From Pamukkale we had a rather long drive to the city of Konya, a large city with a population of over 1m. Konya is known for its pious inhabitants and strong Islamic culture. The city has strong links with the life of Celaleddin Rumi or Mevlâna, the 13th century founder of the Mevlevi dervish sect - the so called 'whirling dervishes'.
In Konya we visited the Ince Minaret Medrasa (Slender Minaret Medrasa) which dates from the 13th century. Originally a medrasa, an islamic school, it is now a museum of wood and stone carving. It is named for its elegant tiled minaret. The minaret was originally much taller than the section that survives today, and had an unusually slender appearance in comparison to the minarets of other contemporary Seljuk mosques, hence the name of the structure. The building has a highly ornamented stone façade which includes relief work of scripts, geometric patterning and vertical ribbon-like lines.
We also visited the Mevlâna Museum with its famous green tiled dome. This is an enlargement of the original dervish lodge and contains the tomb of Mevlâna, the ceremonial hall and various dwelling houses and kitchens. The sarcophagus of Mevlâna is located under the green dome. It is covered with brocade, embroidered in gold with verses from the Koran. The actual burial chamber is located below it. Next to Mevlâna's sarcophagus are several others, including the sarcophagi of his father Bahaeddin Veled and his son Sultan Veled. It is a masterpiece of Seljuk woodcarving.