Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the

Central Anatolian Plateau Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it Darü'l-Mülk, meaning "seat of government". In 19th-century accounts of the city in English its name is usually spelt Konia or Koniah. As of 2021, the population of the Metropolitan Province was 2,277,017, making it the sixth most populous city in Turkey, and second most populous of the

Central Anatolia Region The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is bo ...

, after

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

. Of this, 1,390,051 lived in the three urban districts of Meram, Selçuklu and Karatay. Konya is served by TCDD high-speed train ( YHT) services from

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and

. The local airport ( Konya Havalimanı, KYA) is served by flights from Istanbul.

Etymology of Iconium

Konya was known in

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations ...

and during the medieval period as (''Ikónion'') in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

(with regular Medieval Greek apheresis ''Kónio(n)'') and as in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

. ''Ikónion'' is the Hellenisation of an older

Luwian The Luwians were a group of Anatolian peoples who lived in central, western, and southern Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. They spoke the Luwian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian sub- ...

name ''Ikkuwaniya''. Some claim that the name Ikónion was derived from ('' icon''), referring to an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

according to which the hero Perseus had vanquished the native population with an image of the "''

Gorgon A Gorgon ( /ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ ''Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ'') is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary, the te ...

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

's head''" before founding the city.

History

Overview

The Konya region has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and fell at different times under the rule of the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Classical Greeks, the

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

and the Romans. In the 11th century the Seljuk Turks conquered the area and began ruling over its

Rûm Rūm ( ar, روم , collective; singulative: Rūmī ; plural: Arwām ; fa, روم Rum or Rumiyān, singular Rumi; tr, Rûm or , singular ), also romanized as ''Roum'', is a derivative of the Aramaic (''rhπmÈ'') and Parthian language, Par ...

(

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman c ...

) inhabitants, making Konya the capital of their new Sultanate of Rum. Under the Seljuks, the city reached the height of its wealth and influence. Following their demise, Konya came under the rule of the Karamanids, before being taken over by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in the 15th century. After the Turkish War of Independence the city became part of the modern Republic of Turkey.

Ancient history

Konya_archeological_museum_-_sarcophagus1

Excavations have shown that the region was inhabited during the Late

Copper Age The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "Rock (geology), stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin ''wikt:aeneus, aeneus'' "of copper"), is an list of archaeologi ...

, around 3000 BC. It came under the influence of the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-cent ...

around 1500 BC but was overrun by the

Sea Peoples The Sea Peoples are a hypothesized seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean prior to and during the Late Bronze Age collapse (1200–900 BCE).. Quote: "First coined in 1881 by the F ...

in around 1200 BC. The Phrygians established their kingdom in central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The r ...

in the eighth century BC and

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies of ...

describes Iconium (as the city was originally called) as the last city of Phrygia. The region was overwhelmed by Cimmerian invaders c. 690 BC. Later it formed part of the Persian Empire, until

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

was defeated by

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

in 333 BC. Alexander's empire broke up shortly after his death and the town came under the rule of Seleucus I Nicator. During the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

the town was ruled by the kings of Pergamon. As Attalus III, the last king of Pergamon, was about to die without an heir, he bequeathed his kingdom to the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingd ...

. Once incorporated into the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

, under emperor Claudius, the city's name was changed to Claudiconium. During the reign of emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman '' municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispan ...

us it was known as Colonia Aelia Hadriana.

St Paul and Iconium

According to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles Paul and Barnabas preached in Iconium during their First Missionary Journey in about 47–48 AD, having been persecuted in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. Their visit to the synagogue of the Jews in Iconium divided the Jewish and

non-Jewish Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...

communities between those who believed Paul and Barnabas' message and those who didn't, provoking a disturbance during which attempts were made to stone the apostles. They fled to Lystra and

Derbe Derbe or Dervi ( gr, Δέρβη), also called Derveia ( gr, Δέρβεια), was a city of Galatia in Asia Minor, and later of Lycaonia, and still later of Isauria and Cappadocia. It is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles at , , and . Derbe ...

in Lycaonia. This experience is also mentioned in the Second Letter to Timothy, and 19th-century American theologian Albert Barnes suggested that Timothy had been present with Paul in Iconium, Antioch and Lystra. Paul and Silas probably visited Konya again during Paul's Second Missionary Journey in about 50, as well as near the beginning of his Third Missionary Journey several years later. The city became the seat of a bishop, and in c. 370 was raised to the status of a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

for Lycaonia, with

Saint Amphilochius Amphilochius of Iconium ( el, Ἀµφιλόχιος Ἰκονίου) was a Christian bishop of the fourth century, son of a Cappadocian family of distinction, born, perhaps at Caesara, ca. 339/340, died probably 394–403. His father was an emin ...

as the first metropolitan bishop. According to the

apocryphal Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

Acts of Paul and Thecla, Iconium was also the birthplace of Saint Thecla, who saved the city from attack by the Isaurians. Under the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

, the city became part of the Anatolic Theme. During the eighth to tenth centuries, the town and the nearby (Caballa)

Kaballah Fortress Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it Da ...

(

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

: ''Gevale Kalesi'')
location
were a frequent target of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

attacks during the Arab–Byzantine wars.

Seljuk and Karamanid eras

The Seljuk Turks first raided the area in 1069, but a period of chaos overwhelmed Anatolia after the Seljuk victory in the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and the Norman mercenary leader Roussel de Bailleul rose in revolt at Iconium. The city was finally conquered by the Seljuks in 1084. From 1097 to 1243 it was the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. It was briefly occupied by the Crusaders

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (, , , ; 18 September 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade. First ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100, he avoided the title of king, preferring that of princ ...

(August 1097), and

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...

(May 18, 1190) after the Battle of Iconium (1190). The area was reoccupied by the Turks after the Crusaders left. Mevlana Konya

Konya reached the height of its wealth and influence in the second half of the 12th century when the Seljuk sultans of Rum also subdued the Anatolian beyliks to their east, especially that of the Danishmends, thus establishing their rule over virtually all of eastern

,. They also acquired several port towns along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

(including Alanya) and the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

(including Sinop) and even gained a brief foothold in Sudak,

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

. This golden age lasted until the first decades of the 13th century. Many

and

Persianised Turks The composite Turko-Persian, Turco-Persian
''Turko-Persia in historical perspective'', Cambridge University Press, ...

from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

migrated to Anatolian cities either to flee the invading Mongols or to benefit from the opportunities for educated Muslims in a newly established kingdom. Mausoleo Mevlana

Following the fall of the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate in 1307, Konya became the capital of the Karamanids, a Turkish beylik, which lasted until 1322 when the city was captured by the neighbouring Beylik of Karamanoğlu. In 1420, the Beylik of Karamanoğlu fell to the

and, in 1453, Konya was made the provincial capital of the Karaman Eyalet.

Ottoman Empire

Under Ottoman rule, Konya was administered by the Sultan's sons (''Şehzade''), starting with Şehzade Mustafa and

Şehzade Cem Cem Sultan (also spelled Djem or Jem) or Sultan Cem or Şehzade Cem (December 22, 1459 – February 25, 1495, ; ota, جم سلطان, Cem sulṭān; tr, Cem Sultan; french: Zizim), was a claimant to the Ottoman throne in the 15th century. Ce ...

(the sons of Sultan Mehmed II), and continuing with the future Sultan Selim II. Between 1483 and 1864, Konya was the administrative capital of the Karaman Eyalet. During the reforming

Tanzimat The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...

period, it became the seat of the larger Vilayet of Konya which replaced the Karaman Eyalet, as part of the new

vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...

system introduced in 1864. In 1832 Anatolia was invaded by Mehmed Ali Paşa of Kavala whose son, İbrahim Paşa, occupied Konya. Although he was driven out with the help of the European powers, Konya went into a decline after this, as described by the British traveller, William Hamilton, who visited in 1837 and found a scene 'of destruction and decay', as he recorded in his ''Researches in Asia Minor, Pontus and Armenia'', published in 1842. Konya's textile and mining industries flourished under the Ottomans.

Turkish Republic

During the Turkish War of Independence (1919–22) Konya was captured by the Greek Army and later after being recaptured by the Turkish Army, it had a major air base. In 1922, the air force, renamed as the Inspectorate of Air Forces, was headquartered in Konya. In 1923 during the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...

, the

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, Albania, Greeks in Italy, ...

of the nearby village of Sille were forced to leave as refugees and resettle in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

Government

The first local administration in Konya was founded in 1830 and converted into a municipality in 1876. In March 1989, the municipality became a Metropolitan Municipality. As of that date, Konya had three central district municipalities (Meram, Selçuklu, Karatay) and a Metropolitan Municipality.

Economy

Home to several industrial parks. The city ranks among the Anatolian Tigers. In 2012 exports from Konya reached 130 countries. A number of Turkish industrial conglomerates, such as Bera (ex Kombassan) Holding, have their headquarters in Konya. While agriculture-based industries play a role, the city's economy has evolved into a center for the manufacturing of components for the automotive industry; machinery manufacturing; agricultural tools; casting; plastic paints and chemicals; construction materials; paper and packaging; processed foods; textiles; and leather. Turkey's largest solar farm is located 20 miles west of the city near Karapınar.

Geography

Konya sits in the center of the largest province, in the largest plain (

Konya Plain The Konya Plain is a plain in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, associated with the Konya Province. It is a flat plain (a height of 900–1050 m) that covers the majority of Konya Basin and constitutes the main part of the Central Anat ...

), and is the seventh most heavily populated city in Turkey. Lake Meke at Night 2

The city is in the southern part of the

with the southernmost side of the province hemmed in by the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain range, mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolia# ...

Climate

Konya has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen classification and a temperate continental (''Dc'') climate under the Trewartha classification. Summer temperatures average , although summer nights are cool. The highest temperature recorded in Konya was on 30 July 2000. Winters average , and the lowest temperature recorded was on 6 February 1972. Precipitation levels are low and happen mainly in winter and spring.

Culture

Konya has a reputation for being one of the more religiously conservative metropolitan centres in Turkey. Konya was the final home of Rumi (Mevlana), whose turquoise-domed tomb in the city is its primary tourist attraction. In 1273, Rumi's followers established the Mevlevi Sufi order of Islam and became known as the Whirling Dervishes. Every Saturday, there are Whirling Dervish performances ( semas) at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. Unlike some of the commercial performances staged in cities like Istanbul, these are genuinely spiritual sessions. Expensive, richly patterned Konya carpets were exported to Europe during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

and were draped over furniture to show off the wealth and status of their owners. They often crop up in contemporary oil paintings as symbols of the wealth of the painter's clients.

Attractions

* Mevlâna Museum * Alaaddin Mosque *

Ince Minaret Medrese İnce Minareli Medrese (; fa, مدرسه اینجه مناره‌لی) is a 13th-century madrasa (Islamic school) located in Konya, Turkey, now housing the Museum of Stone and Wood Art (Taş ve Ahşap Eserler Müzesi), noted for its ornate en ...

—Museum * Karatay Medrese—Museum *

Sırçalı Medrese Sırçalı Medrese (literally ''Glazed medrese'') is a 13th-century medrese (''Islamic school'') in Konya, Turkey.The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture: Delhi to Mosque, Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila Blair, Oxford University Press, 2 ...

* Sahib-i Ata Mosque complex * Konya Archaeological and Ethnography Museum * Koyunoğlu Museum * Atatürk House Museum * Mevlana Cultural Centre * Mevlana Festival * Selimiye Mosque * Aziziye Mosque
Konya Science Centre (Turkish: Konya Bilim Merkezi)
*

Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden __NOTOC__ Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden ( tr, Konya Tropikal Kelebek Bahçesi), opened in 2015, is a butterfly house located in Selçuklu district of Konya Province, central Turkey. History and design The butterfly house was built by the Mun ...

* Meram, suburb with popular waterside picnicking facilities * Sille, northwest from Mevlana Museum: antique village, mosques, churches, cave churches and catacombs * Çatalhöyük

Food

One of the city's best-known dishes, etli ekmek consists of succulently tender slices of lamb served on flaps of soft white bread. Konya is also known for unfeasibly long ''pides'' (Turkish pizzas) intended to be shared. Lucky visitors may also come across tirit, a traditional rice dish made from meat and assorted vegetables. Konya is also known for its sweets, including ''

cezerye Cezerye is a semi-gelatinous traditional Turkish dessert made from caramelised carrots, shredded coconut, and roasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios. Cut into matchbox-sized rectangular chips it is served on special occasions. It originated fr ...

'', an old Turkish sweet made from carrots, and pişmaniye which is similar to American cotton candy.

Sports

The city's football team Konyaspor is part of the Turkish Professional Football League. On May 31, 2017, they won their first national trophy, beating

İstanbul Başakşehir ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

to the

Türkiye Kupası The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası'' ...

in a penalty shootout. They repeated this success on August 6, 2017, defeating Beşiktaş to win the Türkiye Süper Kupası (Turkish Superbowl). Konya Metropolitan Stadium (Konya Büyükşehir Stadyumu) is in the Selçuklu neighbourhood and can seat up to 42,000 spectators. The city hosted the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games in August 2022.

Education

Founded in 1975, Selçuk University had the largest number of students (76,080) of any public university in Turkey during the 2008–09 academic year. The other public university, Necmettin Erbakan University, was established in Konya in 2010. Private colleges in Konya include the KTO Karatay University. Konya hosts the Anatolian Eagle Tactical Training Centre for training NATO Allies and friendly Air Forces.

Transportation

Intercity buses

The central bus station has connections to a range of destinations, including

and

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

. It is connected to the town centre by a tram.

Inner-city public transport

The Konya Tram network is long and has two lines with 41 stations. Opened in 1992, it was expanded in 1996 and 2015. The Konya Tram uses

Škoda 28 T Škoda 28 T (also known as Škoda ForCity Classic) is a five-carbody section low-floor bi-directional tram, developed by Škoda Transportation for the Konya Tram system in the Turkish city of Konya. The low-floor area of the fully air-conditione ...

vehicles. Work began on building a

Konya Metro The Konya Metro is an under construction rapid transit system for the Turkish city of Konya. Construction of the Metro began in May 2020. The Metro will have 1 line with 22 stations. Operation is slated to begin in 2023. Background Plans for a ...

in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024 and will have 22 stations. Konya also has an extensive inner-city bus network.

Railway

Konya is connected to

, Eskişehir,

and

Karaman Karaman, historically known as Laranda (Greek: Λάρανδα), is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According ...

via the high-speed railway services of the Turkish State Railways.

Airport and airbase

Konya Airport (KYA) is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

but also a military airbase used by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. The Third Air Wing of the 1st Air Force Command is based at the

Konya Air Base Konya Airport ( tr, Konya Havalimanı) is a military air base and public airport in Konya, Turkey. The airport is also used by NATO. Opened to the public in 2000, the airport is 18 km from the city. In 2006, Konya Airport served 2,924 ...

. The wing controls the four Boeing 737 AEW&C Peace Eagle aircraft of the Turkish Air Force.

Notable people

* Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, also called ''Mawlana'' or Mevlana, the inspiration behind the Sufi Mevlevi order (known for

the Whirling Dervishes Sama ( tr, Sema, Persian, Urdu and ar, سَمَاع - ''samā‘un'') is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sama ...

and Masnavi). He died and was buried in Konya in 1273. * Amphilochius of Iconium, fourth century Christian bishop. *

Prokopios Lazaridis Prokopios Lazaridis ( el, Προκόπιος Λαζαρίδης, 1859–1923) was a Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop, who served as a head in a number of bishoprics during the late Ottoman period. As a bishop of Iconium, modern Konya, in centr ...

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

of the Metropolis of Iconium *

Murat Yıldırım (actor) Murat Yıldırım is a Turkish actor. Early life Murat Yıldırım was born in Konya, Turkey. His father is of Kurdish origin and was a teacher of literature. Yıldırım's father speaks Turkish and Kurdish. His mother is of Arab descent and ...

, actor and presenter *

Hilmi Şenalp Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp (born 1957 in Konya, Turkey) is a Turkish architect. His work is often inspired by Ottoman architecture. He has been called Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "court architect", and is a close friend of the presid ...

(1957-), architect.

Twin towns – sister cities

Konya is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Bârlad, Romania *

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd͡� ...

, Azerbaijan * Nishapur, Iran * Al Qadarif, Sudan *

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, Germany * Sheki, Azerbaijan * Sylhet, Bangladesh *

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

, Japan * Tetovo, North MacedoniaKyoto İle Kardeş Şehir Protokolü İmzalandı, Heyet Japon Parkı'nı Gezdi
, Konya Büyükşehir Belediyesi (2010) *

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

, China

Notes

References

General * * *

External links

*
Britannica.com: Konya

More information about Konya

Emporis: Database of highrises and other structures in Konya

Detailed Pictures of Mevlana Museum

Pictures of the city, including Mevlana Museum and several Seljuk buildings

600 Pictures of the city and sights

Extensive collection of pictures of the Mevlana museum in Konya
* * * {{Authority control Cities in Turkey Populated places along the Silk Road Holy cities World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey Lycaonia Populated places in ancient Lycaonia