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. In 19th-century accounts of the city in English its name is usually spelt Konia or Koniah. In the late medieval period, Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Turks' Sultanate of Rum, from where the sultans ruled over Anatolia.
As of 2024, the population of the Metropolitan Province was 2 330 024 of whom 1 433 861 live in the three urban districts (Karatay, Selcuklu, Meram), making it the sixth most populous city in Turkey, and second most populous of the Central Anatolia Region, after Ankara. City has Konya is served by TCDD high-speed train (YHT) services from Istanbul, Ankara and Karaman. The local airport (Konya Airport, KYA) is served by frequent flights from Istanbul whereas flights to and from İzmir are offered few times a week.
Name
Konya is believed to correspond to the Late Bronze Age toponym
Ikkuwaniya known from
Hittites records.
This placename is regarded as
Luwian language in origin.
During classical antiquity and the
Middle Ages it was known as Ἰκόνιον (Ikónion) in Greek and as Iconium in
Latin.
A folk etymology holds that the name Ikónion was derived from εἰκών ('icon'), referring to an Ancient Greece Greek mythology according to which the hero Perseus vanquished the native population with an image of the " Gorgon Medusa's head" before founding the city.
Konya was known as Dârülmülk to the Rum Seljuks.
History
Overview
The Konya region has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and fell at different times under the rule of
Hittites,
Phrygia, the
Greeks, the Persians and the
Ancient Rome. In the 11th century the
Seljuq dynasty conquered the area and began ruling over its Rûm (
Byzantine) 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 in the 15th century. After the Turkish War of Independence the city became part of the modern Republic of Turkey.
Ancient history
Excavations have shown that the region was inhabited during the Late
Copper Age, around 3000 BC.
The established their kingdom in central Anatolia in the eighth century BC and Xenophon describes Iconium (as the city was originally called) as the last city of Phrygia. The region was overwhelmed by Cimmerians invaders . Later it formed part of the Persian Empire, until Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great 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 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. Once incorporated into the Roman Empire, under emperor Claudius, the city's name was changed to Claudiconium. During the reign of emperor it was known as Colonia Aelia Hadriana.
Saint Paul and Iconium
Paul and
Silas probably visited Konya during Paul's Second Missionary Journey in about AD 50,
as well as near the beginning of his Third Missionary Journey several years later.
According to the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, Iconium was also the birthplace of Thecla, who saved the city from attack by the Isaurians in 354.
Byzantine Era
Under the
Byzantine Empire, the city became the seat of a bishop, and in was raised to the status of a metropolitan see for
Lycaonia, with Saint Amphilochius as the first metropolitan bishop.
In the 7th century it became part of the
Anatolic Theme and was, together with the nearby (Caballa) Kaballah Fortress (
Turkish language:
Gevale Kalesi) (
location) a frequent target of
Arabs attacks during the Arab–Byzantine wars in the eighth to tenth century,
being captured by Arabs in 723–724.
The rebellious general Andronikos Doukas used the Kaballah fortress as his base in 905–906.
During the tenth or eleventh century the church of Saint Amphilochius was constructed inside the citadel of Kaballa, housing the tomb of the saint which the Turks later believed to be the tomb of
Plato, renaming the church to Eflâtun Mescidi (mosque of Plato).
The monastery of
Saint Chariton, another local from Iconium, was located a few miles away in Sylata.
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 Normans mercenary leader Roussel de Bailleul rose in revolt at Iconium. The city was finally conquered by the Seljuks in 1084.
Seljuk and Karamanid eras
Iconium became the second capital of the
Seljuq dynasty Sultanate of Rum after the fall of Nicaea until 1243.
It was briefly occupied by the army of the
First Crusade (August 1097) and Frederick Barbarossa (May 18, 1190) after the Battle of Iconium (1190). The area was reoccupied by the Turks after the Crusaders left.
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
Anatolia,. They also acquired several port towns along the Mediterranean (including
Alanya) and the
Black Sea (including Sinop) and even gained a brief foothold in
Sudak,
Crimea. This golden age lasted until the first decades of the 13th century.
Many Persian people and Persianised Turks from Persia and Central Asia migrated to Anatolian cities either to flee the invading Mongols or to benefit from the opportunities for educated Muslims in a newly established kingdom.
Ottoman Empire
Under
Ottoman Empire rule, Konya was administered by the Sultan's sons (
Şehzade), starting with Şehzade Mustafa and
Sultan Cem (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 period, it became the seat of the larger Vilayet of Konya which replaced the Karaman Eyalet, as part of the new vilayet 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 (1919–1922) Konya was a major air base. In 1922, the air force, renamed as the Inspectorate of Air Forces, was headquartered in Konya.
Before 1923, 4,000 Orthodox,
Karamanlides and Greek-speaking Christians lived there. The Greek community numbered approximately 2,500 people who maintained, at their own expense, a church, a boys' school and a girls' school.
In 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the
Greeks of the nearby village of Sille were forced to leave as refugees and resettle in
Greece.
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 east of the city, near Karapınar.
Geography
Konya sits in the center of the largest province, in the largest plain (
Konya Plain), and is the seventh most heavily populated city in Turkey.
The city is in the southern part of the Central Anatolia Region with the southernmost side of the province hemmed in by the
Taurus Mountains.
Climate
Konya has a cold semi-arid climate (
BSk) under the Köppen classification
and a temperate continental (
Dc) climate under the Trewartha classification.
Summer daytime temperatures average , although summer nights are cool. The highest temperature recorded in Konya was on 14 August 2023, closely beating the former record of 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 (mostly as snow), spring and autumn.
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 Order Sufi order of Islam and became known as the Sufi whirling.
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 Turkish carpet were exported to Europe during the Renaissance
Attractions
-
Mevlâna Museum
-
Alaaddin Mosque
-
Ince Minaret Medrese—Museum
-
Karatay Medrese—Museum
-
Sırçalı Medrese
-
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
-
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 slices of lamb served on flaps of soft white bread.
Konya is also known for unfeasibly long
pides (Turkish pizzas) intended to be shared, and
tirit, a traditional rice dish made from meat and assorted vegetables.
Konya is also known for its sweets, including cezerye, 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 to the
Turkish Cup in a penalty shootout. They repeated this success on August 6, 2017, defeating Beşiktaş to win the Türkiye Süper Kupası (Turkish Super Bowl).
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.[ Official Web Site]
Transportation
Intercity buses
The central bus station has connections to a range of destinations, including
Istanbul,
Ankara and İzmir. 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 vehicles.
Work began on building a Konya Metro 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
Ankara, Eskişehir,
Istanbul and
Karaman via the high-speed railway services of the Turkish State Railways.
Airport and airbase
Konya Airport (KYA) is a public
airport but also a military
airbase used by
NATO. The Third Air Wing of the 1st Air Force Command is based at the
Konya Airport. The wing controls the four Boeing 737 AEW&C Peace Eagle aircraft of the Turkish Air Force.
Notable people
-
Rumi, also called Mawlana or Mevlana, the inspiration behind the Sufi Mevlevi order (known for the Whirling Dervishes and Masnavi). He died and was buried in Konya in 1273.
-
Amphilochius of Iconium, fourth century Christian bishop.
-
Prokopios Lazaridis, Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of the Metropolis of Iconium
-
Murat Yıldırım (actor), actor and presenter
-
Hilmi Şenalp (1957-), architect.
Twin towns – sister cities
Konya is
Sister city with:
-
Bârlad, Romania
-
Ganja, Azerbaijan
-
Nishapur, Iran
-
Al Qadarif, Sudan
-
Berlin, Germany
-
Sheki, Azerbaijan
-
Sylhet, Bangladesh
-
Multan, Pakistan
-
Kyoto, Japan
-
Tetovo, North Macedonia
[ Kyoto İle Kardeş Şehir Protokolü İmzalandı, Heyet Japon Parkı'nı Gezdi , Konya Büyükşehir Belediyesi (2010)]
-
Xi'an, China
-
Ráckeve, Hungary
-
Kirkuk, Iraq
See also
-
Mevlâna Museum
-
Anatolian Tigers
-
Konya Carpets and Rugs
-
Theodosius the Cenobiarch (c. 423–529 AD), monk, abbot, and saint born in Iconium; a founder and organiser of the cenobitic way of monastic life
-
Thecla or Tecla, first-century virgin saint of the early Christian Church, born in Iconium
Notes
General
Further reading
Published in the 19th century
Published in the 20th century
Published in the 21st century
External links
