Daily Konya & Catalhoyuk Tour ( L )

All Year Round / Private Tour

Early morning transfer to Istanbul Airport for a flight to Konya, our staff will meet you at the airport then drive to Catalhoyuk which is an ancient city; its history goes back till 7000 BC.

The Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk was first discovered in the late 1950s and excavated by James Mellaart between 1961 and 1965. The site rapidly became famous internationally due to the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well as the spectacular wall paintings and other art that was uncovered inside the houses.

Since 1993 an international team of archaeologists, led by Ian Hodder, has been carrying out new excavations and research, in order to shed more light on the people that inhabited the site.

After Catalhoyuk Tour we will drive back to Konya, lunch at a nice local restaurant which serves delicious tradational Konya Meals like ''Bamya ( Okra ), Etliekmek, Fırın Kebap, Tandır Kebap'', different kinds of local kebaps would be enjoyed.

Mevlana Museum: Is located in city center, the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Sufi mystic also known as Mevlana or Rumi. It was also the dervish lodge (tekke) of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes. Sultan Ala al-Din Kayqubad, the Seljuk sultan who had invited Mevlana to Konya, offered his rose garden as a fitting place to bury Baha ud-Din Walad (also written as Bahaeddin Veled), the father of Mevlana, when he died on 12 January 1231.

When Mevlana died in 17 December 1273 he was buried next to his father. Mevlanas successor Husamettin Celebi decided to build a mausoleum (Kubbe-i-Hadra) over his grave of his master.

The conical dome is covered with turquoise faience. However several sections were added until 1854. Selimoglu Abdulvahit decorated the interior and performed the woodcarving of the catafalques. The decree of 6 April 1926 confirmed that the mausoleum and the dervish lodge (Dergah) were to be turned into a museum. The museum opened on 2 March 1927. In 1954 it was renamed as Mevlana Museum.

Karatay Museum: It was built in 13th century to be taught some Islamic subjects in Seljuks period. Today the ceramics that were found in Konya area are demonsrated in this museum.

Ince Minare: It was built in 13th century to be taught some science subjects like astronomy.

Sırcalı Medrese and Alaeddin Mosque are other important places to be visited in Konya.

At the end of the day you will be transfered to the airport for a flight to Istanbul. Meeting at the airport and transfer to your hotel in Istanbul.