Informations

Konya is a city identified with the world famous philosopher Mevlana. İt is one of the first inhabited cities in the history of mankind, and still contains traces of many ancient civilisations which gives it the atmosphere of a museum city. Because of its locations in the middle of the barren Anatolian steppe, it used to be one of the most important trading centres on the Silk Road. The fertile land around the city means Konya is also the heart of Turkey’s grain industry, with farming a major industry. Steeped in tradition, it is one of the most conservative and religious places in the country, and best known as the adopted home of Celaleddin Rumi, the Sufic mystic who founded the Whirling Dervish sect. Today it is still a centre of Sufic practice and teaching, and one of the highlights for visitors is the Mevlana Museum, the former lodge of the dervishes.

Air

Konya has a small airport, originally built for the Turkish military, which has receives a few daily flights from Istanbul as well as a few seasonal flights from Europe. Air passengers can get to and from the city by using the Havaş bus, which goes from the airport to the Ataturk Monument in the Meram district. The trip from the airport to the city takes around half an hour and costs 9TL.

Car

• From Antalya to Konya about 304 kilometers (km) and takes about 30 minutes, about 4 hours by car.
• From Istanbul to Konya about 660 kilometers (km) and takes about 10 hours by car.
• From Sivas to Konya about 503 kilometers (miles) away and by car takes about 7 hours and 30 minutes.
• From Kayseri to Konya, about 305 kilometers (km) and takes about 30 minutes, about 4 hours by car.
• From Ankara to Konya about 287 kilometers (km) and takes about 10 minutes, about 4 hours by car.
• From Adana to Konya about 345 kilometers (km) and about 4 hours by car can take up to 30 minutes.

Train

Until recently trains constituted a slower alternative to travelling by bus or car. However with the new high-speed trains (Yüksek Hızlı Treni, abbreviated YHT) all that have changed, journey time from Ankara have been massively reduced to just 1:40 PM, down from almost ten hours (in pure theory, though, as Turkish State Railways never offered passenger trains between Ankara and Konya before, due to the absurdly long de-tours across the country the rail network formerly took between these two neighbouring cities)! Although not offering the charm of travelling while enjoying the landscapes slowly changing on the other side of the window, these new trains makes it much more practical to reach Konya. As of now there are fours trains every day, however more depatures will be added in the near future.

Bus

Turkey Konyaya many regular bus service runs from the center. Other centers in the city of Konya Bus Terminal is possible to go by local transport.