The Tomb of Shams-i Tabrīzī (شمس تبریزی) stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of one of Sufism's most enigmatic and influential figures. Shams al-Din Mohammad Tabrizi, the spiritual catalyst behind Rumi's transformation from jurist to mystic poet, left a profound mark on Persian and Islamic intellectual history. The mystery surrounding his disappearance in the mid-13th century CE has given rise to multiple traditions about his death and burial. As a result, two prominent sites—Khoy in Iran and Konya in Turkey—have become focal points for devotion, memory, and scholarship. These locations, though different in nature—one a historically attested grave, the other a symbolic shrine—reflect the deep and widespread veneration for Shams across cultural and geographic boundaries. Each represents a different aspect of how his presence has been preserved: through tangible heritage and through spiritual continuity.

circa 1248 CE

According to prevailing Sufi tradition, the disappearance of Shams Tabrizi remains shrouded in mystery. One widely circulated account suggests that he was murdered by close disciples of Jalal al-Din Rumi who had grown envious of the intense spiritual bond between Rumi and Shams. However, alternative traditions, supported by historical and textual indications, maintain that Shams left Konya voluntarily and eventually died in Khoy, where he was buried. Notably, Sultan Walad, Rumi's son, in his biographical mathnawi Walad-Nama, refers only to Shams's sudden and unexplained disappearance, offering no details about his fate. This ambiguity has fueled various interpretations across centuries. The tomb in Khoy, situated beside a commemorative brick tower, known as Minara Shams Tabrizi (مناره شمس تبریزی), in a landscaped memorial park, has been officially nominated for recognition as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

circa 1248 CE

Khoy, Iran
The northwestern Iranian town of Khoy is widely regarded by scholars and Iranian Sufi tradition as the actual burial site of Shams al-Din Mohammad Tabrizi. The tomb, marked by a distinctive brick minaret, lies within a landscaped area that has undergone several phases of preservation and restoration, and is today the centerpiece of a commemorative complex. Iranian historians have long held Khoy to be the place where Shams was killed or died following his final disappearance. Historical sources such as Dawlatshah Samarqandi’s “Tadhkirat al-shu‘ara” (circa 15th century CE) refer to Shams’s departure from Konya and suggest his later presence in Khoy.

Oral traditions maintained by local Sufi orders in Khoy further reinforce this claim, identifying the site as his place of martyrdom and burial. The structure is also officially recognized by the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization and is listed on UNESCO’s Tentative List as the Tomb of Shams-e Tabrizi. The archaeological features of the site — including a 12-meter high minaret thought to be of Ilkhanid or Timurid origin — lend additional historical weight. Pilgrims and visitors regard it as a site of authentic historical continuity, and the alignment of textual, oral, and architectural evidence makes it the most credible candidate for Shams Tabrizi’s final resting place.

circa 1248 CE

Konya, Turkey
In contrast, the site associated with Shams Tabrizi in Konya, Turkey, is understood to be symbolic in nature, lacking archaeological or historical confirmation as his actual burial place. The association stems primarily from his profound spiritual connection to Jalal al-Din Rumi, with whom he shared an intense period of companionship and mystical discourse in Konya until his mysterious disappearance around 1248 CE. The Mevlevi tradition, centered around Rumi’s legacy, commemorates Shams in Konya through a symbolic tomb or cenotaph, located near or within the Mevlana Museum complex, though the exact nature of the original commemorative marker is unclear.

Early sources such as Aflaki’s “Manāqib al-‘Ārifīn” suggest multiple theories about Shams’s disappearance — including murder, flight, or mystical withdrawal — but do not place his death or burial in Konya. Over time, however, Mevlevi veneration transformed Shams into an integral part of Konya’s sacred topography, and his symbolic tomb became a devotional site. While this recognition reflects his spiritual impact on Rumi and the Sufi tradition, modern historians generally agree that there is no evidence to suggest he was physically buried in Konya. The lack of independent documentation or physical remains linked to Shams at the Konya site reinforces its status as a memorial rather than an actual tomb.