Konya

Konya brings together different discoveries: Seljuk architectural history, a science center with interactive exhibitions, a tropical butterfly garden and a local culinary specialty. This lets you choose different focuses for your stay instead of associating the city with just one theme.

Science to Explore

The main building of the Konya Science Center has seven themed exhibition galleries with dozens of interactive exhibits. This gives your visit a clear focus on taking part and exploring. The center also offers themed and outdoor exhibitions, an observation and viewing tower, a planetarium, laboratories and a children's library. The mix of different learning and discovery areas is particularly interesting for families: the children's library and laboratories sit alongside the exhibitions, while the planetarium offers another way to explore a subject.

Butterflies and Plants

The Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden offers a different kind of discovery. It provides a natural habitat for around 10,000 butterflies from 45 different species. Alongside various animal species, around 20,000 plants from 98 species also grow there. The approximate figures convey the variety without reducing it to a single animal or plant species. If you want to make nature observation a central part of your stay, you will find a distinct focus here alongside Konya's historical and scientific themes.

Mevlevi History and Seljuk Architecture

The Mevlevi lodge was preserved and reopened as a museum after the tekkes and zawiyas were closed, because of its importance to Turkish and Islamic culture. Its central structure is Mevlana's tomb; the mausoleum was built in 1274. The history of the lodge is thus connected to a specific building and its religious significance.

The Alaaddin Mosque also offers a glimpse into the city's Seljuk history. It was built in 1221, during the reign of the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, on the site of Konya's former castle. The remains of the Seljuk Imperial Palace are next to it. Another historic site is Alaaddin Hill in the Karatay district, an important prehistoric settlement.

The İnce Minare Madrasa is located in the Selçuklu district and is also known as the Museum of Stone and Wooden Works. The single-storey madrasa has a covered courtyard. Together with the mosque, palace remains and prehistoric settlement, it offers a glimpse of different periods and architectural styles, without requiring these sites to be treated as a single historical complex.

Etli Ekmek and Getting There

Etli Ekmek is one of Konya's local dishes. To prepare it, minced meat, onions, fresh tomatoes and peppers are mixed together and spread over elongated rolled-out dough; it is baked in a bread oven. The description makes clear what sets the dish apart: its elongated dough and the mixture spread on top.

There is a high-speed train service on the Ankara–Konya route. Trains run twice a day in each direction and take 1 hour and 47 minutes. This specific connection may factor into your travel plans. When choosing a holiday apartment in Konya, it helps to first decide which experiences you want to shape your stay: Seljuk history, science, nature or regional cuisine.

Discover More Places

These places also invite you to explore: Karabağ, Akşehir, Meram, Kayacık, Ahırlı, Tatköy, Akören and Seydişehir.

For the broader travel overview: Konya.