Kilistra Ancient City
The ancient city of Kilistra, located in the Gökyurt Neighborhood of Meram district, is located on the historical 'King's Road'.
In Kilistra, which began to be used as a settlement in the 3rd century BC, the population was concentrated in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In Kilistra, which grew rapidly during the Christian period; There are structures such as a cross-planned chapel, hyacinth church, large water cistern, churches, monasteries, watchtowers, shelters, ancient roads.
The ancient city has an important place in terms of faith tourism as well as taking its visitors on a historical journey.
While telling the history of Kilistra, Prof. Dr. Fethullah Arık, Head of Konya Branch of Geological Engineers, who pointed out that this place served as a police station during the period, said: "Kilistra is an ancient settlement. Especially in the first period of the spread of Christianity after AD, the Christian settlements in the Hatunsaray region just south of it were a region where there was a saint named Theakla who escaped from the pagan rule in Konya and settled here. He comes to Hatunsaray and settles because he is severely punished during his work in the Konya region. The Kilistra region is seen as an outpost of Hatunsaray. It is an area on 'King's Road'. In the south is a region where non-believers in the Steppe region come and constantly carry out attacks. In order to prevent the attacks of both Konya and Bozkır, the Kilistra region served as a kind of outpost."
Stating that there are many churches in the region, Prof. Dr. Arık said, "There is quite a few churches in the region. Many of the architectural structures from that period are rock carving structures. Within these structures, churches, chapels, living spaces are present and it is a point that we see as very important in terms of history. Since it is right next to Konya, we think that it is an important point in terms of faith tourism."
Prof. Dr. Fethullah Arık, who stated that the region was similar to the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia in terms of rock structure and appearance, said, "Kilistra is the region where there are volcanic rocks around Konya that have been between 11 and 3 million years ago. In the area where the main church is located in Kilistra, especially the rocks are volcanic rocks. It is the tuffs that have been welded after bursting. That region was chosen because they could be easily carved and processed. It is true that it is like a fairy chimney. The fairy chimney has a morphology that can be quickly separated by water, day and night temperature differences, seasonal conditions in such terrains, protecting the underlying structure, especially in areas where the volcanic layers on top are intact. Such structures can be easily carved and rooms, places of worship and living spaces can be created. The fairy chimney structures we see in many points of Central Anatolia are also present in the Kilistra region, albeit on a small scale."
