Although Rumi died more than seven centuries ago, he still has a strong following, and not only in Iran but all over the world, because of the universal message of his work.
In the United States, collections of his writings frequently top bestseller lists; recordings of Rumi's poems have made it to the USA's Billboard's Top 20 list; various versions of his love poems have been performed by famous figures like Madonna, Goldie Hawn, and Demi Moore in a CD titled A Gift of Love and produced by Deepak Chopra; and, in 2007, Philip Glass composed music to accompany Rumi's poetry in Monsters of Grace, a chamber opera specially organized for the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth.
The Sufis' dance of the whirling dervishes is a form of religious ceremony, Sama, which aims to abandon egos and personal desires and attain perfection, or reach God. This dance, still practiced by Sufi dervishes of the Mevlevi order, traces itself to Rumi and follows his teachings. They do this by listening to spiritual music, focusing on God, and spinning in circles.
Many of Rumi's admirers and followers visit Konya, Turkey, which houses his mausoleum and where the annual whirling dervish festival takes place.
