The First International Scientific Conference of Mawlawinasi (the Study of Mawlawi) was held in Slemani on 11-12/12/2024, with the attendance of Slemani Deputy Governor, the president of University of Sulaimani, and many religious and literary figures from inside and outside of the Kurdistan Region.
Sayid Abdulrahim Tawgozi, whose penname is Ma’doomi and is known as Mawlawi, despite being a renowned and groundbreaking Kurdish poet of the nineteenth century, was also an accomplished religious scholar who has many books in the fields of Belief and Speech in Kurdish, Arabic and Persian languages. Most of his poems are written in Gorani dialect of Kurdish language, representing and honouring his place of origin.
At the beginning of the conference, the President of University of Sulaimani, in his speech, welcomed the scholars, researchers, and guests to the First International Scientific Conference of Mawlawinasi, for as a Sufi order, he has not only influenced the Kurdish society, but his writings have dominated the Middle East within Sufism intellect. His followers and those who have been influenced by the tradition of Mawlawi have played a role in advancing the Kurdish identity and the preservation of the culture of being Kurds.
The conference was jointly held by the Mawlawi website and University of Sulaimani. Forty-six unpublished research papers about many aspects of Mawlawi’s life and works were accepted after double-blind peer reviews and presented at the conference along with a short documentary film about Mawlawi’s life, speeches and remarks by keynote speakers, and many other activities, gifts, and awards. Researchers and reviewers from Kurdistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Germany, Netherlands, and the United States participated in the process.
The conference became a hub of exchanging academic and scientific knowledge between Mawlawi researchers and admirers, creating an energetic and connecting atmosphere which we hope inspires many more such conferences to come.