Konya / Mevlana
Konya is the fifth largest province of Turkey in aspects of population and area. It has been located in the biggest plane of Anatolia. It is dated to prehistorical and Neolithic ages. Catalhoytik settlement has been located in between Kargin and Sorgug districts at the North side of Toros Mountains and 45 km away from Konya city center. The foundation date of the settlement is about 10.000 years B.C. At the most of the excavations carried out here; many figures, figures, sculptures cooked earth material and different jewelleries dated 7000 B.C. which belong to the mother God of Archaic Anatolia.
All these findings have provided with important information us about the rich historical past of the region. When looking inside the archeological excavations carried out in Konya city centre. It is understood that the foundation date of Konya is about 3000 B.C. The region had been sequentially taken under control by Hittites, Frigyans, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and the Ottomans. The city had been called as “iconium” in the period of Romans and as Kunniye in the period of Seljuks. In 1. Century A.C. two apostles of Jesus, Saint Paulus and Saint Barnabe had come to stay here and they had introduced Christianism Religion. Alaaddin Keykubat the Prince had conquered the city in XII. Century A.C. and afterwards it had become the capital city of the Anatolian Seljuks Empire. In 1467, Konya had been conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, then it had been included in frontiers of the Ottoman Empire and it has been still aTurk city untill today.
Konya province of today constitues one of the most industrial and agricultural of all Middle Anatolian.
Well known religious man Sufi Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi had been born in 1207 in Horasan. He had come to Konya in 1228, then he founded “Mevlevi Dergahı”(Mevlevi Lodge) After this time, Konya had become a tolerance city which attracts the people who believe in all religions and beliefs. The tomb of Mevlana has been placed in Mevlana Külliyesi (Mevlevi Buildings Complex) which has been transformed into a museum. Next to the tomb of Mevlana, the other tombs have been located which belong to his relatives and to his disciples. Every year, thousands of domestic and foreign visitors come to Mevlana Külliyesi and visit the tombs preserved in it.
Mevlana had died on 17 Aralık 1273, every year during the whole December Month, Şebi Arus festival has been arranged to his remember and todays Mevlevis turns around themeselves in an harmonic manner and praise Mevlana in order to submit their respect to him.
Today, in Konya, in addition to Mevlana Museum, Karatay Medresseh, Sirgah Medreseh, Etnographia Museum, Koyunoglu Archeological Museum, Alaaddin Hill, Ataturk House and Ataturk Museum are the important places to be visited.