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Secondary sourceBook1616

Şem'i's Commentary on Rumi's Masnavi, Volume 2

Şem'i · 1616

A commentary on Rumi's Masnavi written by Şem'i and commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Murad III, showing royal interest in Rumi's poetry.

This royally commissioned commentary shows how Rumi's poetry was studied and valued at the Ottoman court.

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Back cover of a dark brown leather-bound manuscript volume, worn and mottled, with a dark stain on the left side and a thin crack line near the top. Tan paper edges show along the spine and fore-edge. Catalog caption printed at bottom.
Şem'i, commentary on Rumi's Masnavi, vol. 2, 1616. Commissioned by Sultan Murad III.

About this source

What it is

This is volume two of a commentary on Rumi's Masnavi by the scholar Şem'i, commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Murad III and dated 1616. It survives as a bound manuscript volume.

Why it matters

That an Ottoman sultan commissioned a commentary on Rumi's poetry shows how important Rumi's work had become at the highest levels of court and religion centuries after his death, far beyond the circle of his original followers.

Look closer

  • Why might a powerful ruler like Murad III want a commentary on a mystical poem written?
  • What does the worn, stained cover suggest about the book's long history and use?
  • What might be lost or added when a sultan's scholar interprets a poet's words?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rumi (Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Open illuminated manuscript spread showing two pages with gold and blue decorative borders, floral illumination, and panels of gold-tinted Persian script in the center. Ornamental marginal dots and a faded title line appear at the top right.Book

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Masnavi

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Illuminated manuscript page with Persian calligraphy at top and bottom and a painted scene of seated and standing men in a landscape with trees, flowers and a grassy slope. A bearded man in a black robe and white turban sits facing a young man in an orange robe and ornate hat, while a shirtless man sits nearby and attendants and onlookers stand or sit around them.Book

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Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi

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Exterior view of the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya: a stone building with a tall turquoise conical-roofed dome, a second grey dome, two slender minarets, and a stone wall with trees and flowering shrubs in front on a sunny day under blue sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Grave of Rumi

soon after 1273

Page of an Arabic-script manuscript with dense handwritten text in black ink, with several passages and marginal notes highlighted or underlined in red. The aged paper is cream-colored with a dark border, and some text runs along the margins.Book

Primary source

Fihi Ma Fihi

Rumi · c. 1260-1273

Exterior of the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Turkey: a stone complex with a tall turquoise conical-roofed dome, a white minaret with a pointed cap, grey domes, and a low wall in a grassy park under a blue sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Mevlâna Museum

Badr al-Din Tabrizi (architect) · built soon after 1273; museum since 1926

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