Turkish FM inaugurates historical Sarajevo mevlevi dervish lodge

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday inaugurated the historical Sarajevo Mevlevi dervish lodge jointly re-built by municipality of Turkey's central Anatolian province of Konya and Turkey's International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) in capital Sarajevo of Bosnia- Herzegonina. Speaking at the the inauguration of the dervish lodge, Davutoglu said he was very happy to be at this spiritual and historical site in the presence of the martyrs and "Wise King" Aliya Izzetbegovic, the first president of Bosnia Herzegovina, and Jalal ad-Din Rumi, 13th-century Persian Muslim poet and Sufi mystic. "This beautiful work of art will stay here forever as a symbol of the eternal friendship between Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This dervish lodge will eternalize the two big memorial cities in Anatolia and Rumelia," said Davutoglu. Sarajevo was under siege in the 1990s and many people from Sarajevo were killed and suffered but never hated, said Davutoglu adding that people of Sarajevo did not nourish hatred; they were open hearted. Bakir Izzetbegovic, member of tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, head of TIKA Serdar Cam, and other officials also attended the inauguration. Sarajevo Dervish Lodge was built in 1463. It was demolished in the 1600s and rebuilt in 1781. However, it was knocked down during the reign of Yugoslavia. In the lodge, mathnawi lessons will be taught and cultural events will be held.