Konya's historical texture meets digital world

Konya's Historical Texture Meets Digital World

The restoration works have been completed at the Stone Building, brought to the city by Konya Metropolitan Municipality. After the restoration, the venue was opened to the public, and historical texture and digital elements were combined together."

The building, which was started to be built by Architect Muzaffer in 1917, was completed in 1922. The building was used as the Konya Girls' Teacher School at that time, and later as the Rectorate building of Selcuk University. Currently, the Stone Building, which is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Municipality, contains six exhibition rooms designed with three separate concepts: Konya Bookstore, nature, culture, and the city. In these six rooms, Konya's historical process from the past to the present is told. Visitors to the building witness Konya's prehistoric, Ottoman, Seljuk and Roman-Byzantine periods.

The history room located within the Konya Digital Promotion Center covers four main periods. When visitors enter this room, they are greeted by the Ivriz Rock Relief in the middle of wheat spikes. The room includes informative digital screens that describe Konya's agriculture in various periods. Visitors to the Stone Building can touch the screens to obtain detailed information about the relevant place, both visually and audibly. The digital images in the room depict transitions between periods. Konya's prehistoric, Hittite, Roman-Byzantine and Seljuk period also attracts the attention of the visitors. The Konya model located in the center of the room covers the geographical structure of Konya. The digital content includes briefings on Konya during the Roman and Christian periods, the art structure in the Byzantine period Konya, the process of becoming the capital of Konya, and the reconstruction of Konya. There are also figures describing the prehistoric periods on the ceiling.

The Agriculture Room, located in the Promotion Center, is also home to three locals speaking in the Konya dialect. These locals, who use facial expressions as if they were live, provide information to visitors about the products grown in Konya. Alongside the screens, the products in which Konya has a say in production are exhibited with their percentage breakdowns in glass display cases. Among the exhibited products are carrots, sugar beets, sunflowers, cherries, tulips, cumin, mushrooms, peas, eggs, barley, corn, melons, peas, and many more.

One of the most remarkable rooms in the stone building is the section with doors that lead to history. The four main periods are represented by the doors that take visitors on different journeys. The doors are made in accordance with the architectural style of each period. When the doors are closed, the music stops thanks to the sensors on the doors. The door representing the prehistoric period leads to Çatalhöyük, while the door representing the Roman-Byzantine period leads to Sille, where the Aya Elenia Church can be seen. The third door takes visitors to the Seljuk period and is modeled after the Karatay Medrese. When this door is opened, the Eşrefoğlu Mosque can be seen. The last door represents the Ottoman period and when opened, the images of the Selimiye Mosque, the Bedesten, and the Mevlana Mausoleum can be seen.

The last room in the Promotion Center showcases modern Konya to visitors. The room highlights the activities and awards of Konya Metropolitan Municipality. Two bicycles are also placed in the room, and visitors who ride them get the impression of cycling through the streets of Konya. The room emphasizes the "Konya Model Municipality," and it also features a bicycle gifted by Ömer Bardakçı, the President of the Konya Cyclists and Motorcyclists Association, to the Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Uğur İbrahim Altay.