NiÄŸde

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Nigde is a Turkish city in the region and southern Anatolia has 124 774 inhabitants ( 2013). It is the provincial capital of the province of Nigde. The license plates of the city and the province begin with the number 51

History

In the foundation of a church in Andaval (now Aktas northeast of Nigde ) found a fragment of a stele of Saruwanis, ruler of Nahitiya from the 8th century BC, so what Nigde can be equated with a high probability the Hittite Nahita. In Nigde there are some church ruins from the Byzantine period, and several buildings of the Seljuks and Ottomans. The Seljuks built from Nigde to the fortress.

In the old town is a citadel, built by Kai Kobad I. (1219-1237) and restored in 1470. It consists among other things of a large octagonal Seljuk Tower and a clock tower.

South of the citadel are the Alaeddin Mosque from the year 1223 and a covered fountain Hatıroğlu Cesmesi of 1267, in the archway the representation of a woman's face is hidden. ( Representations of people are actually forbidden in Islam. )

The bazaar dates from the 17th century, is located next to the Sungur Bey Mosque, which was built by the Mongol governor Seyfeddin Sungur in 1335 and rebuilt in the 18th century.

In the Museum of Nigde are exhibits from Roman, Byzantine, Stone and Bronze Age, including the stele near the Castle Hill found in today's Disari Camii the weather god.

Environment

The suburb Eski Gümüş is a very well preserved Cappadocian Christian monastery with rock church and frescoes.

Twinning

Since 31 August 1996 is twinned with the German town of Melle in Lower Saxony.