Historical Geography of Konya

Outside of the Caves began to be an area not only for hunting, but also for living for humans who survived ice age after 10.000 BC. Architecture was the biggest innovation for men’s adventure with nature. If we take modest huts in Terra Amata as the initial point, efforts of building shelters which began in Mesapotamia would create villages then transformed into cities in time. In this regard, the city is one of the most important requirements, if not the first, of the culture of communal living for humans who come together under the influence of many factors, particularly security and production. Çatalhöyük is one of the symbols of this urbanization process, also known as the Agricultural Revolution. The settlement of Çatalhöyük, which is located in the south of Konya, within the borders of the Umra District, has no street texture and is made up of mudbrick houses that are close to each other. It covers an area of about 140 decares.

Çatalhöyük

The region that makes up the city centre of modern-day Konya was also centre of the that settlement. Alaeddin Hill is also significant because it is essentially a mound with a long history dating back to the Bronze Age.

Alaeddin Hill, Early 20th Century (Gertrude Bell Archive)

Even though Konya's urban history dates back to the Neolithic Period (7,000 BC), the Seljuk Period saw the city's most significant growth. The arrival of the capital city of Iznik as the first capital, Konya had a direct impact on this process. Different types of buildings have been built in terms of both spatial and functional differences in urban elements that shape or direct the spatial organization of Konya during the Seljuk Period.

The most important building groups of this period's architecture are mosques-masjids, caravanserais, madrasas, soup kitchens, baths, hanikahs, bridges, castles, and fountains. Many historical buildings and foundation works of this type can still be found in Konya's city center and surrounding districts today. With these dense building types, Konya can be said to have had its golden age as a city in the 13th century.

Within this framework, the Alaeddin Mosque, which is located in the city center and serves as a place of worship as well as a public gathering place on Fridays, performs a public activity. During the Turkish period of Konya, the people of many different religions living together and the existence of places of worship with different religions shows how tolerant and sharing this ancient city was. During the Seljuk period, four ethnic groups, such as Franks, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews, lived in Konya, which had such an environment, and the Greeks had a population of about 1500 people. They were living near Alaeddin Hill. Throughout history, the Ottoman Empire has hosted many cultures within its borders. Despite significant ethnic differences within the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans were able to unite different communities into a harmonious environmen with a common desire to live in peace.

After Seljuk’s disappearance from history, Karaman Beylik started ruling the city in 1327. During this two-hundered year period, Karaman Beylik built many structures, including today’s Mevlana Lodge (except the Shrine).

Mevlana Buildings

Konya was conquered by the Ottomans in 1467, following the conquest of Istanbul and the end of a long-running Karaman-Ottoman struggle. The Ottoman dominance in Konya can be seen for about 500 years, from the mid-15th century to the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. Over the centuries, Konya has seen a progressive and stable population growth. The son of Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II’s governorship in the city had a positive effect on the city's advancement and thus on the identity preservation. The Selimiye Mosque, which was built during this period, is Mimar Sinan's only work in Konya.

Konya Selimiye Mosque

The population of Konya city center is 12,457 people, according to the 1831 Yearbook. In the years 1882-1883, the male and female population in Konya's central sanjak was estimated to be around 200 thousand. This situation exemplifies Konya's urban identity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The identity has been preserved for centuries. The Aziziye Mosque, which was constructed specifically for this period, is one of Anatolia's most important diverse Ottoman structures.

During the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, Konya maintained its urban identity. The public buildings that were built in the region between Alaeddin Hill and Mevlana and formed as a novelty of the Tanzimat Period can be seen during this period between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Konya Industrial Fine Arts School

Konya Post Office Building

Today, Konya welcomes visitors to the heart of Anatolia to envisage a Seljuk capital with a history dating back to 7,000 BC and landmarks and foundation works dating from the 11th century to the present built under Turkish-Islamic rule.