A Short History of Konya

Konya is Turkey's largest province in terms of area and the sixth most populous city. It consists of 31 districts. The population of is 2,277,017 in 2021. The traffic plate number is 42.

Konya Municipality, which was established in 1875, gained the status of "metropolitan city" in accordance with the law no. 3399 enacted in 1987, and since 1989, municipal services have been carried out according to this status. With the law numbered 6360, the boundaries of the metropolitan municipality became the provincial administrative boundaries in 2014.

**

Konya, which is one of the economically developed cities of Turkey, is also important with its natural and historical riches. Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest settlements in the world, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2012. The city was the capital of the Anatolian Seljuks and Karamanids. It is one of the most important industrial cities of Turkey. It is one of the Anatolian Tigers. The city's football team is Konyaspor. Its local dishes are Etliekmek, okra soup, Konya pastry, oil loaf, tirit, Konya pilaf, sacarası and oven kebab. The symbols of Konya are the Mevlana Museum (Kubbe-i Hadrâ) and the double-headed eagle.

**

Konya is one of the oldest settlements in Turkey. It is seen that the settlement in Konya started from the Prehistoric age. As a result of the research made in and around the artificial hill called Alaeddin Hill because of Anatolian Seljuk Sultan II Alaeddin Keykubat, located in the center of Konya and also a mound, cultural findings belonging to both Neolithic (Polished Stone Age), Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages were encountered in the prehistoric age.

**

Bronze Age

The Konya Plain was known as the Lower Country (Kur Şapliti) during the Hittites period and was located in the middle of the Hatti land, which was the administrative center and lifeblood of the Hittites, and the Tarhuntaşşa region, which was the capital of the Hittite country for a while, located in the Central Taurus Mountains.

Roman Period

Konya (Kavania), which came under the rule of the Phrygians after the Hittites, was invaded by Lydians, Persians and Alexander the Great then.

Later, when Roman domination was achieved in Anatolia, Konya preserved its existence as Iconium.

The city, which preserved its importance throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods, also gained the identity of a religious center in the first years of Christianity. Saint Paul also stopped by Konya during his religious travels in Anatolia.

Seljuks Period

Süleyman Shah made Konya the capital of the Anatolian Seljuks in 1076, and then the capital was transferred to Iznik in 1080. During the First Crusades, the city of Iznik was taken over by Byzantium again, and the sultan I. Kılıçaslan moved the capital back to Konya in 1097. From that date until 1277, Konya was the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State without interruption.

Karamanid period

Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey added Konya to his principality in 1277. After the Seljuk collapse, the city of Konya was added into the Karamanoğulları lands and became the capital of the principality. It changed hands 16 times between Osmanoğulları and Karamanoğulları.

Ottoman Period

The city passed into permanent Ottoman rule in 1467. Sultan Mehmed II conquered Konya and ended the Karamanoğlu domination. During the Ottoman period, Konya became the center of Karaman Province and then Konya Province.

War of Independence period

Konya, together with the Central Anatolian cities such as Ankara, Kayseri, Yozgat, Çorum and Çankırı, which were not occupied, became the logistics center where the needs of the army were met during the War of Independence. The needs of the army fighting at the front were gathered in Konya and sent to the front from here. Konya has been the center where the wounded and patients coming from the front were treated.

Konya gained the title of metropolitan city with the law numbered 3399 enacted in 1987.