KONYA

Being one of the first settlement areas in world history, Konya is located in the south of the Central Anatolia Region and served as the capital of the Seljuk Empire between 1097 and 1277. Having hosted many Islamic elders, Konya is a city identified with the famous Islamic scholar “Mevlana”. The city has many historical, cultural, and natural treasures and has been an enormous settlement and trade city throughout history because of being located on the historical Silk Road. 

Konya is a tourist city with its museums, mosques, monuments, inns, and cupolas. During a visit to Konya, one should not leave the city without seeing the followings:

- The Mevlana Museum,

- Kubbe-i Hadra (Green Dome), 

- Archeology Museum, 

- Ethnography Museum, 

- Tomb Monuments Museum, 

- Akşehir Museum, 

- Akşehir Archeology Museum, 

- Akşehir Atatürk Museum,

- Çatalhöyük.

One of the important historical treasures of Konya that should be seen is Çatalhöyük, which is 60 km away from the city center. Çatalhöyük is an important place because it is the first settlement area in history and the first sacred building was built here. Additionally, the ancient city of Kilistra, located in the city, is the place where Saint Paul, one of the apostles of Jesus, addressed the masses.

Konya is also very rich in its natural areas: Meke Crater Lake, Beyşehir Lake, Beyşehir Lake National Park, and Akşehir Lake offer very pleasant environments for trekking. Many natural beauties await one to see in Konya. Ilgın Thermal Tourism Center (Ilgın-Akşehir) and Köşk Thermal Springs (Hüyük-Beyşehir) are among the best examples of thermal tourism. In addition, there are many lakes in Konya that allow hundreds of different birds to live and watch with bird watching places. 

There is a popular symbol of Konya, also: Nasreddin Hodja. According to rumors, Nasreddin Hodja used to make people laugh and he was known by the whole world for his anecdotes. Akşehir is thought to be the district of Nasreddin Hodja and it is visited by many domestic and foreign tourists who want to get to know him better.