Doğanhisar Castle
A castle on the hill near the district centre, built in the Seljuk period; part of its walls still stands.
View on map7 places to visit in the Doğanhisar district of Konya: Doğanhisar Castle, Doğanhisar Grand Mosque and Grand Mosque. Plan your trip to Doğanhisar with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Doğanhisar is a district of Konya province.
History
In antiquity, Doğanhisar lay in the region called Phrygia Parōreia. It was founded in Konya around 500 BC under the name Meteos (Metyos). The district was captured by the Byzantine Empire in 395. After the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, and with the Seljuks’ westward expansion, Doğanhisar came under Turkish rule in 1110. There are two views on the origin of the name. According to the first, the name symbolises the falcon (doğan), the emblem of the Seljuks. In the Republican period, Doğanhisar became a district under a law published in the Official Gazette on 27 June 1957.
Geography
Doğanhisar town centre lies on the north-east-facing foothills of the Sultan Mountains. The district covers 482 km² and sits at an altitude of 1,200 metres.
Economy
Doğanhisar’s clay is suitable for making ceramics, bricks, roof tiles, bowls and pottery. The district’s high-quality, productive clay beds have made possible a traditional terracotta tradition that goes back 9,000 years. The local economy is based on agriculture and livestock farming. The district has illite deposits, and the illite that is extracted is usually sold to ceramics factories in Bilecik province.
History and Culture
Doğanhisar was founded around 500 BC under the name Metyos. The town was renamed Doğan Castle after the falcon on the Seljuk coat of arms. Most of the written stones, sculptures and sarcophagi found to date are displayed in the archaeology museums of Konya and Akşehir, and many are exhibited outdoors in the district. The municipality was established in 1912, and the district status was granted in 1957. The pottery on the district’s coat of arms symbolises this tradition. Pottery making was revived in Doğanhisar around the 1850s.
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