Tekkeli Mountain
Takkeli Mountain is one of the symbols of Konya. The mountain, located 13 km west of the city, is also a living mythological legend. In ancient times, it was named after Kybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess. Once upon a time, there was a big castle on the top of the mountain.
With the conquest of Konya by the Turks, the name Kybele turned into Gevele. Gevele Castle, standing on the top of the mountain, gave its name to the mountain with its skullcap appearance. The mountain was covered with pine forests until the 19th century.
These forests disappeared with the mines established in the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the fires. Since ancient people who worshiped Kybele considered the pine tree sacred, Takkeli Mountain and its surroundings were completely covered with pine forests.
