Konya - 2002

The mosque and former convent of the Whirling Dervishes. it is now a museum, the Mevlana Museum. 
The tourquoise green Whirling Dervish shaped dome is the oldest part and was built in the 13th century.
Konya, known as Iconium in Roman times, is one of the oldest continually occupied cities in the world. It was the capital of the Seljuk Turks.
In the 13th century the poet, Mevlana Rumi, inspired the founding of the Whirling Dervishes, one of Islam's important mystical orders.
There was a number of tombs inside. If they had turbans on their headstones they were definitely males.





Inside the Mevlana museum at Konya.
It was crowded with pilgrims.
We went to a Whirling Dervish performance at Cappadocia the next night.