Daily Konya Tour from Mersin – Mevlana Museum & Alaaddin Mosque

Konya Day Trip from Mersin: Rumi, Seljuk Mosques and Madrasas

This daily Konya tour from Mersin crosses the Taurus region to the city of Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes, one of the great cultural centres of Anatolia. With hotel pickup in Mersin, lunch and a professional English-speaking guide, the full-day excursion brings together three of Konya's most important landmarks before returning you to the coast in the evening.

• Full-day trip from Mersin to Konya with hotel pickup and drop-off
• Alaaddin Mosque – a landmark of the Anatolian Seljuk period
• Karatay Madrasa Museum – a Seljuk-era school turned museum
• Mevlana Museum – the mausoleum of Rumi and spiritual heart of Konya
• Lunch included during the day

Konya served as the capital of the Anatolian Seljuks, and its monuments still reflect that golden age of architecture, scholarship and mysticism. The Alaaddin Mosque, set on the hill at the centre of the city, is counted among the largest and oldest Seljuk mosques in Konya and has watched over the old town for centuries. Nearby, the Karatay Madrasa was built as a theological school in the Seljuk period and today operates as a museum, admired for its decorative tilework and refined stone portal. Visiting these two sites gives a clear picture of how the Seljuks combined faith, learning and art.

The highlight of this day tour is the Mevlana Museum, the tomb of the 13th-century Sufi poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi and former lodge of the Mevlevi order, whose message of tolerance still draws visitors from every part of the world. Because the drive between Mersin and Konya is long, this daily excursion makes for a full day, so comfortable clothing and a light layer for the bus are a good idea; modest dress is appreciated at the mosque and the museum. It is an easy-paced cultural outing suited to all ages and an ideal way to see Konya without changing hotels.