Iconium

Biblical References

Acts 13:51 - 14:6

Paul and Barnabas visited Iconium on the so-called first missionary journey. Having experienced opposition at Pisidian Antioch they moved on to Iconium where, following their typical modus operandi, they preached first in the synagogue, where they enjoyed considerable success: "...a great number of Jews and Greeks believed." (Acts 14:1, NIV).

Opposition again arose but Paul and Barnabas were not easily deterred. They "spent a considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord,..." (Acts 14:3, NIV). That is, until they became aware of a murderous plot, at which point they "...fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe...". (Acts 14:6, NIV).

Visiting the Site

The modern city of Konya sits over the top of ancient Iconium. To my knowledge there are no extant remains of the Roman city of Paul's day. There are some relevant objects in the Konya Archaeological Museum, which is relatively small but worth the visit. Apart from that, for the dedicated 'Paul follower', Konya really is an exercise in 'being there'.

Konya is the home of the Mevlevi order of mystic Sufism, the so-called "whirling dervishes". This may be of interest to some.

I was able visit Konya on a personal journey taking in all the sites of the first missionary journey, in just on a week. For an account of how that unfolded, click here.

Click here for a Google Earth view of Konya.

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