Culture and Tourism

With its deep-rooted history, Konya has been a cradle to many cultures and civilizations throughout history. Home to one of the oldest settlements in the world, Konya also hosts important faith centers for Christianity. In this context, Konya is one of the centers of cultural tourism as well as belief tourism.

Important historical and cultural values such as Sille, Hagia Elenia, Ancient City of Kilistra, Eflatunpınar Monument, Çatalhöyük Ancient City, Karahöyük, İvris Rock Reliefs, Bolat, and Boouleterion show the potential of Konya regarding this subject.

Konya’s traditional handicrafts and folkloric values are part of cultural tourism. Carpet weaving, spoon and rifle making, pottery, tile making, and calligraphy are points of interest for tourists. Semah, folk dancing, and sufi music constitute the major folkloric values of Konya.

Konya bears the traces of a history spanning back to 7.000 BC. The province has a rich history with her archaeological sites, natural and historical protected areas, caves and civil architecture.

Konya, which was the capital of the Seljuq Empire, is an important tourism destination with its world-renowned personalities such as Mevlana Rumi and Nasreddin Hodja.

There are 166 hotels in Konya and 8 of which have 5 stars. The bedding capacity of these hotels are more than 14.000. Also, there are 172 tourism agencies.

There are 7 museums in Konya city center (Mevlana, Karatay, İnceminare, Sırçalı Medrese, Atatürk, Ethnography and Archaeology Museums) and 5 in districts (Çatalhöyük, Eregli, Akşehir Western Front and Akşehir Ethnography and Archaeology Museums). Mevlana Museum was the most visited museum in Türkiye with  around 3 million visitors in 2022.

The ancient city Çatalhöyük is in UNESCO World Heritage List. Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Konya-Capital of Seljuq civilization, Anatolian Seljuk Madrasahs, Eflatunpınar Hitite Spring Sanctuary and Salt Lake Special Protection Area are in the tentative list.

As two manuscript libraries where our national and local culture is kept in the record, Konya has Regional Manuscript Library and Yusufağa Manuscript Library. There are 18.118 handwritten and 73.503 printed books in these libraries.

Beyşehir Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in Türkiye, is one of the leading places in nature and hunting tourism. With new investments and efficient promotion, the lake and its surroundings are expected become one of the leading attractions in the province in the coming years.

The districts of Konya that are situated over the Taurus Mountains, are very suitable for trekking and mountain sports. Also, there is potential for hunting tourism in mountainous and woodland areas.

The province is also has cave tourism potential with Balatini, Körükini, Suluin, Sakaltutan, Susuz, Tınaztepe, Pınarbaşı and İncesu Caves.

There are also prominent areas suitable for birdwatching. The areas of the Salt Lake within the region are home to the largest colonies of flamingos in the world. Regarding other fauna, there are wild sheep in Bozdağ and jade horses in Karaman’s Karadağ area.

Türkiye is one of the top seven countries in the world regarding geothermal springs. There are over 1.000 springs with temperatures between 20-100 Celsius. There are more than 200 touristic establishments in the country on these springs and two of these is in Konya's Ilgın and Karatay districts.