A Spiritual City and Its Local Flavours
Konya, which has been home to many civilizations, is definitely one of the most historical and spiritual cities in Anatolia. Today, it is one of the main agricultural and cultural cities in Turkey. As the centre of Mevlevi Sufi order, the city, with its Sufi philosophy, is visited by tens of thousands of tourists each year. Spread over a big plain, in this city you can spend pleasurable time with its modern centres, wide boulevards and nostalgic tram as much as its historical texture. While you can reach it from many cities in Anatolia by high-speed train, it also has a modern airport.
The Rumi dervish lodge in Konya is a feature that makes it unique, and it is one of the energy centres of the world with all its spirituality. The dervish lodge, with the tombs of Rumi and Şems-i Tebrizi, education rooms, kitchen and the mosque has a deep history. It is advised to visit Konya to feel the Mevlevi spirituality with Rumi’s quotes: "Come! Come Again Whoever You Are!" well-known all over the world. Once you leave the dervish lodge, you should stop by the old market and buy some wooden spoons, coffee, Konya candy (a kind of soft white sweetmeat), fragrances, and some whirling dervish figures or handcrafted plates from souvenir shops. If you want to see the Mevlevi Sema ceremony, you must buy a ticket in advance. Do not leave Konya without seeing this divine ceremony.
Hich Hotel's rooms reflect Konya’s traditional atmosphere with its bow windows, bed stands with iron engraving, wooden floors and plain designs.
Konya has a very rich cuisine with its most famous dish "etli ekmek," meat on a thin crust. Similar to pizza, etli ekmek is a kind of thin bread with a meat layer on top. One of the best places to eat it is Havzan. For a beverage, try the ayran served in copper cups. Another famous traditional Konya meal is "tirit", which has yogurt and bread underneath pieces of meat. You should taste it with paprika and butter sauce on top. As a traditional dessert, visitors should try “sac arası” (with super thin slices) and “hoşmerim”, a kind of halva which is made from flour, sugar and cream.
The Hich Hotel, whose name comes from the "nothingness" philosophy of the Mevlevi order, is located right across the Rumi's tomb in the city centre. The hotel was an old mansion restored by its owner, Serkan Vanlı. Each of the 13 rooms in the boutique hotel has a different concept. The lobby is covered with colourful ceramics, and there is a terrace overlooking Rumi's tomb and a nostalgic restaurant used during the winter. In particular, the restaurant's stone ceiling, the antique piano and the paintings on the walls will take you on a nostalgic tour. In this section, which is the hotel's breakfast area, you can eat gourmet dishes in the afternoons and evenings in a cosy atmosphere. Even if you do not prefer to stay at the hotel, you can try its restaurant. When you go to the upper floor of the hotel, don't forget to glance over the decorative pool full of fish. This area, with records by Turkish and American singers and historical second-hand books, is great. You can also watch old American movies projected onto a screen on a wall.
The Hich Hotel's rooms reflect Konya’s traditional atmosphere with its bow windows, bed stands with iron engraving, wooden floors and plain designs. Colours are plain and everything reflects the modesty and serenity of Mevlevi culture. The gramophones, old books and paintings in the rooms, on the other hand, are signs that you are staying in a boutique hotel. The fragrances that Hich Hotel produces under its name bring a different energy to the rooms. The manager and owner, Vanlı is a real tourism lover and a real gentleman. You should stay at the Hich Hotel when you are in Konya. Even if you don't stay there, you can enjoy a cup of Turkish coffee in this nostalgic atmosphere.
