seljuk sites

a rather uncomfortable overnight bus ride (i guess i got spoiled with those semi-sleepers to goa) and we woke up at the konya bus station. we made our way out and to the nearby tram stop. we took it a few stops and got off at the apartment complex our would-be couchsurfing host had arranged (he ended up being full but his friend elif was closer to the station so it worked out). we waited out front for a while, eventually found a payphone to get a hold of her (again, the whole no cell phone thing proving a hindrance) and soon were brought right up. elif had a great place, complete with a guest bedroom with a bunk bed. elif had to run off to work but graciously left us to rest and freshen up. we had a much-needed rest to make up for our night on the bus and then  left refreshed.

gardens over lunch

so we hopped back on the tram and after about 15 minutes found ourselves in the center of downtown. it seemed konya was quite a bit smaller than bursa. the center of town was quite nice. immediately to our right was a large outdoor cafe that looked like it belonged in vienna or next to an ice skating rink. in front of us was the central alaeddin hill, around which the town centers. we walked a little up and around the hill and continued towards the historic part of town. we were searching for a restaurant the guide book had recommended that had a nice view of the mevlana complex. we found it but they were evidently booked up with tour buses. thanks but no thanks. we found another place not too far and had it almost to ourselves (well, until a bus group showed up. i guess you can't avoid them.) the view, though, for our meal was lovely. we could see right over the walls into the grounds of the complex. turns out, rose gardens look pretty good from any angle.

those turkish roses

back to ground level, we followed the walls around to the entrance of the grounds. the complex, or mevlana dergahı, was originally the site of the rose garden for the seljuk palace. the seljuks, who predated the ottoman empire, settled both in anatolia and iran (obviously these were the former). i was particularly excited to see their former capital due to their penchant for using turquoise and black tiles. the conical tower at right being one of the most prominent examples. we spent quite a while taking pictures in the gardens and generally enjoying being surrounded by roses before making our way to what is now the mevlana museum. the museum is devoted to telling the story of the original whirling dervishes. they do so with life-size dioramas and text panels in the original cells where the dervishes would have stayed. it gave a pretty good impression of what their daily lives would have been like, not bad.

bells and stones

then we made our way into the mausoleum itself. the tomb was built for mevlâna jelaleddin rumî, commonly known as rumi, the sufi poet. he was also the founder of the order of the dervishes and so naturally his tomb became a rather important pilgrimage site, and consequently rather crowded. inside the building was quite elaborate - gold and decoration on every surface that glittered in the low light of the glass lanterns. and just outside, tombstones with carved calligraphy and surrounded by (guess what) roses and small fountain. unfortunately the selimiye mosque was closed for renovations. we took a final stroll through the grounds and made our way out.

famous candies

we walked up a smaller street, past stalls overflowing with bags and bags of the chalky white candies apparently famous to the city. a little farther on we passed a later, 18th century mosque. quite different in appearance, more like a church of the time. we passed on without going inside and continued back towards the big street that led to the hill. we stopped into an internet cafe to catch up on some things and i nibbled on some of the aforementioned candies. they taste exactly like you'd expect them to. we walked on, and on the way we noticed even the post offices and banks had colorful tiles built into their facades. i like that in a town.

ceiling tiles

our next stop, fittingly, was the tile museum. i was more than a little excited about a museum filled with tiles (just to reiterate here, i really like tiles). after paying a modest price we slipped in to the small museum, just a few rooms - formerly the karatay medrese (school). the walls were covered - well, almost covered, with tiles recovered from the seljuk era. that same turquoise and black, with all types of geometric patterns and kufic scripts. it's so striking - i often wonder why we only see iznik-style tiles reproduced today. i think the seljuk ones would be just as beautiful. the museum itself was small but had some nice literature on how and the tiles were made and what the common motifs were. during the seljuk era konya was a major center for glazed tiles and brick, which is evident in the extant architecture. in a smaller room there were examples of different one of a kind hand-painted tiles that often featured figures and animals, most in that distinctive eight-point star shape.

this doesn't quite capture it

we walked out into the museum's small courtyard that featured some lovely flowers and a sun-dappled leafy trellis. when we left we took a look at the impressive facade to the small complex. with its muqarnas niche over the doorway, dark stone patterns, and petals filled with script, it was quite elaborate. even better, across the street we found a little ice cream shop. we had been hoping to find a place, as i was having trouble putting into words the unique consistency of turkish ice cream. we paid more for the ice cream than we had for the museum tickets, but it was worth it for the experience. it had that signature taffy-esque, almost chewy quality to it. it actually broke my spoon! still quite tasty. oh, and the shop itself seemed to be an old little building too. nice in its own right.

incredible minbar and tiles behind

our next destination was back up the hill to the alaeddin mosque complex. the mosque wasn't much to look at from the exterior; with its plain walls it almost looked more like a castle complex. we went in what seemed to be the side entrance - there was a large door was in the middle of the adjacent wall and into the mosque. it was very plain inside, and looked surprisingly modern, in spite of the marble columns. kind of like a church basement. but then we got to the mihrab (it wasn't visible right away) - it was spectacular! that same marble muqarnas vaulting bordered by band after band of seljuk tiles. all kinds of patterns in those same two shades. and the size was just monumental. next to it was the wooden minbar (stairs) that was just as intricate - perhaps more. it was created with the kündekari technique, whereby a wooden structure is assembled using only fitted wooden grooves on the sides of each piece - no nails or glue. then of course each of those geometric pieces has elaborate carvings of interlaced arabesques. quite remarkable. (i had studied a similar piece earlier, if you're wondering why i know so much about this rather obscure practice.) as we were leaving we were informed that we were not supposed to take pictures (which we honestly didn't know - i say this despite my somewhat blemished track record); luckily i had already got what i wanted.

minaret in brick and tile

from there it was down the other side of the hill. we went off in search of an interesting looking mosque i had seen somewhere and, after wandering through a few side streets and consulting a few locals, we found the mosque on an otherwise unassuming street. it had quite a unique minaret, with patterns made in that distinctive glazed brick. the mosque was very small but had a nice little courtyard surrounding it.

yes, that glob is butter

we stopped for a bit and then made our way back towards that central circle. on the ring road we discovered a place that advertised knafeh. of course i insisted that we stop in. i've been drooling over thoughts of knafeh since the last time i'd had it in jordan. it wasn't quite as good as what i'd had in amman, but still good in its oily gooeyness.

by then we had just a few minutes until we were supposed to meet our couchsurfing host (the original one). we grabbed a table at the central cafe - the last one, though there were many - for some tea and postcard writing while we waited for görkem. after a few minutes he found us, evidently coming straight from work in his nice suit. he came bearing gift bags, full of pamphlets and info on konya.

konya from above

we followed him to the hace veys zade mosque, the largest and newest in the city, where we were meeting sally, another couchsurfer from montana. she was hard to miss - super tall with a short pixie cut. we popped into the mosque briefly, spacious and empty inside. after that we hurried off to the restaurant görkem had picked out for us; he wanted us to make it before the sun had set. when we got there we understood why. he took us to a revolving restaurant - at the 42nd floor of the seljuk tower (sort of a misnomer, obviously it's a rather new building). we made it in time for the sunset and took a walk around the observation deck. konya's not much from above but it was a nice way to get perspective on the city. once inside we were treated to what was a rather expensive meal (all on the company card) - we were each more or less instructed to order one of the traditional dishes on the menu. various combinations of spiced meat, peppers, onions, rice and baskets full of bread. it wasn't bad, although a less formal meal would have been more our speed. still, we'd never been to a revolving restaurant so it was novel if nothing else.

from there we left to meet elif and some other friends at an outdoor cafe. there were seats all around a lovely pond, illuminated with colored lights, complete with passing swans. we met the other group, about six of them were there already, and joined them for çay and hookah. we had a lovely time discussing this and that - traveling and impressions of turkey. around 11 or 12 we headed back with elif on the tram (and learned that the city apparently bought them from germany) to her place and promptly collapsed into our bunk beds.

so there you have it, a pretty perfect 24 hours in konya.