Karaman

Karaman is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about 100 km (62 mi) south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231,872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman.The district covers an area of 3,686 km2 (1,423 sq mi) and the town lies at an average elevation of 1,039 m (3,409 ft). The Karaman Museum is one of the major sights.

Karaman is famous as the burial-place of numerous saintly people, including the mother of Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi, founder of the Whirling Dervishes.It’s a historic Central Anatolian city 113 km (70 miles) southeast of Konya, with a hilltop fortress and several historic mosques, but it’s of third-rank importance to most foreign visitors unless you’ve got a thing for saintly mothers.Should you be passing through, have a look at the Mader-i Mevlana (Aktekke) Mosque (1370) and its adjoining hamam, right in the city center. Besides Mevlana’s mother, his elder brother and the Karamanoglu emir Seyfeddin Süleyman Beyare buried here.The Ibrahim Bey Medrese (Seminary) and Imareti (Soup Kitchen, 1423) and the fine adjoining Seljuk-style tombcrowned by a stork’s nest.Also buried in Karaman is the renowned ancient 14th-century Turkish folk bard Yunus Emre in a mosque-tomb complex dating from 1349. Yunus’s poetry and songs are still popular in Turkey today.