Konya

What it's known for

Konya became the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and is best known as the final home of the poet Rumi, also called Mevlana, whose turquoise-domed tomb is the city's main sight. Farm-based industries play a role, and the city also makes car parts, machinery and farm tools.

Fun facts

1. Its old name was Iconium, and a folk story links it to the Greek word for image: the hero Perseus is said to have defeated the locals with an image of Medusa's head.
2. In 1273 Rumi's followers founded the Mevlevi Sufi order, whose members became known as the Whirling Dervishes.
3. At Çatalhöyük, a town from about 7500 BC on the Konya Plain southeast of the city, most houses were entered through holes in the roof.