Ten days in Turkey - Part 3

Konya – the breadbasket and spiritual heart of Turkey

We reached Konya at daybreak. Konya is an ancient city. It was Kuwanna to the Hittites almost 4000 years back, Kowania to the Phrygians and Iconium to the Romans. Between 1150 and 1300, it was the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, a successor to the 11th century Great Seljuk Turkish Empire. However, Konya is best known for its resident saint, Celaleddin Rumi, called Mevlâna and his followers, the Mevlevis, popularly known as the “whirling dervishes”.

We were received into Hasan's affectionate and indulgent household. His mother reminded me of the Indian mother whose greatest joy is to see you eat. We loaded up on freshly baked Turkish pastries and other delicacies before heading out for the day

First stop, the shrine of Seyh Tavus Mehmet El-Hindi. I cannot find the history of this saint, but it appears he came to Turkey from India. A plaque gave his death year as 1432. Locals visit this shrine and write their prayers on the outer walls of the chamber. There were the usual prayers, people looking for success in love, employment and examinations.

Konya has many important Seljuk monuments, the finest being the Alaeddin Keykubad Camii, completed in the year 1220. An imposing northern gate has elements of Byzantine and Roman decoration but now the entry is through a plainer eastern gate. The exterior of this mosque is rather plain, but the interior is richly decorated with black and blue Seljuk calligraphy. There is also a fine wooden mimbar and a marble mihrab surrounded by rich calligraphy. In the courtyard is a türbesi housing the graves of eight Seljuk sultans, starting from Sultan Mesud I (1156) to Giyaseddin Keyhusrev III (1283), including Alaeddin Keykubad who died in 1237.

A trip to Konya is incomplete without visiting the Mevlâna. Rumi was one of the greatest intellectuals produced by the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. Born in Balkh, Afghanistan in 1207, his family fled a Mongol invasion and came to Konya in 1228 by way of Mecca. Rumi was a brilliant student of Islamic theology, studied in Aleppo and Damascus, finally returning to Konya by 1240. He was deeply influenced by the Sufi Mehmet Semseddin Tabrizi, following whose death in 1247 Rumi withdrew himself to meditate and produced his most celebrated work, the Mesnevi. Another important work is Divan-i-Kebir, his collection of ghazals and ruba’i. On Rumi’s death in 1273, his son Sultan Veled organized the followers into the Mevlevi brotherhood.

The Mevlâna Tomb is of Seljuk style with a distinctive fluted dome of turquoise tiles (see picture). The entrance is through an Ottoman style building, the Mevlâna Müzesi (museum). The main room is of golden hue, beautifully decorated and houses the graves of many prominent dervishes. The largest graves are of Mevlâna and Sultan Veled, side-by-side, adorned with large turbans, a symbol of spiritual authority. Two adjoining rooms form the museum that contains copies of the Holy Quran in Kufic script, beautifully calligraphed manuscripts, lamps from the Mamluk period, Mevlâna’s clothing and prayer mat. An interesting item is a pair of gargantuan prayer beads (tasbih), each with 990 beads.

Konya has a small, but interesting Archeological museum. It houses a large number of sarcophagi with exquisite carvings and statues, prominently those of Hercules and Posseidon, the Greek sea god. The most important items are the finds from Çatal Höyük, 50 km southeast of Konya. This is a Neolithic site from 6800-5700 BC, considered to be one of the oldest human settlements ever discovered by archeologists.

Adjacent to the museum is the Sahib-i-Ata Külliyesi (mosque complex) constructed in 1285 during the reign of Seljuk king Alaettin Keykavus. The entrance is grand, with a built-in minaret. The main doorway has honeycomb designs and is surrounded by carvings of Quranic verses. The minaret has geometric designs on a base of blue tile work. Close to this area is the Sirçali Medrese (Glass Seminary). Completed in 1242, this building now houses a tombstone museum.

The bazaar district of Konya is full of all kinds of shops. We got taste of the hard sell by walking into a carpet shop. Though he spoke no English, the old Kurdish carpet seller was persuasive. And soon enough his daughter joined in; she spoke decent English and kept telling us how her father was not a seller but a collector. Prices started at $5000 because these were “collector items”. But, since we were friends from Hindistan (India), we were offered a carpet for only $500! Somehow that did not seem right.

The excitement in the house was visible. The son was coming home after four years in the US. The mother and sisters were busy cooking, as they had done all day long; the father sat around discussing various details over çay with the male members of the family. Hasan arrived late at night. There was more food, endless rounds of çay and everyone speaking at the same time. Reminded me of an Indian family!!