Konya

Konya, which is the largest province in Turkey as an area, has been an important transit point in history due to its geographical location. Konya, one of the oldest settlements in Turkey, has many prehistoric remains. Konya is rich in Seljuk heritage due to being the capital of the Seljuks. Although there are artifacts from the ancient period in regions such as Çatalhöyük, it is noteworthy that the historical remains are usually from the Seljuks period.

History Of Konya

The history of Konya goes back as far as 9000 BC. Konya is also one of the oldest settlements in Turkey. The name of the city, which was dominated by Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, and Macedonians, came from the word icon used in Roman times. This name has changed to Konya with the influence of Turkish-Islamic culture.

Konya was a famous city for the Turks after 1071 when the Turks started to settle in Anatolia and were the second capital of the Seljuks of Turkey, founded in 1074. During this period, essential scholars lived in Konya, which developed both in terms of architecture and culture. Bahaeddin Veled, Qadi Burhaneddin, Muhiddin Arabi, Nasreddin Hodja, and, most importantly, Mevlana Jalaluddin-I Rumi contributed to the cultural richness of Konya. Konya has become almost a tourism center thanks to the historical ruins and the influence of the scholars, as mentioned above. Especially in December, the Şeb-i Aruz ceremonies known as the period in which the city welcomes the most tourists.