Akşehir

Dating back to the Hellenistic era when it was founded as Philomelion, Akşehir (meaning "White City") became an important city during the Seljuk era, as a center of Turco-Persian culture.
The city is best known as the home of Nasreddin Hoca or Mullah Nasruddin, a wise fool and Sufi sage famous for his folk wit. The city features in many of Hoca's stories, and holds a Hoca festival every year from July 5–10.

By bus

Buses run from the Konya bus station, and you may be able to catch a minibus/dolmuş from the center of Konya. It's possible that buses may also run to Isparta, Burdur, and Afyon, which are all nearby.

By train

Akşehir's train station, which lies about 2½ km northeast of the town centre, is served by all trains which ply the rail route between Afyon and Konya. However, due to the massive railtrack renovations in northwestern Turkey, it is not possible to take a train all the way from Istanbul (and will remain so until at least 2014), and as such, besides Afyon, and Konya, the list of major towns from which a direct train ride to Akşehir is available is limited to Izmir, Manisa, and Uşak west of Afyon, Eskişehir, and Kütahya north of Afyon, and Karaman, and Adana beyond Konya to the south.

• Tomb of Nasreddin Hoca — though there's apparently some controversy over whether or not this is actually his tomb.
• Tomb of Seydi Mahmut — Another important Sufi, prominent disciple of Rumi.

• Come between July 5–10 for the annual Hoca festival, and celebrate the life and legacy of the Hoca.

• If you didn't come from Konya, consider going there, to visit the tomb of another Sufi sage (and poet): Rumi founder of the whirling dervishes.
• Otherwise, consider going further into the Lakes District, a little-explored area of Turkey.