Konya's Historical Charm Meets the Digital Age

The Taş Bina (Stone Building), brought to the city by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality, blends its historical character with modern digital elements, offering visitors a unique experience.

Designed by architect Muzaffer, construction of Taş Bina began in 1917 and was completed in 1922. It was initially used as the Konya Girls’ Teacher School and later served as the Rectorate building of Selçuk University. Today, Taş Bina houses the headquarters of the Konya Metropolitan Municipality and features six exhibition rooms, each highlighting three main themes: Konya’s bookstore, nature, culture, and the city. These rooms take visitors on a journey through Konya’s history, showcasing exhibits from the city’s prehistoric, Ottoman, Seljuk, and Roman-Byzantine periods.

One of the main attractions is the history room within the Konya Digital Promotion Center, which presents four significant eras. Upon entering, visitors are welcomed by a digital representation of the Ivriz Rock Relief surrounded by wheat spikes. Interactive screens provide insights into Konya’s agricultural heritage, allowing visitors to explore visual and audio information about different periods. The room also features transitions between eras, focusing on Konya’s prehistoric, Hittite, Roman-Byzantine, and Seljuk histories. At the center stands a detailed model of Konya’s geography, accompanied by information on the Roman and Christian periods, Byzantine art in Konya, the city’s rise as a capital, and its subsequent transformation. The ceiling is adorned with figures depicting prehistoric life.

The Agriculture Room within the Promotion Center features three animated local figures speaking in the Konya dialect. Through lifelike facial expressions, they introduce visitors to Konya’s agricultural products. Display cases nearby showcase the city’s main products — including carrots, sugar beets, sunflowers, cherries, tulips, cumin, mushrooms, peas, eggs, barley, corn, and melons — along with their production statistics.

One of the most striking areas of Taş Bina is the section with doors that take visitors on a journey through history. Each door, designed in the architectural style of its era, represents one of four major periods and is equipped with sensors that stop the accompanying music when closed. The prehistoric door leads to Çatalhöyük, the Roman-Byzantine door to Sille and the Aya Elenia Church, the Seljuk door to Karatay Medrese with views of the Eşrefoğlu Mosque, and the Ottoman door opens to images of the Selimiye Mosque, the Bedesten, and the Mevlana Mausoleum.

The final room of the Promotion Center presents modern Konya, highlighting the city’s initiatives and achievements under the Konya Metropolitan Municipality. Visitors can experience cycling through the streets of Konya using two interactive bicycles. The room also introduces the “Konya Model Municipality” and displays a bicycle presented by Ömer Bardakçı, President of the Konya Cyclists and Motorcyclists Association, to Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay.