Konya'da, 17 Hazıran: In Konya, June 17

We arrived at the Otogar in Konya very early, around 6am. There's a tram that goes directly to the historic center. While we were waiting, an old man started a conversation with us in part German and part Turkish. Plus he wanted to talk politics with the intro that Politics in Turkey is very bad, which Alex tried to diffuse with Politics is bad everywhere. But, that wasn't enough, he wanted to talk tell us how President Bush and the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are like brothers. We were quite pleased when the tram arrived...
We were even more pleased when we could enjoy breakfast in the Çay Bahçe (Tea Garden) on Alaaddin Tepesi (Aladdin Hill).



After breakfast, we spent an hour wandering around Konya because the Lonely Planet map only names a few of the streets and once you're off the path, well... Of course, it's all very interesting and we start a series of observations on hijab. For young women, how they dress is both fashion and identity politics. The most chic wear jeans and an above the knee manteau, tailored at the waist. The headscarf is colorful and color-coordinated with some other part of the ensemble (especially shoes). Shiny, satiny materials are popular. The headscarf itself is tight over the crown of the head and the hair is piled high under it. We saw many variations with shorter skirts, patterned tights, jeans, long sleeve knit tops layered under spaghetti strap tops. Men and boys generally have button shirts with slacks or jeans, but we saw some in t-shirts. The older men often wear skull caps and carry prayer beads.
We finally found the Sahib-i Ata Külliyesi (a mosque complex that includes a school, tomb, cemetary, courtyard, library, soup kitchen) and we weren't allowed in the mosque. However, there was a museum attached to the tomb which we could visit, and we saw:



Then we went to the Archaeology Museum next door which displays artifacts from the Selcuks, Romans, Hittites, and even earlier.


Later in the afternoon, we went back to the hill to visit the Alaaddin Camii. There were a lot of pilgrims and we may have been the only tourists at the time. This mosque was built by the Selcuks in the 13th century. Inside the prayer hall is supported by some thirty columns that were taken from ruins of Roman buildings. From the courtyard, there was a good view of Konya.


Down the hill, there was the stone and woodwork museum--more interesting old stuff. And, finally, it was time for tea again. The waitress exhausted her English with "Hello," burst into giggles, and ran to find someone else to serve us. The cafe seemed to be popular and it was great for people watching. During the call to prayer, they turned down the pop music and turned it up again later. After dinner we walked around the Şehir Merkezi (City Market) which was divided into large areas dominated by like products--bikes, clothes, luggage, rugs, food, etc. We walked back to Otel Ulusan as it got dark, and collapsed to the sound of shop keepers ending their day.