"The most famous building here ..." Top 5 Page for this destination Konya Favorite Tip by Arkeolog

Favorite thing: The most famous building here is the Green Mausoleum of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the great Turkish philosopher and poet. He is the founder of the sect of Whirling Dervishes, the seminary that was attached to the mausoleum. It has been converted into a museum housing Mevlana's works, and accoutrements related to his sect. Every year in December, ceremonies are held in Konya or the commemoration of Mevlana and the Whirling Dervishes. In this Dervish Festival, the 'Sema' dance is performed by men dressed in white robes, whirling and rotating around the floor. This dance, in which the dancer with the great love of God is believed to attain divine unity, is an event well worth seeing.

Fondest memory: Konya Mevlevi Convent
The orginal building was constructed in 1274 by the Selçuks, and was expanded and restored later by the Ottomand. Is consists of a cortyard with fountain, a room for chanting the Quoran, a mausoleum, meting room, a mosque, rooms for the dervishes, a kitchen, classroom and a hall for veligious ceremonies. In the cortyard there exist the tombs of Sinan Pasha, Fatma Hatun, Hürrem Pasha and Mehmet Bey. It was converted into a museum in 1927.