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Turkey
Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, more commonly known in Turkey as Mevlana, was a 13th century Persian speaking poet, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic that inspired creation of the Mevlevi Order. His family originated from Persian cultural world of Central Asia. His life and legacy became closely associated with Anatolia and Konya.
While Rumi may historically have been less familiar to many people ...
Certain special places exist in the world, yet we may know nothing about them before visiting. In my case, the Mevlana Museum was one of those places. Back in 2019, when I visited Konya for the first time, I knew that it was an important city with a rich Ottoman heritage. Visiting Konya made sense because one of the reasons for my travel across Turkey at that time was to explore the country's Ottoman ...
I wrote about the Alaeddin Mosque in my previous post, one of the most significant monuments of the Seljuk era in Konya. Just a short distance from the mosque stands the Karatay Madrasa. In my opinion, another remarkable Seljuk monument that deserves a post of its own.
But before we explore the history and cultural significance of this madrasa, let's first say a few words about the Seljuks and the state ...
I have visited Konya twice. The first time was in 2019, during a five week trip around Turkey. The second time was in 2025, when I spent three weeks there. I started in Istanbul and then travelled to Kayseri, with the intention of ending the trip in Alanya. Since the route from Kayseri to Alanya takes you through Konya, it made perfect sense to stop there again. More importantly, I wanted to complete my ...
In my previous post, I mentioned that I had visited Konya twice. The first time was in 2019, during a five week trip around Turkey. The second time was in 2025, when I spent three weeks in Turkey. I started in Istanbul and then travelled to Kayseri, with the intention of ending the trip in Alanya. Since the route from Kayseri to Alanya takes you through Konya, it made perfect sense to stop there again. More ...
I have now visited Konya twice. Back in 2019, I spent five weeks travelling around Turkey. I started my journey in Istanbul before visiting Bursa, Izmir, Kuşadasi, Aydın, Antalya, Konya and Ankara.
I returned to Turkey in 2025 for another three weeks. Once again, I started in Istanbul before travelling to Kayseri, Aksaray, Konya and Alanya. Since the route from Kayseri to Alanya passes through Konya, ...
Back in 2019, I spent five weeks travelling around Turkey. I started my journey in Istanbul before visiting Bursa, Izmir, Kuşadasi, Aydın, Antalya, Konya and Ankara. In 2025, I returned to Turkey for three weeks. Once again, I arrived in Istanbul before continuing to Kayseri, Aksaray, Konya and Alanya. In my previous post, I mentioned that the main reason for stopping in Aksaray was to visit the magnificent ...
Back in 2019, I spent five weeks travelling around Turkey. I started my journey in Istanbul before visiting Bursa, Izmir, Kuşadasi, Aydın, Antalya, Konya and Ankara. In 2025, I returned to Turkey for another three-week adventure. Once again, I began in Istanbul before travelling to Kayseri, Aksaray, Konya and Alanya.
As I had only three weeks for this second trip, I needed to plan carefully and focus on ...
What I call the Melik Mehmet Gazi Mosque for the purpose of this post is, in fact, the Ulu Camii or Grand Mosque of Kayseri. Since many Turkish cities have an Ulu Camii, I have chosen to refer to this mosque by the name of the ruler who commissioned its construction. This helps distinguish it from other mosques with the same name, the most famous of which is probably the Grand Mosque of Bursa. As I have ...
Perhaps, the most striking Seljuk mosque in Kayseri is the Hunat Hatun Mosque. This magnificent monument dominates the city centre and remains one of Kayseri's most impressive historical landmarks. It is also one of the finest surviving examples of Seljuk architecture in Turkey.
But before we explore this magnificent Seljuk era mosque, let's first set the historical context.
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