The Replica of the Divan-i Kebir of Mevlana Jalauddin Rumi

The exact replica of the 1367-1368 C.E. Divan-i Kebir (Divan-i Shams) of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi which is on display at the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Turkey.

Rumi is the world renowned mystic, saint, and poet who lived in Anatolia in the 13^th century. The Divan-i Kebir is considered one of his two masterpieces (the other being the more didactic Mesnevi). An anthology of lyric poems that contains more than 44,000 verses, it is written in Farsi, the language spoken in Anatolia at the time. It also contains some Arabic, Turkish, and even Greek words and poems. The Divan-i Kebir is considered one of the greatest works of Persian literature ever written.

The two volumes of the original 1367-1368 C.E. of the Divan-i Kebir on display at the Mevlana Museum in Konya are registered as No. 68 and No. 69. The Museum is the mausoleum of Rumi. It was also the tekke [dervish lodge] of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes.

This Divan-i Kebir is considered to be one of the most reliable versions of Rumi’s Divan-i: It was compiled by Hasan ibni Osman-al Mevlavi who worked from the original notes of the katib-i esrar [secret secretaries]. These secretaries transcribed the poetry as Rumi spontaneously created/recited it. It should be noted that there is less than 100 years between the death of Rumi in 1273 and Hasan ibni Osman-al Mevlani’s compilation; he began the compilation on July 2, 1367 and completed it on October 13, 1368.

This is the only authorized facsimile of the Divan-i Kebir in existence. The Turkish government has never allowed the original manuscripts to be photographed before. It was published in 2007 by Echo Publications, the publishing arm of the Society for Understanding Mevlana.

There are two editions: The first is leather bound, and only 200 copies were printed. The second is canvas cloth bound, and 800 copies were printed. Both editions are numbered.

Review from John A. Eilts, Curator, Islamic and Middle Eastern Collection, Stanford University Libraries.

“We chose to purchase the Divan-i Kebir replica set for our rare book collection at Stanford [University] because of its unique high quality, and it came from an unimpeachable source. Dr. Ergin is a recognized Rumi scholar and has devoted much of his life to translating Rumi’s works. Dr. Ergin personally obtained permission from the Mevlana Museum in Konya and the Turkish government, to have the original Divan-i Kebir photographed. That is unprecedented. Dr. Ergin also closely monitored the photography, the printing, and the binding. This facsimile is the most extensive manuscript copy available and the most authoritative… as true to the original as it’s possible to produce. We have students who are studying Farsi here at Stanford. If it weren’t for the efforts of Dr. Ergin, they would not have the experience of reading from the original Divan-i Kebir manuscript.”

John A. Eilts, Stanford University Libraries

 

Regarding Nevit Ergin

Nevit Ergin (d. 2015) is the only person to have translated Rumi’s entire Divan-i Kebir into English – a total of 22 volumes. He began the work of translation in 1992 and finished in 2003. During his lifetime, he gave lectures on Rumi at Marin Community College in Northern California and in India for the U.S. State Department. In addition to his translations, he is the author of The Sufi Path of Annihilation, Tales of a Modern Sufi, Unknown Rumi and others as well. A recognized Rumi scholar, it is only through his dedication, diligence, and vision in bringing the project to the Turkish government and the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Turkey that the replica of the Divan-i Kebir is now available.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover:656 pages
• Publisher:Echo Publications; First Edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1887991301
• ISBN-13:978-1887991308
• Product Dimensions: 17 x 13 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight:2 pounds

 

Those who have purchased this Replica include Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, Rice University, The Library of Congress, Princeton University, The University of Chicago, Brown University, Harvard University , The New York Public Library, Clore Education Center-British Museum, Pennsylvania State University, and private collectors.

This Replica can also be purchased through Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Divan-i-Kebir-Replica-Mevlana-Celaleddin/dp/1887991301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458164347&sr=8-1&keywords=Divan-i+Replica

For More Information: https://www.readingrumi.com/sources/