Turkey Travel Guide｜Konya

Kenya, or Konya, is where the mystical poet Rumi lived and died, and the Sufis he preached to had a profound influence on the monks' practice, who took turns constantly. To this day, it is one of the most religious places in Turkey.

Konya, historical iknium, a city in central Turkey. The town is located about 1027 meters southwest of the central plateau of Anatolia, surrounded by a narrow fertile plain. It is supported by bozik ı r mountain in the West and surrounded by the inner edge of the central mountain range of Taurus mountain in the south. Pop. （2000）742 690； (2013 estimate) 1107886。

Konya is one of the oldest urban centers in the world. Excavations on Mount Aladdin in the city center show that it can be traced back to at least 3000 BC. According to a legend about the great flood in fricia, Konya was the first city to rise after the flood that destroyed mankind. Another legend attributed its ancient name to Aiken (picture), or the head of the Gorgon. The mythical warrior Perseus defeated the locals before establishing the Greek city.

 Attractions: Mevlana Museum, Ancient Post SultanhaniArt: The Whirling Dance of MuadjinCuisine: Fırın Kebabı Tarifi,Bamiyas The Mevlana Museum/Mevlana Museum in Turkey is a holy place for Muslims and was a place of pilgrimage for the millions of Muslims (mostly Turks) who come here every year. It is the mausoleum of MevlânâCelâleddîn-îBelhîRûmî//Jalâlad-DīnMuhammadRūmī (1207-1273), a Sufi mystic poet, spiritual teacher, and founder of the practice of whirling dervish. After his death it became a meeting place for revolving torturers and had a profound influence on the political form of the Ottoman sultanate and state.Originating in Konya as a ceremonial dance of unity around God, the Sema is now on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The spinster wears a long white dress and a wide skirt, representing the shroud, a large black cloak symbolizing the earthly tomb, and a conical hat, the tombstone. The ceremony begins when a scholar, who can recite the entire Koran, recites a prayer to Moulana and a rhyme from the Koran. Hemispherical drums beat, sad music plays, and the master leads the muazzin around the auditorium three times before the muazzin removes his black cloak, signifying his release from secular events. Spinning them around on the floor signifies their renunciation of this worldly life and rebirth in mystical union with God. As they rotate, forming a "constellation" of revolving bodies that themselves slowly rotate, the master walks among the monks, making sure that each performs the ritual correctly so that they do not get lost on earth. The dance is repeated many times, the spinning dazzling and the audience confused until the chanting scholars again recite verses from the Koran, completing the mystical union with the Lord directly.

A trip to Konya is not without a taste of the local FırınKebabıTarifi, a specialty of Konya. The history of the Konya Fırın Kebabı Tarifi reveals records from the Seljuk Empire concerning the first production of Konya-style kebabs, grown under completely natural conditions and cooked and prepared in natural ovens using only lamb or mutton. Many companies in Konya, the capital of the Seljuk Empire, produced kebabs as a craft and have continued to produce this product in the traditional way ever since, with only a limited number of companies producing kebabs today. We tasted it at nezih konya mutfağı restaurant and it was fantastic. This kübra ızgara had Konya's special okra soup bamiyas in it and it was delicious.