The City

The Konya Province has a population of around 1 million people. The city lies on a flat ground with a man-made hill, erected in the centre of the city. The hill serves as the central park and is a shady and pleasant place to visit while in the city.

Tourism

The number of visitors to the city has increased a lot over the last few years. The people of Konya generally don’t speak English, but their hospitality makes up for that. The city is one of the most conservative cities in Turkey and women still cover their heads with headscarves.

Airport

Konya airport is situated about 18km out of the city, it is a military airbase as well as a public airport. In 2006 the airport served 2924 aircraft and 262 561 passengers.

Airlines

The following airlines offer flights from Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg or Durban to Konya, Turkey:

• Air France (Johannesburg)
• British Airways (Johannesburg, Cape Town
• BMI (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
• Egyptair (Johannesburg)
• Emirates (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Johannesburg)
• El Al Israel Airlines (Johannesburg)
• KLM (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
• Lufthansa (Johannesburg)
• Qatar Airways (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
• SAA (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban)
• Swiss Air (Johannesburg)
• Turkish Airlines (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• Virgin Atlantic (Johannesburg, Cape Town)

What to see / do

• Mevlana Museum
• Iplikçi Mosque
• Ince Minare Museum
• Alaaddin Hill (Alaaddin Tepesi)
• Seljuk Palace remains

Events

• Whirling Dervishes Festival - A Commemorative Ceremony for Mevlana, a great Sufic saint
• Kondokum – Steel and Metals industry fair

General Info

Weather

The city of Konya has a continental climate and rainfall occurs mostly during spring and autumn. Summer temperatures are around 30 °C and winters average at about -4,2 °C.