Soğanlı
is a village where women knit vivid-colored
wollen socks and gloves and make very
nice dolls. In the valley, deserted
churches later transformed into pigeon
houses have been found: Domed Church
(Kubbeli Kilise), St Barbara Church,
Wild Beast Church, Black Heads Church
(Karabaş Kilise) etc...
Kaymaklı
is an underground city with vast
proportions: common rooms, dormitories,
chambers, bathrooms, kitchens, storage
rooms, wine cellars with wine press,
stables, chapels and graves were organized
on eight levels. Security was provided
by huge round stones that closed the
accesses and the tunnels. An inspired
ventilation system, that still remarkably
works, was produced by carved air shafts
linked to cisterns where water was stored.
Lots of underground cities have been
counted in the region. However it is
not possible to date them with certainty,
but for example it is known that Kaymaklı
was already inhabited in the 5C BC because
it was referred to by Athenian Xenophon.
Some of them are much more recent. From
outside it was not easy to detect the
existence of these cities because all
entrances were camouflaged. They were
used as shelters by the local populations
at the time of the Arab invasions.
In case of danger huge stone wheels were used to obstruct the entrances
Derinkuyu
, another large underground city
on seven levels, is probably connected
to Kaymaklı. Like in the latter,
descending is possible through a net
of steep narrow passeways that reach
galleries leading to different sections.
IhlaraCanyon is a deep and narrow 20
km/12 miles long gorge cut through the
tufa by the Melendiz which was once a
raging river.
The
picturesque village spreads on both edges
of the canyon. From the entrance and after
descending 300 steps to the bottom of
the canyon, an enjoyable trekking path
leads to many churches like Ağaçlı Kilise
(the Church under the Trees), Yılanlı
Kilise (the Church of the Serpent), Sümbüllü
Kilise (Hyacinth Church)...
SULTANHAN
This
Seljukcaravanserai
,which is the largest in Anatolia, is
located on the main road which once
linked Konya to Persia via Kayseri,
Sivas
and Erzurum.
It was built by Sultan Alaatin Keykubat
in 1229. It is composed of two sections,
an open one used mostly for animals
that would share the covered section
with people on bad weather conditions.
Caravanserais were set up every 25-40
km/ 15-26 miles according to the distance
a camel could walk in a day. Inside,
traders and travellers were provided
with many facilities such as places
to sleep and have something to eat,
hammams, mosques, doctors and veterinaries,
libraries...
AKŞEHİR
Akşehir is located
north-west of Konya and south of Akşehir
Gölü (Lake Akşehir). This town is
known throughout Turkey because of Nasreddin
Hoca who was born in 1208 in the small village
of Hortu close to Sivrihisar. In 1237
he settled in Akşehir which is the place where
he died and was buried. An inscription (epitaph)
found on a stone showed the date 386.
Considering the fact that Nasreddin Hoca used
to ride his donkey sitting backwards, the date
had to be read backwards, showing 683 of the
Hegira which corresponds in the Moslem calendar
to the year 1284-85 which is the date of his
death (this has been confirmed by other documents).
His tomb symbolizes the absurdity in life, which
he had loved to expose while he was alive: the
door with a great lock stands by the tomb, but
there are no walls for a door.
Every year, Nasreddin Hodja Festivals are organized
between 5-10 July both in Sivrihisar and in
Aksehir where the Hoca's devotees hold mostly
humorous memorial ceremonies.
The year 1996 was proclaimed Nasreddin Hoca
Year by UNESCO.
In addition to the Nasreddin Hoca's Mausoleum,
the 13th century Ulu Mosque and the Altınkale
Mescidi are other monuments worth seeing.