Konya, one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities was known as Iconium in Roman times. The capital of the Seljuk Turks from the 12th to the 13th centuries, it ranks as one of the great cultural centers of Turkey. During that period of cultural, political and religious growth, the mystic Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi founded a Sufi Order known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. The striking green-tiled mausoleum of Mevlana is Konya's most famous building. Attached to the mausoleum, the former dervish seminary serves now as a museum housing manuscripts of Mevlana's works and various artifacts related to the mysticism of the sect. Every year, in the first half of December, this still-active religious order holds a ceremony commemorating the Whirling Dervishes.The controlled, almost trance-like turning or sema of the white-robed men creates a mystical experience for the viewer.

Mevlana Mosoleum Complex, Konya

Mystical Dervish Ceremony, "Sema", Konya

Alaeddin Mosque, built on the site of the ancient Konya citadel in 1220, during the reign of the great Seijuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubat, commands Konya's skyline. To one side of the mosque are the remains of the Seljuk Imperial Palace. The Karatay Medrese, now a museum, displays bold and striking Seljuk ceramics. On the other side of the mosque, the Ince Minareli Medrese of 1258 is remarkable for its marvelous baroque Seljuk portal. Other Seljuk works include the Sircali Medrese and the Sahip Ata Complex.Visitors find Konya's Archaeological Museum of exceptional interest. The collection of the Koyunoglu Museum is a varied one; among its displays one is devoted to natural history and another to old kilims. Within the museum complex,the restored Izzettin Koyunoglu house illustrates the way of life of a prosperous Konya family.

Sille, 10 km north of Konya, has the Byzantine Aya Eleni church and several rock chapels with frescoes. Aksehir, to the northwest, is known throughout Turkey as the birthplace of the 13th century humorist Nasrettin Hoca, whose mausoleum stands in the town. The 13th century Ulu Mosque and the Altinkale Mescidi are other monuments worth seeing; the Sahip Ata Mausoleum has been converted into the town's museum.