Konya, Turkey
Konya is a major city in central Anatolia, Turkey, known for its Seljuk heritage, the Mevlana Museum associated with the poet Rumi, agricultural plain, and long continuous settlement since prehistoric times.
Konya is a large city in central Anatolia and the seat of Konya Province. It sits on the broad Konya Plain and serves as an administrative, cultural and economic hub of the region. The city is often associated with conservative social life and deep historical roots; a 2013 estimate placed its population at about 2,079,225 residents. Konya is also connected to wider Turkey by road, rail and air links, including high-speed rail connections and an airport that link it to other major Turkish cities such as Turkey's capitals and coastal centers.
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Geography and administration
Konya occupies a strategic position on the Central Anatolian plateau. The surrounding plain is fertile and has supported agriculture for millennia. Administratively, the city is the center of a large province that includes rural districts and smaller towns. The continental climate brings hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters, shaping local agriculture and settlement patterns.
History
The area of Konya has been inhabited since prehistoric times and lies near major archaeological sites such as the Neolithic settlement at Çatalhöyük. Over centuries it was ruled by various Anatolian and Mediterranean powers. Konya rose to prominence in the medieval period as the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, leaving a legacy of monumental architecture, and later became part of the Ottoman realms. The city is closely linked with the life of the 13th‑century Persian poet and mystic Jalal ad‑Din Rumi, who lived and taught there.
Culture and significance
Konya remains an important religious and cultural center. The tomb of Rumi (Mevlana) is a pilgrimage destination and the site of an annual commemorative festival where the Mevlevi practice of the whirling dervishes is performed. The city preserves many Seljuk-era buildings and museums that attract visitors and scholars interested in Islamic art and Anatolian history.
Economy and transport
The regional economy mixes agriculture—grain, sugar beet and other crops grown on the Konya Plain—with manufacturing, food processing and services. Modern transport infrastructure, including national highways, rail connections and an airport, supports trade and tourism. Konya is also a regional center for education and public services.
Notable sites
- Mevlana Museum (Rumi's mausoleum and cultural complex)
- Seljuk monuments such as medreses and mosques
- Nearby archaeological sites and rural landscapes, including Neolithic remains
Geography
The city is located about 200 kilometers south of the capital Ankara in the Konya Plain (Turkish Konya Ovası) at about 1200 meters above sea level, almost in the geographical center of Anatolia. The plateau has no outlet to the sea, only local rivers that flow into inland lakes. In the surrounding area it is overlooked by several mountains rising to 2300 meters, the northern continuation of the Taurus Mountains. To the west lies the Altınapa Dam.
Population development
Share of the three capital districts in the "core city" before the territorial reform
| Circle | 1990 | 2000 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Karatay | total | 169.001 | 214.589 | 248.826 | 253.745 | 257.639 | 263.071 | 271.435 | 275.987 |
| urban | 142.678 | 183.677 | 229.995 | 231.909 | 235.958 | 242.495 | 251.272 | 256.455 | |
| rural | 26.323 | 30.912 | 18.831 | 21.836 | 21.681 | 20.576 | 20.163 | 19.532 | |
| Meram | total | 213.664 | 267.878 | 304.696 | 304.570 | 309.276 | 314.421 | 321.058 | 326.444 |
| urban | 182.444 | 231.386 | 282.523 | 289.143 | 292.422 | 298.169 | 305.331 | 311.312 | |
| rural | 31.220 | 36.492 | 22.173 | 15.427 | 16.854 | 16.252 | 15.727 | 15.132 | |
| Selçuklu | total | 202.154 | 348.329 | 466.233 | 472.436 | 487.899 | 508.102 | 529.514 | 552.110 |
| urban | 188.224 | 327.627 | 454.537 | 459.921 | 474.993 | 495.363 | 517.188 | 540.119 | |
| rural | 13.930 | 20.702 | 11.696 | 12.515 | 12.906 | 12.739 | 12.326 | 11.991 | |
| "Core City" | total | 584.819 | 830.796 | 1.019.755 | 1.030.751 | 1.054.814 | 1.085.594 | 1.122.007 | 1.154.541 |
| urban | 513.346 | 742.690 | 967.055 | 980.973 | 1.003.373 | 1.036.027 | 1.073.791 | 1.107.886 | |
| rural | 71.473 | 88.106 | 52.700 | 49.778 | 51.441 | 49.567 | 48.216 | 46.655 | |
| for comparisonProvince | total | 1.750.303 | 2.192.166 | 1.959.082 | 1.969.868 | 1.992.675 | 2.013.845 | 2.038.555 | 2.052.281 |
| urban | 963.128 | 1.294.817 | 1.938.926 | 1.947.267 | 1.970.163 | 1.991.824 | 2.016.951 | 2.031.235 | |
| rural | 787.175 | 897.349 | 20.156 | 22.601 | 22.512 | 22.021 | 21.604 | 21.046 |
In the 2013/2014 territorial reform, the villages and the individual mahalle of the Belediye were each merged into one mahalle and subordinated to the respective county/municipality.
Share of the three capital districts in the "core city" after the territorial reform
| Circle | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Karatay | 286.355 | 295.332 | 302.392 | 308.983 | 315.959 | 323.659 | 338.976 | 351.422 |
| Meram | 333.988 | 340.817 | 343.384 | 346.366 | 345.813 | 342.315 | 344.546 | 344.549 |
| Selçuklu | 565.093 | 584.644 | 604.706 | 622.846 | 639.450 | 648.850 | 662.808 | 663.280 |
| Total | 1.185.436 | 1.220.793 | 1.250.482 | 1.278.195 | 1.301.222 | 1.314.824 | 1.346.330 | 1.359.251 |
| Province | 2.079.225 | 2.108.808 | 2.130.544 | 2.161.303 | 2.180.149 | 2.205.609 | 2.232.374 | 2.250.020 |
| Share (%) | 57,01 | 57,89 | 58,69 | 59,14 | 59,69 | 59,61 | 60,31 | 60,41 |
Urban development
The following table provides information on the development of the population figures of the city (Şehir), district (İlçe) and province (İl) of Konya. The figures were taken from the results of the censuses of the indicated years published as PDF files, available via the library of the TURKSTAT (TÜİK).
| 1927 | 1935 | 1940 | 1945 | 1950 | 1955 | 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 2000 | |
| City | 47.286 | 52.093 | 56.465 | 58.457 | 64.434 | 92.236 | 119.841 | 157.934 | 200.464 | 246.727 | 329.139 | 439.181 | 513.346 | 742.690 |
| Circle | 103.563 | 102.819 | 112.008 | 118.753 | 129.407 | 161.104 | 201.679 | 242.414 | 292.560 | 339.203 | 430.149 | 521.287 | 584.819 | 830.796 |
| provincial00 | 504.384 | 569.684 | 620.936 | 661.877 | 741.026 | 847.723 | 982.422 | 1.122.622 | 1.280.239 | 1.422.461 | 1.562.139 | 1.769.050 | 1.750.303 | 2.192.166 |
| Turkey | 13.648.270 | 16.158.018 | 17.820.950 | 18.790.174 | 20.947.188 | 24.064.763 | 27.754.820 | 31.391.421 | 35.605.176 | 40.347.719 | 44.736.957 | 50.664.458 | 56.473.035 | 67.803.927 |
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AlegsaOnline.com Konya, Turkey Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/54226