A Mevlânâ lover laid to rest in Üçler Cemetery 9 years after her death: Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch (Havva)

When Rumi is mentioned, almost everyone immediately thinks of tolerance and human love. The love of Rumi is universal; it embraces all humanity without distinction of race, religion, or language. Rumi is the smiling face of Islam. He is a noble friend of truth who dedicated his life to loving people and helping them love one another. 

Having come to the lands of Anatolia, Rumi united hearts, kneaded them with love and compassion, and nurtured unity, togetherness, and brotherhood with his knowledge and teachings. His profound love and tolerance were reflected equally in those who loved him. Rûmî, who said “After I die, do not look for my grave on the ground; I am in the hearts of the wise,” became the symbol of tolerance and love in the eyes of people from different faiths and nations. 

Such a love that those who wished to be close to Rumi and benefit from his spiritual world were locked to these lands. Some saw him in their dreams and received signs, traveling thousands of kilometres to be near him. Some even took their last breaths in this land. Others requested in their wills to be buried next to Rumi.

The love for Rumi played an important role in the formation of a cemetery. Those who wished to be close to him even after death wanted to be buried in Üçler Cemetery, located right next to Rumi’s tomb and today known as Konya’s second largest cemetery. Formerly known as the Tomb Cemetery (Türbe Mezarlığı), Üçler Cemetery’s exact founding date is unknown, but it is understood to have formed after Rûmî’s death in 1273, as those who wished to be buried near him were laid to rest there. Among those buried here are members of Rumi’s lineage, including the Çelebis, Celaleddin Bakır Çelebi, the last Mesnevihan of the Mevlânâ Lodge Filibeli Sıtkı Dede, Karamanlı Ruhi Dede, Mehmet Dede, renowned scholars raised in Konya, and many other spiritual figures.

WHO IS EVA DE VITRAY MEYEROVITCH (HAVVA)? 

Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch was born in 1909 in the Boulogne region of France. Her mother’s was Scottish, and her father’s was French. She was raised in a Catholic family and, after studying law and philosophy, became interested in Sufism. She decided to focus on Islamic Philosophy for her doctoral research and completed her PhD on “Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî’s Mystical Thought and Poetry in Islam.” She lectured and delivered conferences on this topic in many countries. During a visit from an old friend, the Rector of Islamabad University in India, she was gifted Muhammad Iqbal’s book “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.” Influenced by this work, Meyerovitch translated Iqbal’s writings into French. Iqbal’s references to Rumi as “my master” and his identifying himself as Rumi’s student increased her interest, leading her to study Rumi in the university’s Oriental Languages Department. Unable to find translations other than English and German, Eva decided to introduce Rumi to the West. After three years of learning Persian, she began translation work. With her great love for Rumi, Meyerovitch translated all his works into French. After reading Muhammad Iqbal’s works and the Masnavi, Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch accepted Islam and took the name “Havva.” This process was not easy due to her family and social circle. At the point of deciding whether to become Muslim or not, she prayed: “Oh God! Tell me what I must do! Send me a sign…” She later recounted having a dream in which her cat was placed in a grave, and she saw a tombstone in a cemetery she had never seen before, with her name “Eva” written in Arabic as “Havva.” Upon waking, she heard a voice say: “Look, my child. You asked for a sign, and here is your sign. You will be buried as a Muslim woman.” She accepted this as a divine sign and became Muslim. 

SHE LOVED KONYA VERY MUCH 

Meyerovitch loved Konya deeply and visited the city whenever she had the chance. She frequently visited Rumi’s tomb as well as Şems Mosque and its surroundings. She would say that whenever she entered Şems Mosque, she felt faint and unwell, but once she stepped outside, she felt better. During one visit, she mentioned that a whirlwind swept through the interior of the mosque while not even a leaf moved outside, and she could not understand this situation. She described these unusual events, which she believed were connected to the sites associated with Şems’ murder, to the Minister of Culture at the time. The minister told her that excavations conducted in the area had led to significant findings, including a body uncovered when digging deeply into the soil, which was believed to be Şems’ remains. This strengthened Eva’s spiritual bond with the city and with Rumi even further.

THE STORY OF HER BURIAL IN ÜÇLER CEMETERY 

Eva would often tell those around her: “I love Türkiye and Konya very much. Türkiye is the only country where I truly feel at home. Konya is an exceptional place.” Undoubtedly, the greatest reason for this love was the presence of Rumi in this city. Prof. Dr. Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch (Havva), who held great love for Türkiye and especially Konya, visited the city more than ten times. During one visit, she expressed her wish for her spiritual son, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Öztürk, to have his grave near Rumi’s tomb, in Üçler Cemetery.

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Öztürk summarizes this process as follows: “Havva Hanım, who said, ‘I am from Konya, and I feel Turkish,’ once told me while returning from Konya to Paris: ‘Please ensure that when I die, I am buried in Konya, in a modest cemetery behind Rumi.’ But for various reasons, she could not give me a written will during her lifetime. She likely did not want to upset her family or cause conflicts. She said, ‘You are my spiritual son. Find a way, take me there. Ask from the heart, and God will open the path.’ I had her state verbally, in front of the press, during a talk she gave at Selçuk University in 1989, that she wished to be buried in Konya. This was later published in local newspapers. Years later, when I wrote letters to her sons requesting permission, I used these declarations as documentation.” Prof. Dr. Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch (Havva), who introduced Rumi and especially his Masnavi to the entire world through her French translations, passed away in France in 1999. In accordance with her will, she was brought to Konya in 2008 and buried in Üçler Cemetery in a ceremony. On the occasion of the 752nd Vuslat Anniversary, in which Rumi was commemorated under the theme “Time for Peace,” we remembered Eva de Vitray Meyerovitch (Havva ) with mercy, who walked in Rumi’s path and contributed greatly to the international recognition and understanding of his ideas and teachings. 

Interview by 

Mustafa AKGÖL