The Konya Retreat: 2019 – My Personal Highlights

By a Cambridge Crescent member.

Experience Islam in Konya - Organised by Cambridge Crescent, Cambridge Central Mosque, Konya Metropolitan Municipality and the Turkish Diyanet Centre offered a second spiritual retreat to Konya, Turkey for new Muslims.

The retreat was lead by one of the mosque’s former Imams, Ali Tos. The programme included a week of morning classes on the fundamentals of belief, prayer and practice, followed by afternoon excursions to historical sites in and around the city of Konya – home of Mevlana Rumi. A number of workshops in arts & crafts were , including Ebru (traditional marbling), calligraphy, classical nasheeds and mosque visits.

I feel really blessed that I had the opportunity to visit Konya, in Turkey, with the Cambridge Crescent. We had the chance to visit and enjoy so much that the city has to offer, with trips, tours, demonstrations, gatherings and talks. 

Imam Ali is a great organiser and connected us with local communities. We learnt about Rumi’s life, visited his tomb, got glimpses of Islamic arts, and saw the whirling dervishes of Konya. We also visited a school, met the ministry of culture, and met a group of sisters for tea and dinner. We bonded as a group and are still in close contact to this date. 

I especially enjoyed meeting other converts during the Konya trip as well as our wonderful hosts, watching the dervishes, taking part in art demonstrations, and visiting Sille, to name but a few highlights. I think we gained a real taste of Turkish hospitality, and the depth of love and passion and enthusiasm for Islam in those we met was so evident. The whole experience was really uplifting and spiritual, and I particularly enjoyed the chance to meet others new to/re-engaging with ‘the deen’. I would definitely recommend the Konya trip to others.

Thank you to the organisers who made it possible.