Turkey · Central Anatolia
Konya
Rumi's city, and the best Seljuk architecture in Turkey
Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and the home of Rumi, the thirteenth-century mystic poet whose followers became the whirling dervishes. The Mevlana Museum, his green-tiled tomb, is still one of Turkey's most visited pilgrim sites. Around it stands the best group of Seljuk buildings in the country, in a large, devout, orderly city on the flat Anatolian steppe.
Suggested stay
1–2 days
Language
Turkish
Currency
TRY
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Konya
The Mevlana Museum Rumi's tomb under its fluted turquoise dome, where you walk among quiet pilgrims rather than tour groups.
Seljuk craft Carved stone portals and turquoise-and-black tile-work at the Karatay and Ince Minareli madrasas.
The Sema Konya is where the whirling ceremony began, and the city still stages it as ritual, not cabaret.
Food Konya's own oven cooking, from metre-long etli ekmek flatbreads to slow-roasted firin kebabi.
Best time to visit
Apr-Oct
18-31° days
37.873° N, 32.492° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Istanbul
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Weather & when to go to Konya
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Konya
December through February are cold, grey and often freezing on the open steppe. December is still Konya's big month, though: the Seb-i Arus commemoration of Rumi's death fills the city with pilgrims and Sema performances, so book early if you go for it.
Top things to do in Konya
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Mevlana Museum - Rumi's tomb under the green dome
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe former Mevlevi lodge and Rumi's mausoleum, with his cenotaph under a gold-embroidered cover, early illuminated Mesnevi manuscripts and the dervish cells round the courtyard. Expect pilgrims praying, so dress modestly and go early or late to avoid the busiest hours.
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Sema ceremony - watch the whirling dervishes
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedMevlevi musicians and semazen perform the whirling ceremony at the Mevlana Cultural Centre, a slow and hypnotic ritual. It is a religious service rather than a show: there is no applause and no flash photography.
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Karatay Madrasa - the tile museum
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA thirteenth-century Seljuk college whose domed hall is lined with turquoise and black tile mosaics that spiral up to an open oculus. Today it houses a collection of Seljuk and Ottoman ceramics, including figurative tiles from the sultans' palaces.
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Ince Minareli Madrasa - the carved portal
history culture artsIts portal is one of the finest pieces of Seljuk stone carving anywhere, with bands of calligraphy knotted round the doorway. Inside is a museum of Seljuk stone and wood carving.
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Alaaddin Hill - the Seljuk sultans' mosque
history 👍 PopularThe ancient mound at the city's heart is now a park ringed by tram lines. On top stands the Alaaddin Mosque with its forest of reused Roman columns, and beside it the tombs of several Seljuk sultans.
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Etli ekmek and firin kebabi - eat like Konya
food 👍 PopularEtli ekmek is a thin, very long flatbread topped with minced lamb and cut into strips. Firin kebabi is lamb slow-roasted in a wood oven. Round off the meal with the city's traditional Mevlana sugar sweets.
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Tomb of Shams - Rumi's teacher
history culture artsA small, quiet shrine a short walk from the Mevlana Museum, where Rumi's companion Shams of Tabriz is commemorated. Many pilgrims stop here before visiting Rumi.
Best areas to stay in Konya
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Mevlana old centre
First-time visitors $$Pilgrim quarter around Rumi's tomb
Explore hotels in Mevlana old centre →
Alaaddin and Zafer
Convenience seekers $$Commercial hub round the Seljuk hill
Explore hotels in Alaaddin and Zafer →
Meram
Quieter stays $$Leafy residential district with garden restaurants
Explore hotels in Meram →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Konya
Getting to & around Konya
Getting there
Most visitors arrive by high-speed train from Ankara or Istanbul. Konya Airport, northeast of the city, has domestic flights.
Flight
Konya Airport (KYA)
About 18 km northeast of the centre, on a joint civil-military airfield. Shuttle buses timed to flights run into the city, and a taxi takes around half an hour.
Train
Konya station
The YHT high-speed line runs from Ankara in under two hours and from Istanbul in about four and a half, which makes it the easiest way to arrive.
Coach
Konya Otogar
The large bus station north of the centre has services from across Turkey, including Cappadocia and the Mediterranean coast. A tram runs from it into the centre.
Getting around
Tram
Tram lines link the bus station, the university and Alaaddin Hill, and they are the easiest way into the centre.
TBC
Walk
The Mevlana Museum, Alaaddin Hill and the main madrasas are all within a flat walk of one another.
Free
Bicycle
The city is flat and has one of the longest networks of cycle lanes in Turkey.
TBC
Taxi
Taxis are plentiful and metered, and they are handy for Meram, Sille and the airport.
TBC
Day trips from Konya
Catalhoyuk
Half dayNeolithic town site
The UNESCO-listed mound of one of the world's earliest large settlements, some nine thousand years old. Excavated mud-brick houses stand under protective shelters, with a replica house showing the rooftop-entry layout.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1 hr southeast by car or tour
Sille
Half dayOld Greek village
A valley village of stone houses and cave dwellings that was home to a Greek Orthodox community until 1923. The restored Aya Elena church and the rock-cut chapels in the cliffs are the highlights.
Getting there
bus | car
About 20-30 min northwest by city bus or taxi
Beysehir
Full dayLake and wooden mosque
A lakeside town whose Esrefoglu Mosque, UNESCO-listed, has an interior forest of carved cedar columns and original painted woodwork. Beysehir Lake is Turkey's largest freshwater lake.
Getting there
car
About 1.5 hr southwest by car
Sultanhani caravanserai
Half daySeljuk road inn
One of the largest Seljuk caravanserais, with a monumental carved portal and a vaulted winter hall. It also makes a natural stop if you are driving on to Cappadocia.
Getting there
car
About 1.5 hr northeast by car, on the road to Aksaray
A little history of Konya
Konya is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Anatolia, and Catalhoyuk nearby shows that people have farmed this plain since the Neolithic. As Roman Iconium the city was visited by Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys.
The city came into its own after the Seljuk Turks made it the capital of the Sultanate of Rum. In the thirteenth century it drew scholars and artisans, among them the young Jalal al-Din Rumi, who settled here with his family. After Rumi's death his followers formed the Mevlevi order, whose whirling ceremony and poetry made Konya a spiritual centre under Karamanid and then Ottoman rule. The Republic closed the dervish lodges in 1925, and two years later Rumi's lodge reopened as a museum.
Catalhoyuk is settled on the plain southeast of the city
Paul and Barnabas preach at Iconium
Konya becomes the Seljuk capital of the Sultanate of Rum after the loss of Nicaea
The Alaaddin Mosque is completed under Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad
The Karatay Madrasa is built
Rumi dies in Konya; his followers go on to form the Mevlevi order
The Ottomans take Konya from the Karamanids
The Republic closes the dervish lodges
Rumi's lodge opens as the Mevlana Museum
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+90
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Konya
▸ When is the best time to visit Konya?
April to October has the most comfortable weather, and spring and autumn avoid the dry steppe heat of midsummer. Winter is cold and grey. December is also when the Seb-i Arus commemoration of Rumi's death draws the biggest crowds and the most Sema performances, so some people choose that month deliberately.
▸ Can I see the whirling dervishes in Konya?
Yes. The Mevlana Cultural Centre holds regular Sema ceremonies, and there are many more performances during the December commemoration. Treat it as a religious ceremony: stay quiet and do not applaud or use flash.
▸ Is Konya a conservative city?
It is one of Turkey's most religiously conservative cities. Dress modestly, especially at the Mevlana Museum and in mosques, where women should cover their hair. Alcohol is hard to find in the centre.
▸ How long should I spend in Konya?
One full day covers the Mevlana Museum, the madrasas and Alaaddin Hill. A second day adds a Sema ceremony and a trip to Catalhoyuk or Sille. Many travellers stop here between Cappadocia and the coast.
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