THE PROVINCE OF KONYA

Konya, which is one of the first settlements in human history and

bearing the traces of many civilizations, was the capital of the Seljuk

Turks from 12 th century to 13 th century.The city, which is growing day

by day after being capital had been ornamented with many architectural

works, has become one of the most developed cities in Anatolia in a

short time.

Konya, is located in south Central Anatolia region.The population of

the province of Konya is,according to the results of address based

population registration system, 2,013,845 people and the population of

city center is 1.036.027 and the area is 38257 square kilometers. Konya ,

with this area, is the largest city with it’s area. The city is surrounded by

Ankara in the north, Isparta , Afyonkarahisar, Eskişehir in the west, Icel,

Karaman, Antalya in the south, Niğde and Aksaray in the east.

Konya which has numerous historical, cultural and natural riches, has

almost an identity of museum-city. In Konya, there are a large number of

Islamic Works because of making capital of Anatolian Seljuk State. The city

which has a living history with hans, a caravanserai, mosques,

madrasahs and cupolas from the heritage of Selcuk Turks and it’s

present-day world-wide recognition and becoming attractivity

center of religious tourism from the geography from USA to Korea

derives from the important role of Mevlana Rumi Museum including

Mevlana Tomb .Mevlana Museum, has been one of the most visited

museums with a visitor number of 1670651 tourists including 491560

foreign tourists in the year of 2010. For the Vuslat Ceremonies, which is

held between December 1 to 17, Mevlana Week, Mevlana enthusiasts

come from all over the world to Konya.

The most important historical and cultural heritage tourism in Konya,

Mevlana, Meke Lake, Çatalhöyük, Nasreddin Hodja, Tinaztepe Cave,

Aladdin Mosque, a cascade of Yerköprü. In addition to these, Ivriz Rock

Memorial, Klistra, Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Lilac Spring, Chapters Memorial, St.

Helena Church, Kubad-Abad Palace, Villa Springs, Karapinar Pits, Salt

Lake, Fine Miner, Karatay Madrasah, Ilgın Hot Springs, at the Falls Bridge,

Carved Underground City, Aziziye Mosque and Lake Beyşehir are other

must-see places. In Konya, investments in the tourism industry began to

increase in parallel with development of tourism and industry.

Konya, began to come forward as a student identity city in recent

years.Konya continues it’s education service with 4 universities including

Selcuk University, University of Mevlana, Konya, Karatay University with a

student number of 90000 .

Konya, took place on the main roads throughout history. It has

become one of the most important centers of trade and accommodation.It

is also in the situation of an important crossroads in transportation.

Konya has railway connection in addition to roadway connections with

other cities. The most important work in progress, is the project of

Konya-Ankara high-speed train.With the completion of this project,

transportation time from the Konya-Ankara will be reduced to 1 hour 15

minutes. It has also and airport with rapidly developing air transport service.