"Konya - Home of the Whirling Dervishes " a Konya Travel Page by mikelisaanna

Konya is a city of 800,00 people located about 200 km south of Ankara in central Turkey. Konya is one of the more conservative cities, and when you arrive you will immediately notice that most of the women that you see are dressed in traditional Islamic clothing, with their hair, arms and legs fully covered. One of the reasons for Konya's religious slant is that it was the home of Celaleddin Rumi (better known as Mevlana) a religious leader and writer from the 1200s, whose tomb is a pilgrimmage site for Turkish muslims. Mevlana founded the Islamic sect now known as the Whirling Dervishes, whose members spin around as a way to connect with God.

The highlights of a visit to Konya are a visit to Mevlana's tomb and the museum next to it, and seeing a performance of the whirling dervishes. In addition, the city has a number of historic mosques. If you like archaeology, you should visit Catalhoyuk, the oldest town ever discovered in the world, which is located about 45 minutes outside of Konya.