Stand on Mevlana Caddesi in the late afternoon and you will see the city doing two things at once: traffic grinding past the walls of the Mevlana Museum, and pilgrims and tourists drifting in the same direction on foot. Konya rewards the traveller who slows down and follows them.
The city suits people interested in Seljuk architecture, Sufi history and the Mevlevi tradition, and travellers breaking a journey between Istanbul and Ankara on the high-speed train. It is also manageable in a short stay: most of the central sights sit within walking distance of each other.
This guide covers the places worth your time in the city itself, plus the one excursion the sources single out, and how to string them together if you have only a day.
Top things to do in Konya
1. Mevlana Museum
This is the mausoleum of Rumi, known in Turkish as Mevlana, the Persian poet, philosopher and teacher who lived in Konya after the Byzantine Romans had been ousted from the area. The museum displays relics of his life and times, and the mausoleum itself is the reason most visitors come to the city.
Allow time for the plaza outside, where the Selimiye Mosque stands. The museum is free, and it is the natural first stop on Mevlana Caddesi.
2. Sema (Whirling Dervish Ceremony)
Sema is the authentic dervish ceremony, held at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. Rumi's son founded the order known in the west as the whirling dervishes, and the ceremony is the living form of that tradition rather than a performance staged for tourists.
Ceremonies are traditionally held on Saturday at 19:00 in winter and 20:00 in summer. During the weeks culminating in the Şeb-i Arûs, the "reunion night" commemorating Rumi's death on 17 December, they are held as frequently as twice daily. Tickets are sold online.
3. Alaaddin Hill
An artificial knoll raised by Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat at the zenith of Seljuk power, now a small park at the focus of the city tramways. The trams gyrate around it as if in homage to the dervishes before rattling back out to the suburbs.
On the hill stands Alâeddin Mosque, open daily 08:00-23:00, where the Sultan and at least seven other sultans are buried in two mausoleums. On the north flank are the scraps of a Seljuk palace protected by a concrete umbrella. Combine the hill with the museums on Alaaddin Boulevard below it.
4. Iplikçi Mosque
A brick Seljuk structure built in 1202, on Mevlana Caddesi at the corner of Emir Pervane Street. İplikçi means "thread spinner", after İplikçi Necîbüddin Ayaz, a trustee of the adjacent madressa. It was expanded in various styles, rebuilt in the 16th century after a fire, and re-dedicated as a mosque in 1960.
It is open daily 06:00-21:00 and is free, which makes it an easy addition to a walk along Mevlana Caddesi.
5. Ince Minare Museum (Stone Works Museum)
A medrassa built in 1265, now a museum with rich stonework. The name means "slender minaret": it was originally taller, but a lightning blast in 1901 toppled it through the mosque dome, and the rebuild is distinctly stumpy.
It sits on Alaaddin Boulevard, so it pairs naturally with Alaaddin Hill. Note that it was temporarily closed as of December 2023, so check before you build a day around it.
6. Karatay Medresesi Museum
A medrassa built in 1251, now a museum of Seljuk tiles, on Ankara Caddesi. The tilework is the reason to come.
It is open daily 09:00-19:00. Pair it with the other Seljuk buildings in the centre rather than treating it as a standalone stop.
7. Sille
A well-preserved Greek village 11 km northwest of downtown. The main sight is the Church of Michael the Archangel, also known as Aya Elenia after its patroness Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who stayed hereabouts in 327 while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Inscriptions within are in Karamanlidika, a Turkish dialect written in Greek letters.
There are many other churches carved into the soft rock in variable states of repair, a small museum, and Şeytan Köprüsü ("Satan's Bridge") spanning a chasm. A dam further up the valley has created a reservoir lake, now a picnic spot. Buses 64 A and 64 B run roughly every twenty minutes from the centre, taking around half an hour.
8. Archaeology Museum
An attractive display of finds from the region, especially the carved sarcophagi and discoveries at Çatalhöyük, on Sahibiata Caddesi. It is free.
Next to it, the Sahib-i Ata Mosque was completed in 1283, and its medrese has been refurbished as a Museum of Seljuk Arts. The museum was temporarily closed as of December 2023.
9. Şems-i Tebrizi Türbesi
The tomb of Şems-i Tebrizi, the companion of Rumi, is one of the city's named monuments and a natural stop for anyone following the Mevlevi thread through Konya.
Treat it as part of a walking route through the centre rather than a separate trip.
10. Sultan Selim Camii
Also known as the Selimiye Mosque, this is an elegant classic Ottoman building completed in 1567, standing in the plaza outside the Mevlana Museum.
Because it is right at the museum entrance, it costs you almost no extra time. Step in before or after your museum visit.
11. Alaeddin Keykubad Camii
A place of worship on Alaaddin Hill, standing alongside Alâeddin Mosque in the park at the centre of the tramway loop.
Visit it as part of the same stop as the hill and its mausoleums, rather than as a separate outing.
12. Aziz Pavlus Katolik Kilisesi
A Catholic church in the city, and one of the named places of worship in central Konya. Paul and Silas probably visited Konya during Paul's Second Missionary Journey around AD 50, so the city's Christian thread runs deep.
Check locally before planning a visit, and combine it with the other central sights on foot.
13. Ateş-i Bazı Veli Camii and Ateşbazı Türbesi
The Ateş-i Bazı Veli Camii is a place of worship in the city. The Ateşbazı Türbesi, 4 km southwest of the centre, is the mausoleum of Âteşbâz-ı Velî, who died in 1285 and was a holy man and contemporary of Rumi.
If the Mevlevi history is what brought you here, the tomb is worth the short trip out. Note that the taxi ride is short, so confirm the destination before you set off.
14. Atatürk Anıtı
The Atatürk monument is one of the named monuments of the city. Atatürk House, 200 m southwest of Alaaddin Hill on Atatürk Caddesi, is a free museum with photos and memorabilia of modern Turkey's founder, open daily 09:00-17:00.
Pair the monument with the house and the hill in a single loop.
15. Hatıpoğlu Tavusbaba Camii and Meram
An unusual mosque with wooden columns and ceiling. Tavus Baba, a Sufi mystic about whom nothing is known, lies in the mausoleum outside.
The Meram creek on the northeast side of the tomb has other old mosques and hamams and is a popular picnic spot. Note that "Meram" is also the name of an entire province and the southwest city quadrant, so be clear with taxi drivers about which Meram you mean.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Mevlana Museum when it opens, and see the Selimiye Mosque in the plaza outside while you are there. Walk down Mevlana Caddesi to the Iplikçi Mosque, then continue to Alaaddin Hill for Alâeddin Mosque, the Alaeddin Keykubad Camii and the Seljuk palace remains on the north flank.
Afternoon. Drop into the Ince Minare Museum and the Karatay Medresesi Museum on the surrounding streets, then take a bus from the centre to Sille for the Church of Michael the Archangel and the rock-cut churches. If the museums are closed, the Archaeology Museum and the Sahib-i Ata Mosque next door are the alternative, subject to the same caveat.
Evening. Return to the centre and attend the Sema ceremony at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. On Saturdays it traditionally begins at 19:00 in winter and 20:00 in summer, and tickets are sold online, so book before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Konya?
The city is served by TCDD high-speed train services from Istanbul, Ankara and Karaman. Konya Havalimanı (KYA) has frequent flights from Istanbul, with flights to and from İzmir several times a week.
When is the best time to see the whirling dervish ceremonies?
Sema is traditionally held at the Mevlana Cultural Centre on Saturdays, at 19:00 in winter and 20:00 in summer. Around the Şeb-i Arûs, commemorating Rumi's death on 17 December, ceremonies are held as frequently as twice daily.
Can I visit the main sights on foot?
Most of the central sights sit along and around Mevlana Caddesi and Alaaddin Boulevard, including the Mevlana Museum, Iplikçi Mosque, Alaaddin Hill and the Karatay Medresesi Museum. Sille is 11 km northwest and is reached by bus 64 A or 64 B, roughly every twenty minutes.
Do any of the museums charge admission?
The Mevlana Museum and the Archaeology Museum are free. The Ince Minare Museum and Karatay Medresesi Museum charge admission. Some sites were temporarily closed as of December 2023, so confirm before you go.
Check the current opening times and ticket sales for the Sema ceremony, then start mapping your days around Mevlana Caddesi.