The beloved poet who began as a child refugee
Jalal al-Din Rumi, whose verse is among the most widely read poetry in the world today, was born in 1207 into a family from Balkh, in what is now Afghanistan. Ahead of the Mongol conquest of Central Asia his family fled west in a years-long journey through Baghdad, Mecca and Anatolia, finally settling in Konya — roughly 1,900 miles from Balkh as the crow flies, and much farther along the roads they actually traveled — where he lived out his life until his death in 1273.
How we know
Rumi born 1207 into a family from Balkh; his family left Central Asia ahead of the Mongol conquest (1219–1221) and journeyed via Baghdad, Mecca and Anatolia, settling in Konya by 1228; he died there in 1273. Balkh to Konya is about 1,900 miles as the crow flies.
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.