Niğde Province Niğde ili
—  Province of Turkey  —
Location of Niğde Province in Turkey
Country	Turkey
Region	Central Anatolia
Capital	Niğde
Area
• Total	14.294 km2 (5.519 sq mi)
Population (2010-12-31)[1]
• Total	337,931
• Density	24,000/km2 (61,000/sq mi)
Area code(s)	0388
Vehicle registration	51
Website	niğde.gov.tr

Niğde Province (Turkish: Niğde ili) is a small rural province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Population is 337.931 (2010 est) of which 100.418 live in the city of Niğde. The population was 348,081 in 2000 and 305.861 in 1990. It covers an area of 7,312 km². Neighbouring provinces are Kayseri, Adana, Mersin, Konya, Aksaray and Nevşehir.

The province is surrounded on three sides by ranges of the Taurus Mountains, including Mount Hasan and the Melendiz mountains. To the west lies the plain of Emen, which opens up into the wide plain of Konya. The plain is covered with nutritious volcanic soil and Niğde is a successful agricultural region, particularly apples and potatoes.

Surrounded by mountains and at a fairly high altitude the area has a dry and chilly climate and is exposed to snows brought by cold north winds in winter. Average rainfall 0.9 mm, 78.5 mm in April, practically zero in July and August. Therefore the hillsides are more or less bare of vegetation, with some forest at the higher altitudes.

(see Niğde for more information about the provincial capital city).

Districts[link]

Niğde province is divided into 6 districts (capital district in bold):

• Altunhisar
• Bor
• Çamardı
• Çiftlik
• Niğde
• Ulukışla

Some of the towns within these districts are Bademdere, Bahçeli, Çiftehan, Darboğaz, Fertek and Kemerhisar.

Etymology[link]

Known in antiquity as Nakita or Nahita the named has mutated through Nekidâ, Nekide and Nikde to today's Niğde.

History[link]

An old photograph of Niğde city center

The area has been settled since the Neolithic period of 8000-5500 BC, as proved excavations of burial mounds höyük in the district of Bor, and tin mines on the district of Çamardı -Keste. The area was later settled by the Hittites, who lived here for a thousand years up until 800BC. The name Nig˘de first occurs in written sources in the form na-hi-ti-ia in a Luwian inscription of king Saruanis from Andaval as was pointed out by Gelb (Hittite Hieroglyphs II [1935] pp. 17–18). Then came Assyrians and Phrygians, Greeks, Persians, Alexander the Great, Romans, who built the city of Tyana with its palaces and waterworks.

Roman rule persisted from the Eastern capital of Byzantium until the area was occupied by the Seljuk Turks from 1166 onwards. By the early 13th century Niğde was one of the largest cities in Anatolia and a number of impressive mosques and tombs date from this period. The area was brought within the Ottoman Empire in 1471 and thus passed into the territory of the Turkish Republic in the 1920s.

Niğde today[link]

A façade detail from Eskigümüş Monastery

Niğde benefits from its rich agriculture, its apples are particlularly famous, and its location between the wealthy regions of Konya and Adana on the Mediterranean coast. Also because the province is near the tourist attractions of Cappadoccia it is close to the airports of Kayseri and Nevşehir.

As well as apples important crops include potatoes, cabbages, grain and sugar beet. Niğde is Turkey's biggest potato growing region and has the most apple trees (although newer plantings in other provinces are achieving greater production).

Meat and dairy are also important activities along with beekeeping and more recently trout farms.

Niğde has a rich tradition of folk culture including song and dance and the famous proverb (the Turkish equivalent of "the early bird catches the worm") - "Bor's eastern market is over, ride your donkey to Niğde".^[2] Another Niğde tradition is to plum someone (Erikletmek) meaning if you have visitors sit them in the garden and fill them up with plums (or other fruit) so you don't have to give them dinner.

Places of interest[link]

A view from Aladağlar in the province

The Aladağlar and Bolkar mountain ranges in the Taurus mountains are popular for winter sports, climbing and trekking through the high meadows and mountain villages. The mountains are particularly attractive when the hills are covered in spring flowers.

• The Aladaglar mountains in particular are one of the most popular climbing venues in Turkey. Although the Aladaglar mountains border on and are named after the Aladağ District, in Adana Province, they are generally reached from the villages of Demirkazık and Çukurbağ in Çamardı.
• The Bolkar mountains have a 7 km ski-run and a crater lake.

Niğde is part of Cappadoccia and does attract some tourists to its historical sites, although nothing like as many as the centre of the area in Nevşehir. Sites of historical importance in Niğde include a large number of churches, mosques and underground cities (safe-havens cut deep down into the soft volcanic rock). Another important site is the ancient city of Tyana and a number of Roman waterways in the district of Bor.

Niğde also has a number of mineral hot-springs and other attractions, so with a little investment in hotels and other infrastructure the province could attract more tourists than at present.

See also[link]

• List of populated places in Niğde Province

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Niğde Province

• (Turkish) Niğde governor's official website
• (Turkish) Niğde municipality's official website
• (English) Niğde weather forecast information
• (English) Niğde University's official website

Coordinates: 37°54′57″N 34°41′37″E / 37.91583°N 34.69361°E / 37.91583; 34.69361

v t e Niğde Province (in the Central Anatolia region) of Turkey Urban districts Niğde Rural districts Altunhisar - Bor - Çamardı - Çiftlik - Ulukışla Regions Provinces Aegean Afyonkarahisar - Aydın - Denizli - Izmir - Kütahya - Manisa - Muğla - Uşak Black Sea Amasya - Artvin - Bartın - Bayburt - Bolu - Çorum - Düzce - Giresun - Gümüşhane - Karabük - Kastamonu - Ordu - Rize - Samsun - Sinop - Tokat - Trabzon - Zonguldak Central Anatolia Aksaray - Ankara - Çankırı - Eskişehir - Karaman - Kayseri - Kırıkkale - Kırşehir - Konya - Nevşehir - Niğde - Sivas - Yozgat Eastern Anatolia Ağrı - Ardahan -Bingöl - Bitlis - Elâzığ - Erzincan - Erzurum - Hakkâri - Iğdır - Kars - Malatya - Muş - Siirt - Tunceli - Van Marmara Balıkesir - Bilecik - Bursa - Çanakkale - Edirne - Istanbul - Kırklareli - Kocaeli - Sakarya - Tekirdağ - Yalova Mediterranean Adana - Antalya- Burdur - Hatay - Isparta - Kahramanmaraş - Mersin - Osmaniye Southeastern Anatolia Adıyaman - Batman - Diyarbakır - Gaziantep - Kilis - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Şırnak

v t e Provinces of Turkey Adana Adıyaman Afyonkarahisar Ağrı Aksaray Amasya Ankara Antalya Ardahan Artvin Aydın Balıkesir Bartın Batman Bayburt Bilecik Bingöl Bitlis Bolu Burdur Bursa Çanakkale Çankırı Çorum Denizli Diyarbakır Düzce Edirne Elazığ Erzincan Erzurum Eskişehir Gaziantep Giresun Gümüşhane Hakkâri Hatay Iğdır Isparta Istanbul İzmir Kahramanmaraş Karabük Karaman Kars Kastamonu Kayseri Kilis Kırıkkale Kırklareli Kırşehir Kocaeli Konya Kütahya Malatya Manisa Mardin Mersin Muğla Muş Nevşehir Niğde Ordu Osmaniye Rize Sakarya Samsun Şanlıurfa Siirt Sinop Şırnak Sivas Tekirdağ Tokat Trabzon Tunceli Uşak Van Yalova Yozgat Zonguldak

Niğde
—  Town  —
Niğde Massif
Location of Niğde within Turkey.
Coordinates: 37°58′N 34°41′E / 37.967°N 34.683°E / 37.967; 34.683
Country	Turkey
Province	Niğde
Government
• Mayor	Faruk Akdoğan (AKP)
Population (2010)[1]
• Urban	109,724
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	51xxx
Area code(s)	0388
Licence plate	51
Website	www.nigde.gov.tr

Niğde is a small city and the capital of Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The population is 109,724 per the ^[1] 2010 statistics. Elevation is 1,300 m.

The city is located between the volcanic Melandiz Mountains, including the Mount Hasan stratovolcano near the city of Aksaray to the north, and the Niğde Massif to the south-southeast. The massif is a metamorphic dome that contains abandoned antimony and iron mines. Several marble quarries are currently active in the pure white crystalline marble of the massif.

History[link]

See Niğde Province for a summary of the history of the region, which goes back a long way. This is rich famland near a number of ancient trade routes, particularly the road from Kayseri (ancient Caesarea) to the Cilician Gates. Settlers throughout history include Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and finally Turks from 1166 onwards. In the early Middle Ages, it was known as Magida, and was settled by the remaining inhabitants of nearby Tyana after the latter fell to the Arabs in 708/709. By the early 13th century Niğde was one of the largest cities in Anatolia. After the fall of the Sultanate of Rûm (of which it had been one of the principal cities), Niğde became independent, and, according to Ibn Battuta, ruinous, and did not pass into Ottoman hands till the time of Mehmet II.

More recent immigrants include Turkish people from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries, who were settled here by the Turkish authorities in the 1950s and 60s.

Climate[link]

Niğde has a semi-arid climate. Niğde has hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters.

Niğde today[link]

Nigde University opened in 1992 and is starting to bring more cultural and social amenities to what is essentially a largish town with a very rural feel to it, providing schools, basic shopping, and other necessities to the surrounding villages. The city is small and there is still plenty of green space and gardens around the houses. The people generally tend to be religious and conservative.

Sight seeing[link]

• Aladağlar and Bolkar Mountains, which are used for mountaineering and trekking
• Aladağlar National Park
• Çiftehan thermal springs
• Gümüşler Monastery, which has been built by Byzantines [3]
• Ancient Tyana City, (Tyana aqueducts and Rome Pool) whose history comes from the B.C. 3. century.

Name etymology[link]

• Nigde means Nowhere in Serbian and Russian languages (нигде in Cyrillic script). These are Slavic languages, related between themselves, but totally unrelated to Turkish.

Notable natives[link]

• Abdullah Durak, footballer
• Nükhet Duru, singer

See also[link]

• Anatolian Tigers

References[link]

1. ^ Statistical Institute
2. ^ http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/europe/gr_tu/nigde_e.htm

Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Nigde, Turkey". http://www.fallingrain.com/world/TU/73/Nigde.html. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 

External links[link]

• District governor's official website (Turkish)
• District municipality's official website (Turkish)
• Yesilburç Village
• A web portal of Niğde

Coordinates: 37°58′N 34°41′E / 37.967°N 34.683°E / 37.967; 34.683

v t e Niğde in Niğde Province (in the Central Anatolia region) of Turkey Urban districts Niğde Rural districts Altunhisar - Bor - Çamardı - Çiftlik - Ulukışla Regions Provinces Aegean Afyonkarahisar - Aydın - Denizli - Izmir - Kütahya - Manisa - Muğla - Uşak Black Sea Amasya - Artvin - Bartın - Bayburt - Bolu - Çorum - Düzce - Giresun - Gümüşhane - Karabük - Kastamonu - Ordu - Rize - Samsun - Sinop - Tokat - Trabzon - Zonguldak Central Anatolia Aksaray - Ankara - Çankırı - Eskişehir - Karaman - Kayseri - Kırıkkale - Kırşehir - Konya - Nevşehir - Niğde - Sivas - Yozgat Eastern Anatolia Ağrı - Ardahan -Bingöl - Bitlis - Elâzığ - Erzincan - Erzurum - Hakkâri - Iğdır - Kars - Malatya - Muş - Siirt - Tunceli - Van Marmara Balıkesir - Bilecik - Bursa - Çanakkale - Edirne - Istanbul - Kırklareli - Kocaeli - Sakarya - Tekirdağ - Yalova Mediterranean Adana - Antalya- Burdur - Hatay - Isparta - Kahramanmaraş - Mersin - Osmaniye Southeastern Anatolia Adıyaman - Batman - Diyarbakır - Gaziantep - Kilis - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Şırnak

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Niğde