The streets and squares of Konya — the long-established seat of the Anatolian Seljuks and one of the most critical logistics centres of the National Struggle — are not made up of historic mosques and madrasas alone. The monuments and sculptures we meet while walking through the centre are the liveliest witnesses, quietly telling the city's identity, its memory and its transformation.
Through a tourist guide's eyes, we have gathered for you five landmark monuments in central Konya — easily discovered on foot along the axis of Alâeddin Hill — whose stories will change the way you look at the city.
1. The Atatürk Monument (İstasyon Avenue)
The first signature of the Republic and of abundance
Greeting you at the end of İstasyon Avenue as you walk from the railway station towards the city centre, this is one of the earliest monuments not only of Konya but of the Republic of Türkiye.
Completed in 1926 by the world-renowned Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel, the monument stands on a pedestal set upon the Agriculture Memorial signed by Mimar Muzaffer Bey. Atatürk is shown with one hand on the hilt of his sword and, in the other, ears of wheat symbolising the abundance of Konya's soil. This detail immortalises in artistic language Konya's title as the Republic's "grain basket" and its drive for agricultural development.
2. The Victory Monument / Süleyman Şah Monument (Zafer Square)
A symbol of unity and triumph in the old capital
Known locally as the "Three-Headed Horse Statue", the monument stands in Zafer Square in the centre of the city. Its official name is the Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah Monument, and it was erected in 2006.
The figure of Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah, founder of the Anatolian Seljuk State, depicted majestically on horseback, represents the Seljuk will that defended Anatolia against the Crusades and made this land a homeland. Integrated into the fabric of the square, the monument reminds local and foreign visitors alike of the statecraft and the passion for freedom that reach back centuries in Konya.
3. The Seljuk Monument (Kılıçarslan City Square)
The Anatolian Seljuk legacy carved in stone
Kılıçarslan City Square, immediately north of Alâeddin Hill, is a monumental space bringing Konya's historical depth together with modern urban architecture.
The Seljuk Monument rising at its centre represents the grandeur of the Anatolian Seljuk State with its double-headed eagle symbol, geometric stonework and monumental portal form. Designed with inspiration from the characteristic elements of Seljuk architecture, it conveys the city's Seljuk identity to visitors in visual language before they climb Alâeddin Hill.
4. The Martyrs' Monument (Eastern Slope of Alâeddin Hill)
The silent watch of those who gave their lives for the homeland
Rising among pine trees on the eastern slope of Alâeddin Hill overlooking Mevlana Avenue, this is one of the most emotionally charged places of memory in Republican-era Konya.
It was erected in 1936 under the leadership of Lieutenant General Cemil Cahit Toydemir in memory of the martyrs of the National Struggle and of the air force. Bearing the traces of the First National Architecture Movement, the monument is built of cut Gödene and Sille stone. On the pedestal of this structure — striking for its main body rising between four columns and its bronze laurel-leaf details — the words "Child of the Turks: do not forget the great martyrs who gave their lives for you and for your homeland" record Konya's sacrifice in the struggle for independence.
5. The Mecmaü'l-Bahreyn Monument (Mevlana Avenue)
A ground-level symbol where two seas meet
The bronze plaque set into the pavement near the İplikçi Mosque, as you walk from Alâeddin Hill towards the Mevlana Museum, is Konya's most profound spiritual monument.
Mecmaü'l-Bahreyn, literally "the place where two seas meet", marks the point where, on 30 November 1244, Rumi — the sea of outward knowledge — and Şems-i Tebrizî — the sea of the knowledge of the heart — met and embraced for the first time in Konya. Designed as a ground plaque rather than a column of stone or concrete, this modest symbol lays the turning point of Mevlevi culture and of the history of Sufism beneath the feet of today's travellers.
Note: A monument bearing an oil-lamp symbol was placed here in 2015; in a reorganisation carried out in 2017 it was replaced by the present modern Mecmaü'l-Bahreyn Monument, which represents in abstract form, in steel construction, the meeting of two great hearts and the station of self-annihilation.
The Guide's Route Note
Exploring central Konya, you can begin at the railway station and see the Atatürk Monument, then pass by way of the Süleyman Şah Monument in Zafer Square to Kılıçarslan Square. After a short pause of respect at the Martyrs' Monument on Alâeddin Hill, you can complete your walk from the Mecmaü'l-Bahreyn point on Mevlana Avenue towards the Mevlana Museum.