KONYA
  HISTORY
The history of Konya and its environment goes back to the Prehistoric Age, with the earliest remains dating back to the 7th millennium BC. Catal Hoyuk, 50m south of the city, dates back to this era and claims to be the oldest known inhabited area in the world. The city was governed by Hittite, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Iskenderun, Bergama, Roman and Byzantine States. It was an important provincial town under the Romans, known then as Icunium, and was visited by St Paul and St Barnabas who both delivered sermons here. The Seljuks defeated the Byzantine army in the battle of Malazgirt in 1071 but failed to set up a capital in Iznik and ended up holding the seat of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, which controlled most of Anatolia, in Konya. The city was at its most powerful during the 13th century when the sultans established a court of artists and scholars, and constructed many

beautiful and elaborate buildings, many of which are still standing. This was also the era of Celaleddin Rumi, known as Mevlana, who fled from Afghanistan and came to Konya in 1228. He later established a centre for the teaching of mystic philosophy and Sufi practice, encouraging his disciples to practise love, charity and tolerance. After the Seljuks, the city was governed by the Karamanogullari and Ottomans.