Although the establishment of Karatay district was realized with Konya becoming a metropolitan city, it is one of the oldest districts in terms of its historical and social structure. The establishment of the county dates back to the Prehistoric period. The historical settlement shows the characteristics of the Seljuk, Karamanoğulları and Ottoman periods. This feature is evident in the Karatay Madrasa, the Şerafettin Mosque, and the inns and caravanserais on the road. Especially the great mystic Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, who gave Konya the status of a town of scholars and kept tourism alive in all seasons, gives the district a completely different personality and identity.
Karatay is one of the 3 central districts of Konya. With a population of 302.392, it has more population than many provinces in our country. The tomb of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, one of the important personalities of the Islamic world, is also located in this district.
The land structure of the district is generally flat and plain. Its highest point is Bozdağ on the Aksaray road. The Obruk region has a highland character and there is a small Obruk Lake near the Obruk village. As factors that keep tourism alive in all seasons, the Mevlana Museum, which is constantly visited by local and foreign tourists in our country, the tomb of Şems-i Tebrizî, a friend of Mevlânâ Celaleddin-i Rumi and who contributed greatly to his upbringing, weaving, hand embroidery, spoon making, felt making. We can count handicrafts such as rug weaving in the Obruk region.
HISTORICAL AND TOURISTIC VALUES
MUSEUM OF MEVLANA
While the location of the Mevlana Lodge, which is currently used as a museum, was the Rose Garden of the Seljuk Palace, the garden was gifted to Mevlana's father, Sultanü'l Ulema Bahaeddin Veled, by Sultan Alaeddin Keykûbad. When Sultanü'l Ulema died on January 12, 1231, he was buried in its present place in the tomb. This is the first burial in the rose garden. After the death of Sultanü'l Ulema, those who loved him applied to Mevlana and said that they wanted to build a tomb over his father's grave, but Mevlana said, "Is there a better tomb than the Sky Dome?" He refused this request. However, when he died on December 17, 1273, his son Sultan Veled accepted the wishes of those who wanted to build a tomb over Mevlana's grave.
The tomb called "Kubbe-i Hadra" (Green Dome) was built by the Architect Bedreddin of Tabriz on four elephant feet (thick columns). After this date, the construction activities never ended and continued in parts until the end of the 19th century. This construction activity, which started with the construction of a tomb on Mevlana's tomb in 1273, was completed in 1854 with the construction of Dervish Cells.
Mevlevi Lodge and Tomb started to serve as a museum in 1926 under the name of "Konya Âsâr-ı Âtika Museum". In 1954, the exhibition arrangement of the museum was overhauled and its name was changed to "Mevlana Museum".
SELIMIYE MOSQUE
It is located on the side of the Mevlana Museum within the borders of Karatay. It is in great demand by the citizens visiting the Mevlana Museum and by domestic and foreign tourists. In recent years, restoration works have been carried out by the Metropolitan Municipality.
OBRUK HANI
An example of the inns established on trade routes during the Anatolian Seljuk period is the Obruk Inn. Obruk Inn is on the road connecting Konya to Aksaray. It has the classical Seljuk inns scheme consisting of an open-top section (courtyard) and a closed volume. ) is entered. The entrance is filled with soil. On the upper floor of the exterior, the rooms are illuminated with small windows. On the far right of these rooms, which can be reached by stairs from the courtyard, is the mosque with its very plain stone altar and the only stone decoration of the Obruk Han.
OBRUK LAKE
There are more than 20 sinkholes in the Konya Basin, which contains 1/3 of our country's groundwater. The most famous of these is the Kızören pothole with a width of 300 m and a depth of 145 m. The town of Obruk in the central Karatay district takes its name from him. Another feature of the sinkholes is that their color, which is dark blue and green in the first months of summer, turns into an indigo blue, clear color as the summer progresses.
MONUMENT OF THE MARTYRS OF İstiklal
The museum, which consists of a closed area of 460 m2, consists of special models and figures describing the War of Independence and the war years. The museum walls are completely covered with oil paintings that integrate the subjects. Sound systems have been installed to complement the atmosphere of the place, and in this way, it is aimed for the visitors to feel themselves in a different time. Ventilation, heating and cooling systems have been created in the museum.
FAIR PLAY MUSEUM
In the world's first and only Fair Play museum, in the "Museum", where photographs and success stories of athletes who have won medals in wrestling, weightlifting, archery, judo and athletics, have won medals in the Olympics and have been successful in the Olympics, are exhibited. The podiums belonging to our athletes who have won the fair-play award b