Ankara & the Anatolia Region - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 207

evidence from the Chalcolithic,
Bronze Age, Hittite, Phrygian,
Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and
Byzantine eras. In the 12th cen-
tury, during the Selçuk period, it
was the capital city and some of
its elegant buildings date from
these times. It was also the home
of Mevlana, who is mentioned
frequently in history books as
being a great Turkish philoso-
pher. It was he who founded the
Mevlana sect and created the
dance performed by the
Whirling Dervishes for which
Turkey is famous. Mevlana is
buried in the Green Tomb (Yesil
Turbe) at the Dervishes Lodge in
Konya. With its bright green
tiled roof, it is the town's most
famous building. You can see it
above the rooftops. Today, you
can visit the lodge and a
museum that tells their story
(see p. 217), along with attend-
ing the celebratory festival
known as Mevlana Week (see
p. 204) if you are visiting in
December. While in Konya you
can also visit its Alaeddin
Mosque , (see p. 216) which
dominates the skyline, the
remains of the Seljuk Imperial
Palace and an interesting little
museum with exhibits of Seljuk
pots and ceramics. A short drive
from Konya is Beysehir , home
of the impressive 13th-century
E@refoglu Mosque , which is
considered one of the finest
examples of timber architectural
structures of the Selçuk period
in Turkey, and Beysehir Lake
(see p. 209).

Houses in the rocks, Göreme

housed thousands of people when
it was a refuge for early Christians
who were being persecuted.
There are also said to be around
3,000 churches and chapels
carved in the rock. The Göreme
Open Air Museum (see p. 218),
is where most visitors head for, as
it has been created to tell the
story of the region. Cappadocia is
reached by flights from Istanbul
and Izmir (see 'Getting There',
p. 199), and most visitors stay at
least overnight to really appreciate
the area to the fullest. There are
hotels and restaurants in Göreme
and Ürgüp particularly, which are
good for families. Some are even
carved in the rock (see p. 223).
Your children will love it.

Konya

Konya has been an important
city for centuries. Indeed there is

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