Konya[a] is a major city in centralTurkey, on the southwestern edge of theCentral Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital ofKonya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known asIconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in English its name is usually speltKonia orKoniah. In the late medieval period, Konya was the capital of theSeljuk Turks'Sultanate of Rum, from where the sultans ruled over Anatolia.
As of 2024, the population of the Metropolitan Province was 2 330 024 of whom 1 433 861 live in the three urban districts (Karatay, Selcuklu, Meram), making it thesixth most populous city in Turkey, and second most populous of theCentral Anatolia Region, afterAnkara. City has Konya is served byTCDD high-speed train (YHT) services fromIstanbul,Ankara andKaraman. The local airport (Konya Havalimanı, KYA) is served by frequent flights fromIstanbul whereas flights to and fromİzmir are offered few times a week.
Afolk etymology holds that the nameIkónion was derived fromεἰκών ('icon'), referring to anancient Greeklegend according to which the heroPerseus vanquished the native population with an image of the "GorgonMedusa's head" before founding the city.[8]
The Konya region has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and fell at different times under the rule ofthe Hittites,the Phrygians, theGreeks, thePersians and theRomans. In the 11th century theSeljuk Turks conquered the area and began ruling over itsRûm (Byzantine Greek) inhabitants, making Konya the capital of their newSultanate of Rum. Under the Seljuks, the city reached the height of its wealth and influence. Following their demise, Konya came under the rule of theKaramanids, before being taken over by theOttoman Empire in the 15th century. After theTurkish War of Independence the city became part of the modern Republic of Turkey.
During theHellenistic period the town was ruled by the kings ofPergamon. AsAttalus III, the last king of Pergamon, was about to die without an heir, he bequeathed his kingdom to theRoman Republic. Once incorporated into theRoman Empire, under emperorClaudius, the city's name was changed to Claudiconium. During the reign of emperorHadrianus it was known as Colonia Aelia Hadriana.
Konya reached the height of its wealth and influence in the second half of the 12th century when the Seljuk sultans of Rum also subdued theAnatolian beyliks to their east, especially that of theDanishmends, thus establishing their rule over virtually all of easternAnatolia,. They also acquired several port towns along theMediterranean (includingAlanya) and theBlack Sea (includingSinop) and even gained a brief foothold inSudak,Crimea. This golden age lasted until the first decades of the 13th century.[citation needed]
Between 1483 and 1864, Konya was the administrative capital of theKaraman Eyalet. During the reformingTanzimat period, it became the seat of the largerVilayet of Konya which replaced the Karaman Eyalet, as part of the newvilayet system introduced in 1864.
In 1832 Anatolia was invaded byMehmed Ali Paşa ofKavala whose son,İbrahim Paşa, occupied Konya. Although he was driven out with the help of the European powers, Konya went into a decline after this, as described by the British traveller, William Hamilton, who visited in 1837 and found a scene 'of destruction and decay', as he recorded in hisResearches in Asia Minor, Pontus and Armenia, published in 1842.[20]
Konya's textile and mining industries flourished under the Ottomans.[21]
Greeks from nearby village of Sille in 19th century
During theTurkish War of Independence (1919–1922) Konya was a majorair base. In 1922, the air force, renamed as the Inspectorate of Air Forces,[b] was headquartered in Konya.[22][23]Before 1923, 4,000 Orthodox,Turkish-speaking and Greek-speaking Christians lived there. The Greek community numbered approximately 2,500 people who maintained, at their own expense, a church, a boys' school and a girls' school.In 1923 during thepopulation exchange between Greece and Turkey, theGreeks of the nearby village of Sille were forced to leave as refugees and resettle inGreece.[24]
The first local administration in Konya was founded in 1830 and converted into a municipality in 1876.[c] In March 1989, the municipality became a Metropolitan Municipality. As of that date, Konya had three central district municipalities (Meram, Selçuklu, Karatay) and a Metropolitan Municipality.
Home to several industrial parks. The city ranks among theAnatolian Tigers.[25][26][27][28] In 2012 exports from Konya reached 130 countries.[28] A number of Turkish industrial conglomerates, such as Bera (ex Kombassan) Holding, have their headquarters in Konya.[29]
While agriculture-based industries play a role, the city's economy has evolved into a center for the manufacturing of components for the automotive industry; machinery manufacturing; agricultural tools; casting; plastic paints and chemicals; construction materials; paper and packaging; processed foods; textiles; and leather.[28]
Summer daytime temperatures average 30 °C (86 °F), although summer nights are cool. The highest temperature recorded in Konya was 40.9 °C (106 °F) on 14 August 2023, closely beating the former record of 40.6 °C (105 °F) on 30 July 2000. Winters average −4.2 °C (24 °F), and the lowest temperature recorded was −26.5 °C (−16 °F) on 6 February 1972. Precipitation levels are low and happen mainly in winter (mostly as snow), spring and autumn.
Climate data for Konya (1991–2020, extremes 1929–2023)
Konya has a reputation for being one of the more religiously conservative metropolitan centres in Turkey.[35]
Konya was the final home ofRumi (Mevlana), whose turquoise-domed tomb in the city is its primary tourist attraction. In 1273, Rumi's followers established theMevleviSufi order ofIslam and became known as theWhirling Dervishes.
Every Saturday, there are Whirling Dervish performances (semas) at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. Unlike some of the commercial performances staged in cities like Istanbul, these are genuinely spiritual sessions.
Expensive, richly patterned Konyacarpets were exported to Europe during theRenaissance[36] and were draped over furniture to show off the wealth and status of their owners. They often crop up incontemporary oil paintings as symbols of the wealth of the painter's clients.[37]
One of the city's best-known dishes,etli ekmek consists of slices of lamb served on flaps of soft white bread.[41] Konya is also known for unfeasibly longpides (Turkish pizzas) intended to be shared, andtirit, a traditional rice dish made from meat and assorted vegetables.
Tirit
Konya is also known for its sweets, includingcezerye, an old Turkish sweet made from carrots, andpişmaniye, which is similar to American cotton candy.
TheKonya Tram network is 41 km (25 mi) long and has two lines with 41 stations. Opened in 1992, it was expanded in 1996 and 2015. TheKonya Tram usesŠkoda 28 T vehicles.[46]
Work began on building aKonya Metro in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024 and will have 22 stations.[47]
Konya also has an extensive inner-city bus network.
^Forlanini, Massimo (2017). "South Central: The Lower Land and Tarḫuntašša". In Weeden, Mark; Ullmann, Lee (eds.).Hittite Landscape and Geography. Brill. p. 244.doi:10.1163/9789004349391_022.ISBN978-90-04-34939-1.
^Bryce, Trevor (2006).The Trojans and their neighbours. London: Routledge. p. 81.ISBN9780415349550.
^Tekinalp, V. Macit (2009). "Palace churches of the Anatolian Seljuks: tolerance or necessity?".Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies.332 (2):148–167.doi:10.1179/174962509X417645.
^Breytenbach, Cilliers; Zimmermann, Christiane (2017).Early Christianity in Lycaonia and Adjacent Areas From Paul to Amphilochius of Iconium. Brill.ISBN9789004352520.
^Mehmet Kayhan YILDIZ- Hasan BÖLÜKBAŞ- Serdar ÖZGÜR- Tolga YANIK- Hasan DÖNMEZ/ KONYA,(DHA) (21 February 2014)."TSK yeni yıldızı Barış Kartalı'na kavuştu".HÜRRİYET – TÜRKİYE'NİN AÇILIŞ SAYFASI. Retrieved25 May 2015.
ArchNet.org."Konya". Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Archived fromthe original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved2013-02-10.
"Konya".Islamic Cultural Heritage Database. Istanbul: Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
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