Mawlânâ Jalâl ad-Dîn Muhammad Balkhî, better known as Rumi, (1207 - 1273) was born in Afghanistan but was forced into a nomadic life as a child because his family feared Mongol invasion and general political unrest. Ultimately, Rumi settled in what is now the country of Turkey, where he became a teacher, musician, spiritual leader, and poet. Profoundly affected by meeting Persian poet Attar as a teenager, and by his friendship with an Iranian mystic later on, Rumi produced massive amounts of letters, lectures, and poetry on the purpose and meaning of life. Eight centuries later, his poems are still read and revered around the world.