Nevşehir
Nevşehir | |
|---|---|
Panoramic view from Nevşehir Castle | |
Nevşehir Location in Turkey Nevşehir Nevşehir (Turkey Central Anatolia) | |
| Coordinates: 38°37′35″N 34°42′50″E / 38.62639°N 34.71389°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Nevşehir |
| District | Nevşehir |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rasim Arı (İYİ) |
| Elevation | 1,224 m (4,016 ft) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 123,882 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 50300 |
| Area code | 0384 |
| Website | www |
Nevşehir (Turkish pronunciation: ['nevʃehiɾ]; from nev 'new' and şehir 'city') is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Nevşehir Province and Nevşehir District.[2] Its population is 123,882 (2022).[1] It is 290 km (180 mi) from the capital Ankara and lies within the historical region of Cappadocia.
The town lies at an elevation of 1,224 m (4,016 ft) and has a continental climate, with heavy snow in winter and great heat in summer. Although Nevşehir is close to the underground cities, fairy chimneys, monasteries, caravanserais and rock-hewn churches of Cappadocia, and has a few hotels, the modern town is not itself a tourist centre. In 2015 a huge underground city was discovered underneath its centre following demolition works intended to clear the central hillside of ramshackle modern housing.[3]
Founded in 2007, Nevşehir University was renamed Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University in 2013.[4]
Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV) is 30 kilometres northwest of the town.[5] The inter-city bus station is about 6 km southwest of the city centre. Two planned high-speed rail services should eventually link Nevşehir to Antalya, Konya, Kayseri and Ankara.[6]
History
[edit]Prehistory and ancient history
[edit]The Hittites first founded the settlement of Nissa on the slopes of Mount Kahveci, located in the present-day settlement of Nar, in the valley of Kızılırmak (the ancient Halys). The settlement was later known as Soanda and Seandos. This town, along with the region, came under the rule of the Assyrian Empire around the 8th century BC, and was subsequently ruled by the Medes and then by the Persians during the reign of emperor Cyrus the Great in 546 BC. In 333 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and after his death, the surrounding area came under the rule of the dynasty of Ariarathes with Mazaka (present-day Kayseri) as its capital. The Cappadocian kingdom became a province- of the Roman empire in the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
Medieval history
[edit]The so-called underground cities found around Nevşehir may originally have been built to escape persecution by the pagan Roman authorities although others believe they date back to Hittite times.[7] Many of the churches, hewn in the rocks, date from these early years of Christianity. Even when Theodosius I made Christianity the official religion of the empire, the caves offered protection for the local people during raids by the Sassanid Persians circa AD 604 and by the Islamic Caliphate from AD 647 onwards. When Iconoclasm became state policy in the Byzantine empire, again the caves around Nevşehir became shelters for those escaping persecution. Nevşehir was known as Neapolis (meaning New City in Greek) throughout much of the Byzantine and Roman periods.
The castle on the hill in the middle of Nevşehir dates from the Byzantine period, when the region was on the frontline in the (holy) wars against the Islamic Caliphate.[8]
At the Battle of Manzikert (present-day Malazgirt) in AD 1071, the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV was defeated by the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan which led to the occupation of Anatolia by the Seljuks by 1074. Along with the rest of the region, Nevşehir became part of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, then fell under the rule of the Karamanid dynasty in 1328 and finally under Ottoman rule around 1487 AD when it was renamed Muşkara. It remained relatively insignificant until the early 18th century.
Modern history
[edit]The present-day city owes its foundation in the so-called Tulip Age to the grand vizier and son-in-law of the Sultan Ahmed III, Nevşehirli Damad İbrahim Pasha who was born in Muşkara and later took a great interest in its expansion. The small village with only 18 houses, formerly under the administration of the kaza of Ürgüp, was rapidly transformed with the building of mosques (the Kurṣunlu Mosque), fountains, schools, soup kitchens, inns and bath houses, and its name was changed from Muşkara to "Nevşehir" (meaning New City in Persian and Ottoman Turkish). In 1730 the grand vizier was assassinated by rebels in İstanbul but by then Nevşehir was firmly established as a town.[9]
According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of Nevşehir had a total population of 39,822, consisting of 30,370 Muslims, 8,918 Greeks, 477 Armenians, 36 Catholics and 21 Protestants.[10]
Under the terms of the Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations in 1923, the Turkish speaking Greek Orthodox community (Karamanlis) of Nevşehir was exchanged for Muslims from Osheni, Shak and Revani villages of Kesriye (today's Οινόη, Κομνηνάδες and Διποταμία villages of Kastoria, Western Macedonia, Greece).
Economy
[edit]The economy of Nevşehir is largely characterized by agriculture as well as tourism.[11]
Sightseeing
[edit]In town
[edit]- Kurşunlu Mosque, a unique early 17th-century mosque in the city centre which contains elements of Ottoman and Tulip period architecture. [12]
- Nevşehir Castle and Kayaşehir
- Meryem Ana Kilisesi, Mother Mary Church near Nevşehir Castle
- The Hagios Georgios Church, also known as the 'Çanlı Church' near Nevşehir Castle
- Green Valley - dotted with restaurants and gardens near Nar
- Nevşehir Veterans Stadium
- Nevşehir Football Stadium
Around town
[edit]Gallery
[edit]-
Nevşehir Castle from exterior
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Interior of Nevsehir Castle
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Nevşehir Castle above the underground city discovered in 2015
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18th-century Damat Ibrahim Pasha mosque complex
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Interior of Damat Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
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Nevşehir's Damat Ibrahim Pasha complex includes a hamam
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Medrese of Damat Ibrahim Pasha mosque complex
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Disused Church of the Virgin Mary in Nevşehir
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Greek (Rum) bathhouse in Nevşehir
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Nevşehir Museum: Middle Bronze Age pot, 2000-1200 BC
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Nevşehir Museum: Late Byzantine earthenware vessels
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Nevşehir Museum: terracotta sarcophagi, 3rd-4th centuries AD
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Nevşehir Museum: ox-drawn cart
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Nevşehir municipality offices and statue of Atatürk
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Nevşehir Municipality
Climate
[edit]Nevşehir has a continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsa, Trewartha climate classification: Dc), with cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation occurs throughout the year, with a slight peak in spring.
Highest recorded temperature:39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on 30 July 2000
Lowest recorded temperature:−23.6 °C (−10.5 °F) on 4 February 1960[14]
| Climate data for Nevşehir (1991–2020, extremes 1959–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
19.6 (67.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
35.0 (95.0) |
39.5 (103.1) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.4 (99.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
27.6 (81.7) |
23.0 (73.4) |
39.5 (103.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
16.3 (61.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.4 (84.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
6.2 (43.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) |
1.3 (34.3) |
5.5 (41.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.5 (25.7) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
5.9 (42.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.2 (−6.2) |
−23.6 (−10.5) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
3.1 (37.6) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
−23.6 (−10.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43.7 (1.72) |
41.8 (1.65) |
47.5 (1.87) |
45.7 (1.80) |
57.4 (2.26) |
37.5 (1.48) |
9.9 (0.39) |
9.6 (0.38) |
13.7 (0.54) |
29.4 (1.16) |
33.4 (1.31) |
48.4 (1.91) |
418.0 (16.46) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.13 | 11.7 | 13.03 | 11.97 | 13.37 | 8.27 | 2.27 | 2.17 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 8.27 | 11.77 | 105.65 |
| Average snowy days | 8.9 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 5.3 | 30.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70.8 | 67.1 | 61.4 | 57.1 | 56.0 | 52.9 | 47.5 | 48.0 | 48.3 | 56.9 | 64.1 | 69.6 | 58.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 96.1 | 118.7 | 164.3 | 204.0 | 257.3 | 309.0 | 365.8 | 347.2 | 276.0 | 195.3 | 138.0 | 86.8 | 2,558.5 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 3.1 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 11.2 | 9.2 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 7.0 |
| Source 1: Turkish State Meteorological Service,[15] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (humidity),[16] Meteomanz(snow days 2013-2023)[17] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
[edit]- Filippos Aristovoulos (1832–1903), Ottoman Greek scholar and Caloyer
- Abdullah Çatlı (1956-1996), Turkish government assassin and leader of the Grey Wolves
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ İl Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Massive Underground City Found in Cappadocia Region of Turkey". Adventure. 2015-03-26. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ "Tarihçe | Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi".
- ^ "KAPADOKYA HAVALİMANI". www.dhmi.gov.tr. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "Not 1, but 2 high-speed train lines will pass through Nevşehir".
- ^ "Derinkuyu: Mysterious underground city in Turkey found in man's basement". Big Think. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ fibhaber.com. "Nevşehir Kalesi tarihe ışık tutuyor". fibhaber.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa". www.biyografya.com. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 142-143
- ^ Activities in Nevşehir
- ^ "Damat İbrahim Paşa Camii - Nevşehir". 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ "Uchisar in Cappadocia". kulturportali.gov.tr. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "İllerimize Ait Genel İstatistik Verileri". mgm.gov.tr (in Turkish). Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)" (in Turkish). Turkish State Meteorological Service. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020" (CSV). National centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Nevsehir - Weather data by months". meteomanz. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Nevşehir Travel governor's official website (in Turkish)
- Nevşehir governor's official website (in Turkish)
- Nevşehir municipality's official website (in Turkish)
- Nevşehir (in Turkish)
- Some 200 pictures of the town and its sights
- Administrative map of Nevşehir district Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
- Activities in Nevşehir
- Coğrafya Dünyası. "Economic Activities in Nevşehir, Turkey". Retrieved 2022-05-12.
- Kenthaber.com. "General information on Nevşehir, Turkey" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
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