The History of Konya

It is claimed that the name Konya comes from the word "Ikon", which means sacred depiction.

There are different rumors about this subject in mythology. A descriptive picture is drawn. The name given to this monument is Ikonion. The name Ikonion turns into Iconium over time. The Arabs changed the name of the city to Kuniya, this name changed to Konya during the Seljuks and Ottoman periods.

The settlement in and around Konya starts from the Prehistoric age. Neolithic-Chaltolithic- Early Bronze Age cultures are seen in this age. The mounds, which are the settlements of this age, are within the provincial borders of Konya. Remains from the Neolithic Period (7000- 5500 BC) were unearthed during archaeological excavations at Çatalhöyük. Today, Hittite settlement is seen in Karahöyük, which is in a neighborhood in the city center of Konya. Archaeological excavations carried out for years yield finds describing this era.

The Phrygians, who put an end to the Hittite rule in Anatolia, are tribes that migrated from Thrace to Anatolia. Finds from places such as Alaaddin Hill and Karapınar, Gıcıkışla and Sızma date back to BC VII. Century. After the Phrygians, Konya (Kavania) was invaded by the Lydians and Alexander the Great. Later, when Roman domination was achieved in Anatolia, Konya preserved its existence as Iconium. (25 BC) Hatun Saray, Lystra-Derbeş, Laodica (Ladik) and Sille are important Byzantine settlements. With the spread of Islam in Anatolia, Arab raids began in Byzantium (Istanbul). Emevis and Abbasids raided through Konya. After the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, Konya, along with a large part of Anatolia, was taken from the Byzantines by the Seljuks. Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Süleyman Shah made Konya the capital city in 1076. In 1080, the capital was transferred to Iznik, and Kılıç Arslan I moved the capital back to Konya in 1097. Konya remained the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State from 1097 to 1277 without interruption. Later, in 1277, it came under the sovereignty of the Karamanoğulları State. Ottoman Sultan Murat II ended the Karamanoğulları rule in 1442. Growing and developing rapidly in the Republican era, Konya is a city that looks like an open-air museum today with its historical monuments. The total population of the districts of Karatay, Meram and Selçuklu, which form the city center, exceeds one million and the total population exceeds two million.