Things to Do in Derbent: 2 Places to Visit

Places to Visit in Derbent

1 🌳 Nature

Derbent Boğazı (Derbent Pass)

In the Ottoman period, the guard posts at mountain passes and gorges were called derbent.

View on map

i Photo: sami yılmaz (CC BY 3.0) · Source

2 🌳 Nature

Derbent Dam

Dam built for irrigation. With the green areas around it, it is a suitable place for picnics and nature walks.

View on map

While you are in Derbent, you can also see the highlights of Konya province. These places are in other districts; Derbent is about 90 km from the provincial centre.

• Mevlana Museum and Mausoleum — The mausoleum and dervish lodge of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî, a museum since 1926. With the tomb known as the Green Dome, the semahane (whirling hall), the dervish cells and manuscripts of the Masnavi, it is one of the most visited museums in Türkiye.
• Çatalhöyük — A Neolithic city in Çumra, inhabited for about two thousand years from around 7400 BC. With its adjoining houses entered through the roof, its wall paintings and its figurines, it is one of the first urban settlements in human history.
• Karatay Madrasa (Museum of Tile Works) — A madrasa built in 1251 by Emir Celaleddin Karatay; its dome, covered in turquoise and navy-blue tiles, is a masterpiece of Seljuk tile art.
• İnce Minareli Madrasa — A darülhadis (hadith school) built in 1264 by the vizier Sahip Ata, with Kölük bin Abdullah as its architect; it is famous for its richly carved portal.
• Alaeddin Hill and Mosque — On the hill in the city centre, the Alaeddin Mosque, which houses the tombs of the Seljuk sultans, and the remains of the Kılıçarslan II Pavilion; this is the oldest settled area of the city.
• Sille — A village 8 km north-west of the city where Greeks and Turks lived together for centuries; it is known for the Aya Eleni Church, which goes back to the 4th century, its rock-cut chapels and its stone houses.

Practical Information for Visiting Derbent

Suggested time

Half a day

Best time to visit

Spring and summer

Places to visit

2 places

• 🍲

  Keşkek (wheat and meat porridge)

  Keşkek is prepared by pounding wheat and meat after long boiling, and is the traditional dish of wedding feasts. Pounding the wheat and boiling it with meat for hours is a process that requires patience.

• 🫓

  Tandır Ekmeği (tandır bread)

  Traditional bread baked in a clay tandır oven, still made in Derbent's villages.

Culture, Local Products and Economy of Derbent

• 🏔️

  Mountain Pass Culture

  The name Derbent means 'narrow pass' in Turkish. For centuries the district was a strategic passage linking the interior of Anatolia to the south.

Local Products

• Derbent Fasulyesi (Derbent beans) — Derbent Beans were registered as a protected designation of origin on 30 November 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 959). Product group: processed and unprocessed fruit and vegetables, and mushrooms. Registered by: S.S. Cumhuriyet Mahallesi ve Yukarı Mahalle Agricultural Development Cooperative.
• Wheat and Barley — Dryland crops are the main agricultural products of Derbent.

Economy

The economy of Derbent is based on farming and livestock. Wheat, barley and small-livestock farming are the main sources of livelihood.

How to Get to Derbent

Derbent is 90 km from Konya city centre. Access is by road.

Get directions on Google Maps Getting to Konya

Derbent: Frequently Asked Questions

Continue Your Trip

• 🍽️ What to Eat in Derbent Famous dishes and local products →
• 🗺️ Things to Do in Konya The province's 15 best places and all its districts →

Other Districts of Konya

• Ahırlı 3 places Ahırlı Plateau, Ahırlı Central Mosque and Çarşamba Stream
• Akören 6 places Akören Mound (Höyük), Dinorna and Gavurlar Hammam
• Akşehir 7 places Nasreddin Hoca Tomb and Museum, Akşehir Lake and Taş Medrese
• Altınekin 2 places Zıvarık Caravanserai and Altınekin steppe
• Beyşehir 7 places Beyşehir Lake, Eşrefoğlu Mosque and Kubadabad Palace Ruins
• Bozkır 10 places Zengibar Castle, Bozkır Dam and Bozkır Grand Mosque
• Cihanbeyli 5 places Tuz Gölü (Cihanbeyli Shore), Cihanbeyli Höyükleri (Mounds) and Cihanbeyli Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii)
• Çeltik 4 places Honamlı Yörük Settlement, Gökpınar Picnic Area and Çeltik Grand Mosque
• Çumra 5 places Çatalhöyük, Çumra Plain and Çumra Grand Mosque
• Derebucak 3 places Derebucak Plateau, Derebucak Canyon and Derebucak Çamlık Caves National Park
• Doğanhisar 7 places Doğanhisar Castle, Doğanhisar Grand Mosque and Grand Mosque
• Emirgazi 5 places Kötü Dağ, Eski Kışla and Emrullah Gazi Tomb
• Ereğli 5 places İvriz Dam, İvriz Rock Relief and Ereğli Museum
• Güneysınır 4 places Güneysınır Grand Mosque, Karagüney Plateau and Bardas Village Historic Buildings
• Hadim 8 places Hadim Castle, Göksu Valley and Hadim Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii)
• Halkapınar 5 places İvriz Rock Relief, İvriz Waterfall and Eskihisar Mound
• Hüyük 5 places Shores of Lake Beyşehir, Acem Nasuh Mosque and Hüyük Mound
• Ilgın 6 places Yalburt, Lageina and Ilgın Thermal Springs (Ilgın Kaplıcaları)
• Kadınhanı 5 places Kadın Hanı Caravanserai, Kadınhanı Grand Mosque and Kadınhanı Mounds
• Karapınar 7 places Meke Lake, Acı Lake and Meke Lake (Meke Salt Flat)
• Karatay 5 places Mevlâna Museum and Tomb, Karatay Madrasa (Museum of Tile Works) and İnce Minareli Madrasa (Museum of Stone and Wood Works)
• Kulu 6 places Düden Lake, Gökgöl Lake and Samsam Lake
• Meram 7 places Meram Vineyards, Sille Village and Aya Eleni Church
• Sarayönü 4 places Sarayönü Seljuk Palace Ruins, Sarayönü Grand Mosque and Sarayini Underground City
• Selçuklu 10 places Time Museum, Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden and Konya Science Centre
• Seydişehir 4 places Tınaztepe Cave, Suğla Lake and Vasada Ancient City
• Taşkent 3 places Taşkent Cave (İnönü Cave), Balcılar Canyon and Taşkent Grand Mosque
• Tuzlukçu 3 places Subatan Lake, Tuzlukçu Grand Mosque and Lake Tuz Views
• Yalıhüyük 4 places Gölcük Plateau, Historic Structures of Sarayköy and Yalıhüyük Mosque
• Yunak 8 places Yunak Castle Ruins, Yunak Grand Mosque and Yunak Mounds