Nevşehir

History

Prehistory and ancient history

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

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. 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.

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

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.

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.

Under the terms of the Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations in 1923, the Greek Orthodox community of Nevşehir was exchanged for Muslims from Osiani, Siaki and Revani villages of Kastoria in Western Macedonia, Greece.

Economy

The economy of Nevşehir is largely characterized by agriculture as well as tourism.

Sightseeing

In town

• Kurşunlu Mosque, a unique early 17th-century mosque in the city centre which contains elements of Ottoman and Tulip period architecture.

• 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

• Uçhisar, a rock-cut castle in Cappadocia.

• Churches of Göreme

• Ortahisar Castle located in the Ürgüp district.

• The Kızılırmak River and the tourist bridge passing through the Avanos town center.

• Open Palace Museum located in the Gülşehir district.

• Temenni Hill and the Three Beauties fairy chimneys in the Ürgüp district.

• Derinkuyu underground city.

• Cappadocia valleys and historical mansions.

• Mustafapaşa village in Ürgüp district.

• Çavuşin and Zelve regions in Avanos district.

Gallery

File:Nevsehir Kale june 2017 3540.jpg|Nevşehir Castle from exterior File:Nevsehir Kale june 2017 3535.jpg|Interior of Nevsehir Castle File:Nevsehir Kale 2019 1658 panorama.jpg|Nevşehir Castle above the underground city discovered in 2015 File:Nevsehir september 2011 9807.jpg|18th-century Damat Ibrahim Pasha mosque complex File:Nevsehir Damat Ibrahim Pasha Mosque june 2017 3558.jpg|Interior of Damat Ibrahim Pasha Mosque File:Nevsehir september 2011 9834.jpg|Nevşehir's Damat Ibrahim Pasha complex includes a hamam File:Nevsehir september 2011 9800.jpg|Medrese of Damat Ibrahim Pasha mosque complex File:MeryemAnaKilisesiNevsehir.jpg|Disused Church of the Virgin Mary in Nevşehir File:RumHamamıNevşehir2.jpg|Greek (Rum) bathhouse in Nevşehir File:Nevsehir museum Middle bronze age 2000-1200 BC 2019 1584.jpg|Nevşehir Museum: Middle Bronze Age pot, 2000-1200 BC File:Nevsehir museum 2019 1576.jpg|Nevşehir Museum: Late Byzantine earthenware vessels File:Nevsehir museum Terracotta sarcophagi 3-4th AD 2019 1611.jpg|Nevşehir Museum: terracotta sarcophagi, 3rd-4th centuries AD File:Nevsehir museum 2019 1573.jpg|Nevşehir Museum: ox-drawn cart File:Nevsehir september 2011 9884.jpg|Nevşehir municipality offices and statue of Atatürk File:NevsehirBelediye.jpg|Nevşehir Municipality

Climate

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 on 30 July 2000 Lowest recorded temperature:-23.6 C on 4 February 1960

| Jan record high C = 19.8 | Feb record high C = 19.6 | Mar record high C = 28.0 | Apr record high C = 31.6 | May record high C = 32.6 | Jun record high C = 35.0 | Jul record high C = 39.5 | Aug record high C = 38.2 | Sep record high C = 37.4 | Oct record high C = 32.0 | Nov record high C = 27.6 | Dec record high C = 23.0 | year record high C = | Jan record low C = -21.2 | Feb record low C = -23.6 | Mar record low C = -18.0 | Apr record low C = -12.5 | May record low C = -2.3 | Jun record low C = 1.3 | Jul record low C = 3.8 | Aug record low C = 3.1 | Sep record low C = -1.2 | Oct record low C = -7.6 | Nov record low C = -14.0 | Dec record low C = -19.5 | year record low C = | access-date = 2 October 2023}} | access-date = 2 August 2023}} Meteomanz(snow days 2013-2023)

Notable people

• Filippos Aristovoulos (1832–1903), Ottoman Greek scholar and Caloyer
• Abdullah Çatlı (1956-1996), Turkish government assassin and leader of the Grey Wolves
• Esra Yildiz, Boxer
• Roger Delgado (1918-1973), died in a car accident

References

References

1. [https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx İl Belediyesi] {{Webarchive. link. (2015-07-06 , Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.)
2. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2024, Favorite Reports". [[TÜİK]].
3. "The Sound of Conscience echoing in Nevsehir, Cappadocia {{!}} WPN World People News".
4. (2015-03-26). "Massive Underground City Found in Cappadocia Region of Turkey".
5. "Tarihçe | Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi".
6. "Cappadocia Campuses {{!}} Kapadokya Üniversitesi".
7. "KAPADOKYA HAVALİMANI".
8. "Not 1, but 2 high-speed train lines will pass through Nevşehir".
9. "Derinkuyu: Mysterious underground city in Turkey found in man's basement".
10. fibhaber.com. "Nevşehir Kalesi tarihe ışık tutuyor".
11. "Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa".
12. [[Kemal Karpat]] (1985), [https://kupdf.net/downloadFile/59e4a7b908bbc56144e653d7 Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics], [[The University of Wisconsin Press]], p. 142-143
13. [https://www.cografya.gen.tr/tr/nevsehir/ekonomi.html=Economic Activities in Nevşehir]
14. (2013). "Damat İbrahim Paşa Camii - Nevşehir".
15. "Uchisar in Cappadocia".
16. "İllerimize Ait Genel İstatistik Verileri". Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü.
17. "Nevsehir - Weather data by months".