KARAPINAR
Karapinar, BC. It was founded on the town of “HYDE” in 3,000 - 200 years and was chosen as a settlement center by the Proto Hittites. While Karapınar was ruled by the semi-independent and priest kings of the Hittites, it came under the rule of the Trojan Kingdom. Later, it came under the rule of Phrygians, Lydians, Assyrians, Persians, Alexander the Great and the Byzantine Empire. M.S. In 832, Abbasid Caliph Abdullah Memûn tied the revenues of Karapınar and its environs to a kind of tax in the "Medina Foundation" method.

Karapınar and its surroundings came under the rule of the Seljuk Empire between 1076 and 1077 after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. During the Crusades that started in 1096, Karapınar was adversely affected. Karapınar came under the rule of Karamanoğulları in 1308. After Fatih Sultan Mehmet put an end to the Karamanoğulları in 1467, Karapınar came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. In 1514, Yavuz Sultan Selim stayed in Karapınar on his way to the Çaldıran Expedition, and at the request of the people living in the vicinity, he ordered the establishment of a derbentçi village called "Karabinar" in the Old Province in order to protect the trade routes passing through Karapınar and the foundations of the Sultan Selim Mosque. .

Son of Suleiman the Magnificent, II. During Selim's governorship of Konya, he gave importance to the reconstruction of Karapınar, completed the construction of the Sultan Selim Mosque, and had a caravanserai, inn, Turkish bath, a covered bazaar with 39 shops, 2 windmills and 5 fountains built in the district. In Karapınar II. When Selim's works were seen, it was named "Sultaniye", which means the City of Sultans.

In 1868, it was transferred to a district class of Konya. The municipality organization was established in Karapınar in 1882. In the Republican Period (1934), the name of the district was changed from "Sultaniye" to "Karapınar".

Karapınar is covered with clay and sandy soils. Karacadağ, a volcanic mountain, is seen in the southeast and wide steppes, crater lakes and sinkholes in the southwest. There are Crater lakes such as Acıgöl, Meke Lake, Meyil, Çıralı and Obruk, which have interesting views in our district.

The underground cities and caves in Karapınar are: Bacanak Plain cave, Arabian bath on Kumsivri Hill, Meke caves, Meke salt cave, Apak Caves, Yazomca caves, underground cities in Çıralıgöl, Bağdaylı village Caves, Kayalı town caves and underground cities, Akören village Caves and underground cities.

LAKE MEKE

Meke Lake is 1 km from the main road near Karapınar. it is inside. There is a small building at the entrance of the lake. The ramp that leaves in front of it brings you to the lake shore. The coal dust-like road that continues from the east and west of the building makes you believe that you are at the crater mouth, while also taking you to the back surface of the lake, where the most beautiful view is seen, and allowing you to wander around. The dust-free off road, resembling cracked coal, also offers the opportunity to travel among dwarf grasses on a rough terrain that will satisfy the "off-road" pleasure. The islets, which are examples of volcanic vents, formed in the crater lake of Meke Tuzlası, which has a circumference of approximately 4 km, offer a different visual flavor to nature lovers.

Although the hills at the end of the road at the entrance to Karapınar from Meke Lake and a little inside do not attract attention from the road, it is called "Ketirlik" and contains an interesting rock mass. Natural wildflowers and moss-faced rocks in the region, where nature is very generous, will attract the attention of those who are interested in macro photography.

ACIGOL

It is a volcanic maar lake located within the borders of Karapınar district. It is located in the northeast of Lake Meke. It is on the 8th kilometer on the Karapınar-Ereğli road. Its height from the sea is 988 meters, its area is 400 hectares, its shape is elliptical. Its width is about 1750 m. Maar lakes are formed in pits formed by eruptions in volcanic areas. Acıgöl was formed on the southeast edge of Karacadağ. The lake shores are quite steep. Its waters are brackish and salty due to magnesium sulfate. For this reason, no living thing can live in it, even if it is microscopic.

CIRALI LAKE

Çıralı Lake, which is 26 kilometers away from Konya's Karapınar district and 80 meters below sea level, attracts the attention of local and foreign tourists and photography enthusiasts. The lake view at the entrances of caves and underground cities connected to each other by corridors adds a different beauty to the region. Çıralı Lake, which has a mouth diameter of 375 meters and an average depth of 35 meters, has a water capacity of 500 thousand cubic meters. The lake, which has an interesting geographical structure with its formation, is frequently visited by nature-loving local and foreign tourists. Tourists from all over the world swimming in the cool waters of the lake enjoy being alone with nature in the camps they set up by the lake.

KARAPINAR AKOREN CARRIED UNDERGROUND CITY

Karacadağ is an extinct volcano and there are granite tuff layers formed in the region.