Niğde Province (Turkish:Niğde ili) is aprovince in the southern part of Central Anatolia,Turkey. Its area is 7,234 km2,[2] and its population is 365,419 (2022) of which 170,511 live in the city ofNiğde.[1] The population was 348,081 in 2000 and 305,861 in 1990. Neighbouring provinces areKayseri,Adana,Mersin,Konya,Aksaray andNevşehir.
Known in antiquity asNakita orNahita the name derived from the Iranian goddessAnahita. It has mutated throughNekidâ,Nekide,Nikde and lastly toNiğde by the republican regime of Turkey.
The area has been settled since the Neolithic period of 8000-5500 BC, as proved excavations of burial moundshöyük in the district ofBor, and tin mines on the district ofÇamardı -Keste. The area was later settled by theHittites, 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 byIgnace Gelb (Hittite Hieroglyphs II [1935] pp. 17–18). Then cameAssyrians andPhrygians,Greeks,Armenians,Persians,Alexander the Great,Romans, who built the city ofTyana with its palaces and waterworks.
Roman rule persisted from the Eastern capital ofByzantium until the area was occupied by theSeljuk Turks from 1166 onwards. By the early 13th century Niğde was one of the largest cities inAnatolia and a number of impressive mosques and tombs date from this period. The area was brought within theOttoman Empire in 1471 and thus passed into the territory of theTurkish Republic in the 1920s.
In 2016, archaeologists discovered in Kınık Mound, an archeological site located in Yeşilyurt village of Altunhisar district at Niğde province, a temple dating back to the latePersian era. In 2018, they discovered an ancientHellenistic temple and a bull statue made from ceramics.[3]
Niğde benefits from its rich agriculture, its apples are particularly famous, and its location between the wealthy regions ofKonya andAdana on the Mediterranean coast. Also because the province is near the tourist attractions ofCappadoccia it is close to the airports ofKayseri andNevşehir.
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.
The country's second largest solar farm is in the province.[4]
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".[5]Another Niğde tradition is toplum 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.
As recently as 2020, a 1,600 year-old octagonal church was discovered in the excavations of the ancient city of Tyana.[6]
Lake Nar is a brackish lake situated on the borderline betweenAksaray Province and Niğde Province of central Turkey.Roman Aqueduct of the ancient city ofTyana,Cappadocia.Gumusler Monastery CourtyardA view fromAladağlar in the province
TheAladağlar andBolkar mountain ranges in theTaurus 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 their namesakeAladağ District, inAdana Province, they are generally reached from the villages of Demirkazık and Çukurbağ inÇamardı.
The Bolkar mountains have a 7 km ski-run and a crater lake.
The Melendiz Mountains (Melendiz Dağlar) have an elevation of 2963 meters, or (9721 feet).[7]
Niğde is part ofCappadocia and does attract some tourists to its historical sites, although nothing like as many as the centre of the area inNevşehir. Sites of historical importance in Niğde include many churches, mosques andunderground cities (safe havens cut deep down into the soft volcanic rock). Another important site is the ancient city ofTyana and a number of Roman waterways in the district ofBor.
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.
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