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Konya

Rumi's City and the Whirling Dervishes

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1 dayIdeal stay₹3,200From / night₹1,300Food / dayFreeEntry

The city of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi poet: his green-tiled tomb, the Mevlana Museum, is one of Turkey's most visited shrines, and the whirling dervish (sema) ceremony is performed at the Mevlana Cultural Centre on Saturday evenings and nightly in mid-December for the Şeb-i Arus festival. Seljuk monuments, the Karatay tile museum and etli ekmek (long flatbread) fill the rest. A conservative city: dress modestly. On the YHT line from Ankara and Istanbul, and 3 h by road from Cappadocia.

Highlights

  • Rumi's tomb at the Mevlana Museum
  • Whirling dervish sema ceremony
  • Karatay Medrese tiles
  • İnce Minare's carved portal
  • Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest towns on earth
  • Etli ekmek and Konya's fırın kebab
  • Sille, an old Greek village

Things to do

  • Mevlana Museum & Rumi's tombMorning · 2h
  • Whirling dervish sema ceremony (Saturday evening)Evening · 1h 30m
  • Karatay & İnce Minare MedresesAfternoon · 2h
  • Day trip to ÇatalhöyükMorning · 4h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: April – June, September – December

Worth knowing

Summer Heat: 35-40 °C

July and August reach 35-40 °C inland, and the ruins and travertines have no shade. Visit at opening time or in the last two hours before closing, carry water and a hat, and rest at midday.

Worth knowing

Bayram Holiday: Buses and Flights Sell Out

Ramazan Bayramı (about 9-12 March 2027) and Kurban Bayramı (about 16-19 May 2027, often stretched to nine days off) send millions of Turks travelling. Intercity buses and domestic flights sell out and prices jump, coastal hotels fill, and some museums close on the first morning. Book transport and rooms early, and avoid travelling on the first and last days of the holiday.

  • Ramadan (Ramazan) — The fasting month, expected from about 8 February to 9 March 2027. Life for visitors carries on: restaurants, cafes and sights stay open, and alcohol is still sold in tourist areas. In conservative cities (Konya, Mardin) eat discreetly in daylight. At sunset the iftar meal fills restaurants and Sultanahmet's square becomes a night market; drummers wake the neighbourhoods before dawn.
  • Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) — The holiday ending Ramadan (expected about 9-12 March 2027). Millions of Turks travel home: intercity buses and domestic flights sell out and prices jump, so book a few weeks ahead. Some museums close on the first morning; Istanbul's bridges and public transport are often free.
  • Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) — The four-day feast of the sacrifice (expected about 16-19 May 2027), often stretched to nine days off. The biggest travel rush of the year: buses, flights and coastal hotels book out and fares double, and the Aegean and Mediterranean resorts fill with Turkish families. Avoid moving between cities on the first and last days.
  • Şeb-i Arus (Rumi Commemoration) · 7–17 Dec — Ten nights of whirling dervish ceremonies at the Mevlana Cultural Centre, ending on 17 December, the anniversary of Rumi's death. Tickets for the ceremonies are free or cheap but go fast on the official sale site; Konya's hotels fill, so book ahead.