Konya is one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities, lying at the heart of the Anatolian plateau at 1,016 m elevation. It served as the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum (1077–1307) and is revered worldwide as the birthplace and final resting place of the 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi. The Mevlana Museum — one of Turkey's most-visited sites — draws pilgrims and curious travellers alike to its turquoise-tiled dome. Beyond spiritual tourism, Konya offers an extraordinary concentration of Seljuk monuments, a lively bazaar district, and a regional cuisine famous for etli ekmek (elongated meat-topped flatbread) and firin sut (baked milk dessert). As a conservative, predominantly religious city, Konya offers a glimpse of traditional Anatolian life rarely found in Turkey's coastal resorts.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Konya.
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1
Mevlana Museum (Mevlana Müzesi)
Former lodge of the Mevlevi Sufi order and the burial place of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, the 13th-century poet and mystic whose followers founded the whirling dervish tradition. The building is identifiable by its fluted turquoise dome (Yeşil Kubbe) over Rumi's sarcophagus, and the surrounding halls display dervish cells, illuminated manuscripts of the Mesnevi, and prayer rugs and relics from the order's history. Visitors pass through rooms of tombs, calligraphy and ritual objects before reaching the mausoleum itself.
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2
Alaeddin Mosque (Alaeddin Camii)
Konya's oldest mosque, built in stages by Seljuk sultans on top of Alaeddin Hill, the artificial mound that was the citadel of the Seljuk capital. The prayer hall uses rows of antique columns with mismatched capitals, some reused from earlier Roman and Byzantine buildings, giving the interior a patched-together, centuries-deep feel. Attached to the mosque is a conical brick türbe holding the tombs of several Seljuk sultans, including Alaeddin Keykubad I.
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3
Karatay Medrese (Tile Museum)
A 13th-century Seljuk theological college built by the statesman Celaleddin Karatay, now a museum of Seljuk tile and ceramic work. The main draw is the domed central hall itself, where the transition zone and dome are covered in dark blue and turquoise tiles arranged in star and geometric patterns meant to evoke the night sky. The pieces displayed around the hall come from Seljuk palaces and mosques across the region.
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4
Ince Minare Museum (Thin Minaret Medrese)
A Seljuk medrese named for its minaret, once far taller than the stub that survives today after a lightning strike destroyed the top in the 19th century. The building is entered through a deeply carved stone portal with Quranic inscriptions, among the finer examples of Seljuk stonework in Konya. Inside, the museum holds Seljuk and early Ottoman stone and wood carving, including tombstones, door panels and architectural fragments.
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5
Çatalhöyük UNESCO Neolithic Site
A Neolithic settlement roughly 9,000 years old and one of the best-preserved examples of how people lived before cities had streets. Houses were built wall-to-wall with no doors or lanes between them; residents entered through openings in the roof and climbed down ladders into rooms decorated with wall paintings and bull-horn installations set into plaster walls. Excavation is ongoing, and covered dig shelters let you look directly down at exposed house walls and burials in place, alongside a small on-site exhibit.
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6
Konya Archaeological Museum
A regional museum covering the area's archaeology from the Neolithic through the Roman period, with the collection weighted toward Roman-era stonework. Its best-known piece is a marble sarcophagus carved with reliefs of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, one of the more complete such sarcophagi to survive. Other galleries hold pottery, figurines and grave goods that give context to the Neolithic finds at Çatalhöyük.
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7
Sahip Ata Complex (Mosque and Türbe)
A Seljuk-era religious complex built by the vizier Sahip Ata Fahreddin Ali, combining a working mosque with a domed türbe and a small museum of wood and stone carving housed in the complex's former soup kitchen and Quran school. The carved stone entrance portal is close in style to Ince Minare's, from the same period of Seljuk craftsmanship, though the complex as a whole draws far fewer visitors than the Alaeddin Hill sites.
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8
Sille Village
A village a few kilometers northwest of central Konya that was, until the 1923 Greek-Turkish population exchange, home to a longstanding Orthodox Christian community. Stone houses climb a hillside above a stream, and the rock-cut Aya Elena Church, said to trace its origins to a visit by Helena, mother of Constantine, is the village's central landmark. Many older houses stand empty or partly restored, and the historic quarter can be walked in an hour or two.
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9
Aziziye Mosque
Aziziye Mosque is an Ottoman-period mosque near the old bazaar close to Mevlana Meydani, rebuilt in the 19th century after a fire destroyed an earlier structure on the site. What sets it apart from Konya's older Seljuk mosques is its architecture: it was rebuilt in a baroque-influenced Ottoman style, a noticeably different look from the plainer stone mosques elsewhere in the city.
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10
Konya Science Centre (Bilim Merkezi)
This is one of Turkey's larger science centres, built in Selcuklu with a strong focus on space and aviation alongside the usual hands-on physics exhibits. A distinctive part of the site is its outdoor display area, where retired aircraft are parked for visitors to walk around and examine up close.
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Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
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- Most mosques require removal of shoes; women need a headscarf (often available on loan at entrance), No alcohol is sold near or inside religious sites, Photography is allowed in the Mevlana Museum but not directly at the tomb, Combine Karatay Medrese and Ince Minare Museum in one morning (5-min walk apart), Çatalhöyük requires a half-day trip — rent a car via Avis (+90 332 355 0030) or a taxi
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Visit popular attractions early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid crowds and harsh midday light.
Book tickets online in advance for major attractions to skip long queues and sometimes save money.
Many cities offer multi-attraction passes that include public transport. Calculate whether they save you money based on your itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mevlana Museum free?
Yes, entry is free. The museum is open Monday 10:00–19:00 and Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–19:00.
Can I attend a whirling dervish ceremony?
Cultural Sema performances are held most Saturday evenings at 19:00 and 21:00 at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. The annual Şeb-i Arus festival in December features multiple free public performances.
How far is Çatalhöyük from Konya?
Approximately 50 km southeast; a taxi takes about 45 minutes and costs 350–450 TRY (~$10–$14 USD) one way.