Konya

Overview

Konya is the city of dervishes, and has been for 800 years. Located about three hours' drive south of Ankara , it's an extremely old city, its roots going back to Hittite times. Today it is the most religiously conservative city in Turkey--and proud of it.  

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the city of Konya acted as the capital of the Seljuk Turks and advanced rapidly to become a great cultural center.

The single most famous sight in Konya is the mausoleum of Jamal ad-Din Rumi, also known as Mevlana. He founded the order of the whirling Dervishes. The order was forbidden in the late 1920ies but for tourists dancers will still perform shows.

On the way to Konya from Ankara you will be passing by the famous lake of Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake).   The lake is very shallow, 1-2m  deep in winter and some parts no water in the summer time. The dried salt  makes a huges white planes and you may walk  across it in the summer time at north.

History