Konya travel guide

Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During ancient history and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium.

Konya has been inhabited at least since 3000 BC: cultures we know of include the Hittites, Sea Peoples (the Philistines of Canaan), Phrygians, Cimmerians, Greeks, Romans and Persians. In 47 AD St Paul and his followers were run out of town in Antioch and began preaching here, with the same result. But Konya is best known as the capital of the Sultanate of Rum, established in the late 11th century in former Byzantine territory. The poet and Sufi thinker Rumi settled in the early 13th century. The city's heritage thus stems from this Selçuk golden age.

Getting in

Havaş buses run downtown via the bus terminal (which is on the tram line). They take 40 min and in 2022 cost 16 TL. They only run three times a day to connect with the Istanbul flights. City buses don't come into the airport, but buses 34, 54 and 111 pass within 500 m on Highway D715. Konya has YHT fast trains from Istanbul and Ankara. There are four per day from Istanbul via Eskişehir, taking 4 hr 45 min. From Ankara five trains per day take 1 hr 45 min. Three trains continue east to Karaman (50 min), which has buses to Silifke for the Cyprus ferry.

Getting around

Walk the central district, most sites are within 1 km or so. Trams run 06:00 to midnight. Line 1 runs north-south from Selçuk University via the bus terminal and Selçuklu YHT station to Zafer / Alaaddin Hill in city centre. Line 2 runs east-west from Alifbey via the Mevlana Cultural Centre and Mevlana Cd to Zafer / Alaadin Hill. They loop the hill then head back out. Trams and public buses don't take cash, you need a KonyaKart (previously called ElKart).

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.