"Taner Serin, the president of the Nasreddin Hodja and Tourism Association
said: 'Although Nasreddin Hodja is not as famous as Mevlana [Rumi], he is
another essential part of our culture about whom there are many scholars
studying. On the other hand, in our country everybody knows at least one of
Nasreddin Hodja's funny stories. He was a good observer; he could analyze
events with wisdom. He got across his messages in unconventional yet
effective methods with profound simplicity. He wanted people to draw a
lesson from his funny stories.'
"Serin explained that Mevlana and Nasreddin Hodja lived in the same time
period, in the same city in Konya, and also took lessons from the same
teacher, Seyyit Mahmut Hayrani, another famous Islamic scholar of the time."
http://sufinews.blogspot.com/2007/10/celebrations-planned-for-nasreddin.html
With good wishes,
eric.