Research Article

The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī

Number: Mevlâna Özel Sayısı December 10, 2025
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The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī

Abstract

During the Seljuk period in Anatolia, thanks to the economic policies developed by the sultans and statesmen themselves, commercial activities reached their peak in Anatolia and became an important part of daily life. As a result of increasing commercial activities, it is understood that the local and foreign merchants living in Konya, which became a cosmopolitan city, had intense relations with the sultan, emirs, and notables as well as the Sufis living in the city. The nature of the relationship between Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s, who was known to have disciples and friends from among the merchants who frequently traveled to and from the city, and these people, who represented the most distinguished group of the period, was generally shaped within the framework of the mentor-disciple relationship. In addition, it is striking that while other scholars and Sufis living in Seljuk Konya had friends from the Maghreb, that is, from the Western world, Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s had merchant friends from Eastern regions such as Khorasan, Iraq, and India. This situation undoubtedly stands out as a development related to the lands where Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī was born and his family ties. On the other hand, while Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s relationship with merchants was shaped by the Sufi tradition, his relations with the city's notables blossomed with the dynamics of political and social life. These include details that allow us to learn the names of merchants living in Konya during the Seljuk period, some of whom traveled overseas, the jobs they did, and even the countries they visited. Thus, it is aimed to reveal both sections of the Seljuk trade life of the period and the ties that Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī established with the merchants. Original information was obtained from Mevlevi and Anatolian sources and interpreted using a prosopographic approach. Arguments that Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī had a network of relations with merchants, generally developing within the framework of mentor-disciple, were identified. Thus, conclusions were reached about the kind of contributions of merchant groups and city notables to the rich cultural atmosphere of the Seljuk world of Turkey in the context of their examples of devotion to a distinguished Sufi.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

History of Seljuk

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 10, 2025

Submission Date

April 20, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 25, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: Mevlâna Özel Sayısı

APA
Burgu, A. (2025). The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi, Mevlâna Özel Sayısı, 117-130. https://doi.org/10.23897/usad.1680434
AMA
1.Burgu A. The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;(Mevlâna Özel Sayısı):117-130. doi:10.23897/usad.1680434
Chicago
Burgu, Abdullah. 2025. “The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl Al-Dīn Rūmī”. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. Mevlâna Özel Sayısı: 117-30. https://doi.org/10.23897/usad.1680434.
EndNote
Burgu A (December 1, 2025) The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi Mevlâna Özel Sayısı 117–130.
IEEE
[1]A. Burgu, “The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī”, Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. Mevlâna Özel Sayısı, pp. 117–130, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.23897/usad.1680434.
ISNAD
Burgu, Abdullah. “The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl Al-Dīn Rūmī”. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi. Mevlâna Özel Sayısı (December 1, 2025): 117-130. https://doi.org/10.23897/usad.1680434.
JAMA
1.Burgu A. The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;:117–130.
MLA
Burgu, Abdullah. “The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl Al-Dīn Rūmī”. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. Mevlâna Özel Sayısı, Dec. 2025, pp. 117-30, doi:10.23897/usad.1680434.
Vancouver
1.Abdullah Burgu. The Merchant Disciples of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. Selçuk Üniversitesi Selçuklu Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025 Dec. 1;(Mevlâna Özel Sayısı):117-30. doi:10.23897/usad.1680434

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