NIGDE TURKEY
27.04.2021
Niğde
Niğde Museum
There are six exhibition halls in the NiğdeMuseum (Niğde Müzesi), where CentralAnatolian archaeological history is presented inchronological order. Most of the artifacts exhibited are from excavations inthe region.
Alaaddin Mosque
Erected in 1223, the mosque, which has survived to the present day withsome repairs, preserves its original features to a great extent and continuesto function as a place of worship. In the mid-morning hours of the summermonths, the shadows on the east-facing stone-carved portal of the mosque revealthe Head of a Crowned Woman. According to legend,the architect of the mosque had fallen in love with the daughter of Sanjak Bey, Niğde’sgovernor. Unable to wed her, he instead carved the portal in such a way thather portrait was visible when sunlight shadowed the door.
Sungur Bey Mosque
The mosque does not have a building inscription but is believed to havebeen erected around 1335. The mosque has survived to the present day with somerepairs, but its original features and functions are mainly preserved, exceptfor the covering system and the minarets. The iwan-style eastern crown gate hasa distinctive place in Turkish architecture, featuring ribbed, Gothic-stylevaults. The walls are ornamented with vegetal, geometric and figurative motifs;in particular, a series of figures attract attention: the bird, elephant, goat,horse, panther, antelope, dragon, rat, bull, rabbit, monkey, dog, lion, sheep,duck and fish are believed to have been made as decoration for the crown door,to represent the ancient 12-year Turkish calendar with twelveanimals.
Kesikbaş Mosque and Tomb (Shams-i Tabrizi)
The mosque is simple and unadorned. The body in the tomb remainsunidentified; but it is believed to be Shams-i Tabrizi,a prominent companion of Mevlâna Celaleddin Rumî.
Tyana Archaeological Site and Aqueducts
The ruins and aqueducts are in the town of Kemerhisar (DamFortress). Kemerhisar takes its name from thosevery aqueducts, constructed to bring the spring water from the ancient RomanPool to other places in the RomanEmpire. The ruins are beneath a large portion of the town.Important sculptures and similar works from different areas of the town, alongwith artefacts and architectural remains unearthed during scientificexcavations at the site, are exhibited in the Niğde Museum.
Aqueducts in the city date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries; all areconsidered protected areas. Tyana, a place of settlement fromthe prehistoric age until the fall of the Hittites, wasknown as Tuwanuwa during the Hittite period; it served asthe capital of the state in the late Hittite period andwas ruled by the renowned king Warpalawa in BCE 738-715. Itbecame known as Tyana in the Roman era.
Tyana Roman Pool
The Roman Pool (Roma Havuzu) was built in the 2nd century during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian,and was originally Olympic sized. The hot waters beneath the pool weredelivered to the ancient city of Tyana (Kemerhisar) viaaqueducts. The pool was repaired over the centuries but preserves itsoriginality to a great extent.
Köşk Tumulus
Excavations conducted at Köşk Tumulus (Köşk Höyük), set onthe rocky slope east of the Roman Pool, show that the oldestagriculture and animal husbandry settlement of the Bor Plain (BCE6050-4911) was in this area. The first four layers of the five-layer settlementdate to the late Neolithic period,and the latest layer belongs to the earlyChalcolithic period. In the Neolithic period,the architecture indicates multi-room small spaces that were expanded accordingto need. In the Chalcolithic period, the houses wereadjacent to each other, lining streets built according to a city plan.
Niğde Castle
The castle, on the hill where the old city of Niğde waslocated, is surrounded by three walls. Today, the segment that includes afortress northeast of the hill has survived. The main tower of the castle,which is the only surviving bastion, was built at the highest point of thehill.
It is impossible to definitively state the castle’s age. Although thereare traces of Arab and Byzantine influenceon the structure’s lower walls, there is a possibility that the castle is mucholder – dating from the BCE 800s. The famous clock tower, erected on one of thecastle’s old bastions, is a must-see monument and the symbol of Niğde.
Göltepe-Kestel Archaeological Site
This archaeological site is a tin mine dating from the earlyBronze age (BCE 3200-2000). The KestelMine is 2 km from Göltepe, asettlement and ore processing area opposite the mine. Many mining, oreseparation and smelting tools were discovered during excavations in theGöltepe-Kestel Archaeological Site (Göltepe-Kestel Arkeolojik Alanı),as well as ceramic pots containing tin slag.
Hüdavent Hatun Tomb
Built in 1312-1313, the tomb preserves its original character, despitehaving undergone repairs over the centuries. The structure is within the groupof single-level, octagonal planned tombs. The tomb is distinctive in terms ofits structure, as well as its vegetal, geometric and zoomorphic carvings.
Porsuk Tumulus
The Porsuk Tumulus (Porsuk Höyük), also known as Zeyve Tumulus (Zeyve Höyük) bylocal people, is 55 km from the centre of Niğde. The tumuluscontains evidence of Iron age and Hittite settlementthrough the late Roman period. Excavations atthe tumulus have been ongoing since the 1970s, with the artifacts found so fardisplayed in the Niğde Museum.
Göllüdağ Archaeological Site
Located 60 km from the city centre of Niğde, Göllüdağ isa volcanic mountain 2,172 metres above sea level. Along with the remains of asheltered city, there is also a crater lake at the mountain’s conical summitbecause of this lake, the region was named Göllüdağ (mountain with a lake).
Excavations revealed partially made structures, suggesting that the citywas abandoned before its construction was completed. However, little else isknown about this settlement.
Gümüşler Monastery
Although the exact date of the monastery’s construction is unknown, itis believed to have been built between the 8th and 12th centuries. There appearto be no records on the name and history of Gümüşler town,where the monastery is located.
Carved into a large rock mass, the monastery is one of the largest inthe Cappadocia Region, and is well preserved.
The most important structure of the monastery is the church located inthe north of the complex. The church has a closed cross plan with four freesupports. There are two burial niches to the north of the northern cross armand two entrance spaces covered with cradle vaults to the west of the naos.
At least three different masters are thought to have worked on thechurch’s murals. In addition to Jesus, Mary and theapostles, there are important stories from the Bible,pictures of church fathers such as Basil the Great from Kayseri, Gregorios from Nysa,Gregorios from Nazians.
On the walls of a room above the narthex, scenes of hunting unlike anyother in Cappadocia and a composition of various animals draw attention.
As in many churches in the Cappadocia Region, the murals in theGümüşler Monastery (Gümüşler Manastırı) can be madeaccording to the iconographic and stylistic features. The murals in themonastery were repaired in the 1960s by the Britisharchaeologist-restorer Michel Gough.
The “Smiling Virgin Mary and Child Jesus” fresco is one ofthe most important frescoes in the Gümüşler Monastery.
Konaklı Greek Church
The church was built in 1844 in the name of SaintVasilius. The basilica-planned building is constructed ofbasalt stone. The church was among the region’s important religious centres atthe time of its construction. It is the largest of the basilica-built churchesbuilt in the region during the late Ottoman period.
Karaltı Kuş Kayası Tombs
The rock tombs are on two slopes of a valley. There are 15 tombs intotal: 11 on the southern slope of the valley and four on the northern slope.Most of the tombs are similar to each other, with one differing in size andcapacity from the others. This two-level structure is called the Kızlar Cave(Kızlar Mağarası) by the local people.
Dörtayak Tomb
Since the building lacks an inscription, it is not known when the tombwas built. However, a little north of the tomb are a mosque and a fountain withthe same name and, according to the inscription on the fountain, thesestructures were built in 1764-65. The same stone material was used in themosque, fountain, and the tomb.
Greek Church
The church, in the Old Palacequarter, has a basilica plan. Built with smooth-cut basaltstone, its column capitals are decorated with leaf motifs. In the middle of thevault covering the main aisle are depictions of JesusChrist, surrounded by four apostles, and symmetricallydecorated with floral motifs.
Ulukışla Mehmet Paşa Complex
Known as one of Türkiye’s largest caravanserai, theUlukışla Mehmet Pasha Complex (Ulukışla Mehmet Paşa Külliyesi),built in 1619, is in the Ulukışla district. The complexfeatures a square-shaped mosque with a single dome, a courtyard and a bazaar(arasta) with 23 shops, and a hammam and a barn on both sides of the arasta.The complex was used as accommodation for soldiers as well as for caravan passengers.Another interesting note about the complex is that it inspired the poemof the Han Duvarları (The Walls of Inn) bythe famous poet Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel.
Aşağı Kayabaşı Church
The basilica-planned church is made of basalt type cut stone. Generally,both its interior and exterior are well preserved, and it can be accessed fromthe main road. Around the door is the shape of a cross and there is aGreek inscription dated 1835 at the entrance. The church is now a mosque knownas the Begüm Mosque (Begüm Cami) amonglocal people.
Inns, Covered Bazaars, Caravanserais
Niğde, an uninterruptedcentre of settlement for 10,000 years, is on the route of theKing’s Road, the oldest ancient road in Anatolian history.
To ensure security and safety along trade routes and in commercialactivities, the Seljuks, among others, built inns on theseroads. In Niğde, an important stop on the caravan route, there are many inns,covered bazaars and caravanserais that have survived to the present day. Someof these include the Sarıhan (Sarı Inn), SarıçakılHan (Sarıçakıl Inn), Keleten Han (Keleten Inn),and Kamereddin Han (Kamereddin Inn). The KamereddinInn (Kamereddin Han) is the only Seljuk inn on the Konya-Adana route,dating from the Seljuk period.
Andabalis, Old Andaval
Known variously in historical sources as Andavilis, Addaualis and Ambavalis,the settlement was originally built in the late Antiqueperiod as a duty station on the road from Istanbul to Pylaisi in Cilicia. The Byzantine-era church,8 km from the Niğde city centre andapproximately 1,500 years old, was briefly described in a travel book by W. J.Hamilton, published in 1842. Hamilton states that the churchin Old Andaval (Eski Andaval) was built inthe name of Constantine’s mother,Helena.
Niğde Houses
Traditional Niğde houses are setalong Kadıoğlu Street and CullazStreet. These houses reflect the typical characteristics oftraditional Turkish houses in the area indetail. In general, they are made of stone with wooden cross beams. Most havegardens and monumental garden entrance doors. The buildings have flat roofs,though some feature half attics. While most of the houses lack inscriptions andendowments, those that have inscriptions are from the 19th century late Ottoman buildinggroups in terms of style.
Kaletepe Creek
The creek is at the foot of Göllüdağ, one of the largestvolcanic mountains in Central Anatolia, at about 1,600meters above sea level. Volcanic activity in the area created obsidian, anatural glass that prehistoric communities used to make tools. Thearchaeological stratification here contains evidence of different humansettlements, the most recent of which date back more than 160,000 years.
Stratification from the Palaeolithicage, which spanned millions of years, is of great importancenot only for Central Anatolia, but for all of Türkiye,as well as the Near East and even EasternEurope. Reflecting the evolution of Acheul culture,this stratification is unique to Anatolia. Still undergoing excavation, thisopen-air discovery is Türkiye’s most important Palaeolithic age settlement todate and the Anatolian Peninsula’s clearest insight into the question of earlysettlement. So far, it is a unique find.