South Central Anatolia

South Central Anatolia forms the southern third of Central Anatolia.

Cities

• 1 Konya has the site of Rumi's mausoleum, and many beautiful Seljuk monuments.
• 2 Karaman has an old citadel, and is a stopover between Konya, Adana, and the ferry port for Northern Cyprus.
• 3 Aksaray has many medieval mosques and monuments.
• 4 Kayseri is a large city near Mount Erciyes, a winter sports resort.
• 5 Hacıbektaş has the shrine of Hacı Bektaş Veli, a 13th century Sufi saint.
• 6 Kırşehir is a large modern town with several antiquities. Çağırkan Japanese Garden is 30 km northwest towards Kaman.
• 7 Niğde is near Gümüşler Monastery, carved from the bedrock.

Cappadocia is the big tourist draw for its surreal landscape:

• 8 Nevşehir is the chief city of Cappadocia.
• 9 Göreme is the main tourist base, amidst a rich landscape of fairy chimneys and rock churches.
• Nearby villages include Uçhisar, Ürgüp and Avanos.
• 10 Güzelyurt is an outlier, near Ihlara Valley.

Other destinations

• 1 Çatalhöyük dating from 7500 BC is one of the earliest known towns, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

South Central Anatolia is home to the two jewels of Central Anatolia, Konya and Cappadocia, and therefore is the best-known part of the greater region by the international travellers.

It's mostly a flat, dry area of yellow, desert-like landscapes but with many historic sites and interesting views scattered about, it's seldom boring.

Early historians such as Xenophon (430–355 BC) mentioned the region as Lycaonia, a name which likely hints at an earlier connection with Lycia southwest.

Get in

Shrine of Haci Bektas Veli

Konya, Nevşehir and Kayseri airports have daily flights from Istanbul (mostly from IST ^IATA, less frequently from SAW ^IATA).

Highways all over the country are in good condition, and this region is no exception. Buses connect the cities with the rest of Turkey.

YHT high speed trains run from Istanbul and Ankara to Konya and Karaman. The line east of Karaman has slow trains to Adana, and even slower engineering works to upgrade it to high speed. Kayseri has slow trains between Ankara and eastern Turkey.

Get around

Buses and dolmuşes link the region's towns, and car hire is readily available.

See

• Byzantine heritage: mostly religious architecture — churches and monasteries — out in the countryside near Konya, Karaman, Aksaray, Niğde, and Cappadocia.
• Seljuk heritage: Rumi's tomb and numerous mosques in Konya, as well as caravanserais and other mosques in Aksaray and Kayseri.
• Cappadocia has a surreal landscape of "fairy chimneys" - columns and pinnacles weathered into strange shapes. Some large formations have been carved out into dwellings, and there are complete underground cities.
• Nature views: mostly of volcanic origins, Lake Meke east of Konya and Salt Lake north of Aksaray.

Do

"Fairy chimneys" near Ürgüp

• Skiing in Mt Erciyes near Kayseri.
• Hamams - traditional Turkish public baths - are found in several towns.
• "Dancing dervish" displays are put on at Mevlana Lodge in Konya.

Eat

• Cuisine is home-grown, with dozens of ways of oxidising a sheep, and there's little international fare. However at least in tourist towns such as in Cappadocia, many restaurants can cater to veggie and GF diets.

Drink

• Wine is produced on the volcanic soils of Cappadocia.
• Cafes and restaurants often serve alcohol, but this fairly conservative region has few free-standing pubs.
• Drink lots of water especially if you're out hiking.

Go next

• North Central Anatolia to the north and east: Ankara is the highlight.
• Mediterranean Turkey to the south has a mostly rocky coast, with sandy stretches such as Antalya heavily developed for tourism.
• The Lakes District to the west is an area of rugged hills and traditional small towns.