IHLARA VALLEY
The Melendiz River, at lhlara, has eroded the banks into an impressive canyon. Byzantine rock chapels covered with frescoes pierce the canyon walls. Some of the best known are the Agacalti (Daniel) Church, the Yilanli (Apocalypse) Church and the SumbulIu (Hyacinth) Church. Guzelyurt is another valley with dwellings dating from prehistoric times. You can see the beautiful silhouette of Mt. Hasan rising like a crown above the town. The valley's underground cities, buildings carved into the rock, interesting vernacular architecture, churches, chapels and mosques embody all of the characteristics of Cappadocia and give visitors a sense of historical continuity. A popular tourist destination, Guzelyurt's hospitable residents, extensive accommodation and restaurants ensure a pleasant stay.
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 century, it ranks as one of the great cultural
centers of Turkey. During this period of artistic, 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 devoted to manuscripts of
Mevlana's works and various artifacts related to the mysticism of the sect.
Every year, in the first half of December, this still active religious
order holds a ceremony commemorating the Whirling Dervishes. The controlled,
almost trance-like turning of the white robed men creates a mystical experience
for the viewer. Alaeddin Mosque, built on the 
site
of the ancient citadel in 1220 during the reign of the great Seljuk sultan
Alaeddin Keykubat, commands Konya's skyline. To one side of the mosque
are the scant 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. Other Seljuk works include the Sirgali
Medrese and the Sahip Ata Complex. Visitors find Konya's Archaeological
Museum of exceptional interest. The collection of the Koyunoglu Museum
is a varied one, and among its displays one is devoted to natural history
while another to old kilims. Within the museum complex the restored Izzettin
Koyunoglu house illustrates the way of life of a prosperous Konya family.
Sille, 10 km north of Konya, has a Byzantine church and several rock chapels
with frescoes.
Aksehir,
to the northwest, is known throughout Turkey as the birthplace of the 
13th
century humorist Nasrettin Hoca, whose mausoleum stands in the town. The
13th century Ulu Mosque and the Altinkale Mescidi are other monuments worth
seeing; the Sahip Ata Mausoleum has been converted into the town's museum.
On the way south to Beysehir stop at Eflatun Pinar next to the lake to
see this unusual Hittite monumental fountain. Several interesting Seljuk
buildings are scattered around lovely Beysehir, on the shores of Turkey's
third largest lake, Beysehir Lake. Among the monuments are the Esrefoglu
Mosque and Medrese, and the Kubad-Abad Summer Palace across the lake. Another
medieval palace stands on Kizkalesi Island, opposite the Kubad-Abad palace.
Catalhoyuk , 45 km south of Konya, is a fascinating Neolithic site dating
from the eight millennium B.C., which makes it one of the world's oldest
towns. Archaeologists have determined that holes in the roofs of the mud
houses were the entrance doors. Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
displays the famous temple, mother-goddess figures and Neolithic frescoes
from the site. At ivriz, a Hittite site 168 km east of Konya, you can see
one of Turkey's finest neo-Hittite reliefs of a king and fertility god.
Karaman,
once the capital of the Karamanli Emirate, 
was
the first Turkish state to use Turkish, not Persian, as the official language.
Fittingly, Yunus Emre, the first great poet to write in Turkish, lived
here in the 13th century. The surrounding fortresses date from Seljuk
times, although the town's most significant buildings, the Araboglu, Yunus
Emre and Aktekke Mosques and the Hatuniye Medrese, were all built during
the Karamanid reign. Near Taskale, 48 km east of Karaman, on the rocky
northern slope of Yesildere Valley, are the remains of the fascinating,
historical city of Manazan. Built during Byzantine times, the entire
city of narrow lanes, houses, squares, storage facilities, chapels and
cemeteries (occupying an area approximately three kilometers long and five
stories high) was carved into the rocky hillside of the valley. Today parts
of the city are still used for wheat storage. South of Karaman up a steep
narrow road are the remains of a beautiful Byzantine monastery, Alahan.
Much still stands, and there is some fine stone carving to admire.
This magnificent location offers a breathtaking view.
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