translation: i am the 22nd generation descendant from mevla na and when i was born my siblings and i were taught that we had been passed a v