DUSHANBE, December 16, 2012, Asia-Plus – On Saturday December 15, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon left for Turkey for an official visit, the president’s official website reports.

During his stay in Turkey, Emomali Rahmon is scheduled to hold talks with Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Cemal Cicek.

Rahmon’s discussions with high-ranking Turkish state officials will focus on issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Turkey.

A forum of representatives of Tajik and Turkish business communities will take place in Turkey on the sidelines of Rahmon’s official visit, the source said.

Besides, Rahmon will attend the annual ceremonies called “Seb-i Arus” that will take place in Konya on December 17.  The ceremonies will be held at the ‘Mawlana Cultural Center’ to commemorate the 739th death anniversary of the great poet and Sufi mystic Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Press TV reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to visit the Turkish province of Konya to attend the annual celebrations for Persian mystic poet Mawlawi.  Following the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation, Ahmadinejad is slated to visit Turkey on December 17, 2012, Press TV reported noting that “along with Erdogan and Ahmadinejad, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and a number of ministers and parliamentarians will also attend the annual ceremonies “Seb-i Arus.”

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, and more popularly in the English-speaking world simply as Rumi (September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273), was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic.  Iranians, Turks, Afghans, Tajiks, and other Central Asian Muslims as well as the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy in the past seven centuries.  Rumi''s importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders.  His poems have been widely translated into many of the world''s languages and transposed into various formats.  Mawlawi is better known for his six-volume poem Masnavi which is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of both Islamic mysticism and Persian literature.  In 2007, he was described as the "most popular poet in America.