Konya is Turkey's largest province in terms of area and the sixth most populous city. Provincial Population as of 2021: 2,277,017. Geographically, it is Turkey's largest province with an area of 39.000 km².
Konya, which is one of the economically developed cities of Turkey, is also important with its natural and historical riches. Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest settlements in the world, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. The city was the capital of the Anatolian Seljuks and Karamanoğulları. It is one of the most important industrial cities of Turkey. He is from the Anatolian Tigers. The city's football team is Konyaspor. Its local dishes are etliekmek, okra soup, Mevlana pastry, oil loaf, tirit, Konya pilaf, sheet meat and oven kebab. The symbols of Konya are the Mevlana Museum (Kubbe-i Hadrâ), the double-headed eagle.
CLIMATE
Continental climate prevails in Konya. Summers are dry and hot, winters are cold and snowy. The temperature difference between night and day is between 16-22 degrees in summer. In spring and winter, this difference decreases to 9-12 °C due to humidity. Snow stays on the ground for an average of 3 months. It is very affected by the hot - cold air centers around it. Although it is located in the southernmost region of Central Anatolia, it is colder than other Central Anatolian Region cities. The reason for this is that the middle Taurus completely avoids the sea effect. The rainiest months are April and May. Another characteristic of Konya's climate is that summers start very late and winters end very late. The summer drought, which is characteristic of the steppe climate, has caused the best quality wheat to be grown in Turkey. The herbs that grow with humidity and rain in the spring are replaced by yellow in summer due to dryness and heat. The lowest temperature measured for a long time is -29 °C, and the highest temperature is 41 °C. The month with the most snowfall is February, and the coldest month is January. The hottest months are July and August. The province with the least rainfall in Turkey is Konya.
AGRICULTURE
Konya, which has the most agricultural area in Turkey, is known as the "granary". 10% of Turkey's total agricultural production is met by Konya. Konya, with its 2.6 million hectares of agricultural area, constitutes a very important ratio of 11.2% of the total agricultural area of the country. 2,659,890 hectares of the total surface area of the province is suitable for agriculture. Konya is one of the leading provinces in the production of sugar beet and dry beans, as well as being the leader in wheat production.
TOURISM
Konya has been the cradle of many cultures and civilizations with its deep historical past. Hosting the world's first Christian settlements and temples, Konya also has an important potential in cultural tourism. In this context, Konya aims to be one of the important centers in cultural tourism as well as faith tourism.
Important historical values such as Sille (Siyata), Hagia Elena Church, Kilistra Ancient City, Eflatunpınar Hittite Monument, Çatalhöyük, Karahöyük, İvriz Rock Reliefs, Bolat, Necropolis and Bouleterion show the potential of Konya in terms of cultural tourism.
Semah, folklore and sufi music also constitute the main folkloric values of Konya.
Konya, which was also the capital of the Seljuk state, was built by Hz. It has an important tourism potential with world-renowned personalities such as Mevlana and Nasreddin Hodja.
There are a total of 11 museums, 7 of which are in the center of Konya (Mevlana, Karatay Tile Artifacts, İnceminare, Sırçalı Madrasa, Atatürk, Ethnography and Archeology Museums) and 4 in the districts (Çatalhöyük Archaeological Museum, Ereğli Museum, Akşehir Western Front Headquarters Museum and Akşehir Archeology Museum).
In addition, there is one (Çatalhöyük Neoloitic City) in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List and 4 (Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Konya - Seljuk Capital, Anatolian Seljuk Madrasahs and Eflatunpınar: Hittite Water Monument) in the World Cultural Heritage Tentative List.
KONYA CUISINE
Konya is the center of Anatolian cuisine. We see this historical heritage in the cuisine of Konya, which has been home to various civilizations since Çatalhöyük, the place where the first known settlement, the first urbanization and the first animal domestication were seen in the world.
Konya Cuisine has created a unique cuisine and an incredibly rich culinary culture related to this cuisine, with its culinary architecture, tools, food types, cooking methods, table arrangements, serving methods, foods prepared for the winter. Ateşbâz-ı Veli, who is the only head chef known to have a tomb in the world, is Hz. Mevlana is the chief cook and his tomb is in Konya. This situation reflects the love of the people of Konya to the food and the person who prepares it.
In Konya cuisine, where the historical heritage and the understanding of tolerance are cooked in the same dough, the main dishes that welcome you are; It is in the form of meat bread, oven kebab, tirit, water pastry, okra soup, carsi soup, höşmerim and sacarası.