Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi lived in the thirteenth century, during the culmination period of the arts and letters of the Anatolian Seljuks. He greatly contributed to the age with his original Sufi philosophy (Tasavvuf) and literary writings. Mevlana was also the founder of a Muslim sect called 'Mevlevi". After his death, Mevlana was buried in a rose garden outside the city walls of Konya. This simple garden was transformed into a sacred precinct through the construction of various sect buildings in different periods. The Mevlevi Convent (dergah), the masjid and the whirling hall (semahane) are some of them.

Entrance to the tomb and semahane section is through a vestibule. This anteroom also housed the preachers of the Kor'an. The tomb of Mevlana with its turquoise coloured conical cap is the most remarkable part of the complex. Gurcu Hatun, the wife of the vizier Muinuddin Pervane, built this kumbet-shaped dome in 1274. Alaaddin Bey later restored it in the fourteenth century. On the north of the tomb is a kind of domed vestibule where dervishes were gathering before the sema (whirling) ceremony. Semahane is a large square space covered with a dome and flanked by private lodges for the musicians and spectators. On the west of the semahane is the domed masjid area. Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent (Lawmaker) constructed this masjid and Semahane in the sixteenth century. Dervish cells flank the courtyard of the convent. The large room on the southwestern side was for the sheikh (religious leader) of the convent and a kitchen is adjacent to it.