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Konya
"Iconium" of the Roman times is 263 kms from Ankara. The land is a wide plateau
and has been continuously inhabited even extending back to the 8th millenium BC.
Catalhoyuk is an ancient city of that period which is considered to be one of
the first settlement areas in the world accommodating one of the earliest human
communities. Made up of mud houses, which were entered through holes in the
roofs, this site is a real place of interest where you can feel the life
prevailing, many years ago. The finds from the district, including the cult
figures of the famous temple and the mother goddess, together with old frescoes,
are now on display in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
In the environs of Konya, there also exist sites which hold some remains from
the Hittites. Ivriz is one, 168 kms east of Konya, which is one of the finest
neo-Hittite reliefs in the country, representing a king and the fertility god of
the time. Eflatun Pinar is another important sight, which is a monument fountain
from the time of the Hittites, constituting a holy place of the period.
When the Byzantines came into power, Konya became an independent province and
was given the name "Lycanoia." A Byzantine church and several rock chapels
filled with beautiful frescoes can be seen in the town of Sille, 8 kms northwest
of Konya, where the first rock carved monasteries of the world were built.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the city acted as the capital of the Seljuk
Turks and advanced rapidly to become a great cultural center.
The most famous building here is the Green Mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi,
the great Turkish philosopher and poet. He is the founder of the sect of
Whirling Dervishes, the seminary that was attached to the mausoleum. It has been
converted into a museum housing Mevlana's works, and accoutrements related to
his sect. Every year in December, ceremonies are held in Konya or the
commemoration of Mevlana and the Whirling Dervishes. In this Dervish Festival,
the "Sema" dance is performed by men dressed in white robes, whirling and
rotating around the floor. This dance, in which the dancer with the great love
of God is believed to attain divine unity, is an event well worth seeing.
On Alaeddin Hill in this region is the Alaeddin mosque and palace, which are
fine 13th century monuments built during the reign of the famous Seljuk Sultan
Alaeddin Keykubat.
Karatay Medresse, constructed in 1251, stands to the north of this hill, and is
now a museum which holds the best examples of Seljuk tiles and ceramics. The
Ince Minareli Medresse with its fascinating monumental portal, the Sircali
Medresse, and the Iplikci Mosque are other Seljuk works in the city.
Beysehir, 94 kms west of Konya, was founded on the shores of Lake Beysehir, the
third largest lake in the country. There are the attractive Seljuk monuments of
Esrefoglu Mosque and its medresse and the Kubad-Abad Summer Palace.
Of particular interest is the town of Aksehir with its remains from the 13th
century, the Ulu Mosque, the Sahip Ata Mausoleum and the Altinkale Mescid. This
land, 130 km northwest of Konya, is the birthplace of the famous Turkish
humorist Nasreddin Hoca, whose mausoleum is here.
The various museums, comprising rich collections of historical finds, are other
interesting sights in Konya. Especially of interest is the Archaeological Museum
which should be visited for its charming pieces, including the Sidemara
Sarcophagus. The Koyunoglu Museum, with the Izzettin Koyunoglu House inside it,
constitutes a beautiful complex; the Ethnographical Museum and Ataturk's House
are also at the service of history lovers.
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