KONYA
Konya,
one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities was
known as Iconium in Roman times. The capital of the
Seljuk Turks from the 12th to the 13th centuries, it
ranks as one of the great cultural centers of Turkey.
During that period of cultural, political and religious
growth, the mystic Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi founded a
Sufi Order known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes.
The striking green-tiled mausoleum of Mevlana is Konya's
most famous building. Attached to the mausoleum, the
former dervish seminary serves now as a museum housing
manuscripts of Mevlana's works and various artifacts
related to the mysticism of the sect. Every year, in the
first half of December, this religious
order holds a ceremony commemorating the Whirling
Dervishes. The controlled, trance-like turning or sema
of the white-robed men creates a fascinating performance
for the spectator.
Alaeddin
Mosque was built on the site of the ancient Konya
citadel in 1220, during the reign of the great Seljuk
sultan Alaeddin Keykubat and commands the Konya skyline.
To one side of the mosque are the remains of the Seljuk
Imperial Palace. The Karatay Medrese, now a museum,
displays bold and striking Seljuk ceramics. On the other
side of the mosque, the Ince Minareli Medrese of 1258 is
remarkable for its marvelous baroque Seljuk portal.
Source:
Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism
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