Ankara
Ankara historically known as Ancyra and Angora is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia the city has a population of 5.1 millions in its urban center and over 5.7 in Ankara Province making it Turkey’s second largest after Istanbul.
Konya is a city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau. During the antiquitiy and into Seljuk time it was known as Iconium although Seljuks also called it Darü’l Mülk meaning seat of goverment
The Konya region has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and fell at differents times under the reign of the Hitttites, Phrygians, Persians and the Romans. In 11th centyr the Seljuks Turks conquered the area and began ruling over its Rum inhabitants making Konya the capital of their new Sultanate of Rum. Under the Seljuks, the city reached the height of its wealth and influence. Following their demişe, Konya came under the rule of the Karamanids, before taken over by the Ottoman Empire.
Konya has a reputation for being one of the more religiously conservative metropolitan centres in Turkey. Konya was the final home of Rumi (Mevlana) whose turquoise – domed tomb in the city is its primary tourist attraction. In 1273, Rumi’s followers established the Mevlevi Sufi order of Islan and became known as the Whirling Dervishes.
