Konya

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Tomb of Mevlana Rumi is a popular attraction of Konya.

Konya (Ottoman: قونیه; also Koniah, Konieh, Konia, and Qunia; historically known as Iconium(Latin), Greek: Ἰκόνιον ("Ikónion")) is a city in Turkey, on the central plateau of Anatolia. It has a population of 742 690 (in 2000) and it is the capital of Konya Province, which is the biggest Turkish province in terms of area.

Iconium was an ancient city in Lycaonia, visited by Saint Paul according to the Book of Acts. In Christian legend, it was also the birthplace of Saint Thecla.

The city was captured by the Seljuk Turks following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and from 1097 to 1243 it was the capital of the Seljuk Sultans of Rüm, though temporarily occupied by the Crusaders Godfrey of Bouillon (August 1097) and Frederick Barbarossa (May 18, 1190).

Konya reached its height of wealth and influence from 1205 to 1239 when the sultans controlled the interior of Anatolia, Armenia, some of the Middle East and also Crimea. In 1219, the city was filled with refugees from the Khwarezmid Empire in Persia, fleeing the advance of the Mongols who had defeated the Shah of Khwarezmid, Muhammad II. In 1243, Konya was captured by Mongols as well. The city remained the capital of the Turkish puppet-ruler under the Mongol Ilkhans until the end of the century.

Following the fall of the Sultanate of Rüm, Konya was made an emirate in 1307 to 1322 when it was captured by the Karamanids. In 1420, Karamanid fell to the Ottoman Empire and, in 1453, Konya was made the provincial capital of the Ottoman Province of Karamanid.

Both Saladin and the Ottoman Sultan Selim II built mosques in Konya. The tomb of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, a mystical poet and founder of The Whirling Dervishes, is located here.

External links

• [Pictures of the city, amongst them the Mevlana Muzesi and several Seljuk buildings]
• [Catholic Encyclopedia entry]
• [Konya Weather Forecast Information]
• [All About Turkey]
• [Sacred Sites]

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