In Balkh searching for Rumi
Sufis often talk about “following signs”–i.e. listening to so-called “cues” from the heart or beyond. But while I was in Afghanistan, I was literally following signs in my hunt for Rumi’s legacy and memory. To my surprise, there were visual and poetic traces of Rumi almost everywhere I traveled–from Persian verses of his masterpiece being recited by childrento bright posters stamped with his image stuck on mudbrick walls. On the poster above, Rumi’s name is given as Mevlana Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi–with “Balkhi” meaning the one from “Balkh” (where this photo was taken).
I am a Balkhi, I am a Balkhi, I am a Balkhi,
The world is in an uproar over my heartaches.
— Rumi
