Nasreddin Hoca Tomb and Museum
Tomb and museum of Nasreddin Hoca, the beloved wise man of Turkish folklore, who lived in Akşehir from his youth.
View on map7 places to visit in the Akşehir district of Konya: Nasreddin Hoca Tomb and Museum, Akşehir Lake and Taş Medrese. Plan your trip to Akşehir with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Akşehir is a district of Konya province, once known as Philomelion. It lies on the Konya–Afyon road and has 55 neighbourhoods.
History
Akşehir has been an important settlement, trading and cultural centre throughout history, and its archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period. In Hittite times the town was called Thymbrion; it later came under Phrygian and Lydian rule. The Royal Road passes through Akşehir. Philomelion was probably a Pergamene foundation, lying on the Greco-Roman road, and Cicero dated letters from here. Arabs called the town “Belde-i Beyza” (White Town) because of the sight of its blossoming apple and plum trees. Turks under Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah took the town. In 1381 it was sold to Murad I and came under Ottoman rule, but after Yıldırım Bayezid was defeated by Timur, it passed to the Mongols and then to the Karamanids. Yıldırım Bayezid died in Akşehir on 8 March 1403. Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Akşehir in 1467 and added it to Ottoman territory.
War of Independence Period
The Western Front Headquarters settled in Akşehir on 18 November 1921, and Commander İsmet Pasha spent nine months there preparing the Great Offensive. On 24 August 1922, the Western Front Headquarters and its units set out from Akşehir towards Afyon for the Great Offensive.
Culture
Nasreddin Hoca lived in Akşehir from his youth, and his tomb is in the town. In 2007 the Nasreddin Hoca Association obtained a registration certificate for the slogan “The Centre of the World is Akşehir”. The Napoleon cherry was registered under the name Akşehir cherry in 2004. Akşehir Lake is known as the place where Nasreddin Hoca stole yoghurt starter.
Akşehir Lake
By surface area, Akşehir Lake is Türkiye’s fifth-largest lake (353 km²). The water level falls every year due to unregulated irrigation and the effects of global warming. The number of fish species living in the lake has fallen from 30 in the 1970s to 3.
History and Culture
Akşehir marks 24 August every year as Akşehir Pride Day. The Western Front Headquarters settled in Akşehir on 18 November 1921. Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Akşehir in 1467.
Key Facts
Akşehir is built on sloping ground at the north-eastern foot of the Sultan Mountains, just in front of a narrow inlet called the Boğaz. During the reign of Abdülhamid II, Orthodox Don Cossacks settled around Akşehir Lake and emigrated to the USA until the late 1960s.
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