Iran’s Khoy and Turkey’s Konya sign sister-city agreement

TEHRAN – The Iranian city of Khoy and Turkey’s Konya have signed a sister-city agreement, committing to expand cooperation in spiritual tourism, cultural exchanges, urban management and sustainable infrastructure development, officials said.

The memorandum of understanding was signed in Konya by Bahman Rezanejad, deputy mayor of Khoy in Iran’s West Azarbaijan province, and Mustafa Ozbas, deputy mayor of Konya, in the presence of municipal officials from both cities and representatives of the Asian Mayors Forum (AMF), IRIB reported on Monday.

Khoy, home to the mausoleum of Shams Tabrizi, and Konya, where Rumi is buried, are considered key destinations for spiritual tourism in the Islamic world.

Under the agreement, the two cities will pursue joint cultural activities, exchange urban management experience and develop cooperation frameworks focused on sustainable urban infrastructure and tourism linked to shared spiritual heritage.

Officials from both sides said the partnership reflects cultural ties and dialogue rooted in Islamic mysticism and aims to strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two neighboring countries.

The signing ceremony followed a joint meeting of the heads of the Iran-Turkey parliamentary friendship groups held in Khoy, and was organized with the support of the Asian Mayors Forum at the invitation of Konya’s mayor, the report said.

According to IRIB, a delegation from Khoy’s city council, led by council chairman Sajjad Chehre’ara and accompanied by Mohammadreza Piri, head of the council’s cultural and tourism commission, attended preparatory meetings with Konya officials ahead of the signing. During those meetings, the two sides agreed to establish joint expert working groups and draft a four-year cooperation program centered on the shared spiritual legacy of Shams Tabrizi and Jalal al-Din Rumi, which will now move to the implementation phase following the agreement.

Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248), whose teachings influenced Rumi, remains a central figure in Persian mystical literature. He is the namesake of Rumi’s Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi and is traditionally believed to have spent 40 days in seclusion with Rumi in Konya before departing for Damascus.

AM