Niğde Province

Niğde Province Niğde ili
Province o Turkey
Location of Niğde Province in Turkey
Kintra	Turkey
Region	Central Anatolie
Govrenment
• Electoral destrict	Niğde
Area
• Tot	14.294 km2 (5.519 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Tot	351,468
• Density	25,000/km2 (64,000/sq mi)
Area code(s)	0388
Vehicle registration	51

Niğde Province (Turkis: Niğde ili) is a sma rural province in the soothren pairt o Central Anatolie, Turkey. Population is 337.931 (2010 est) o which 100.418 live in the ceety o Niğde. The population wis 348,081 in 2000 an 305.861 in 1990. It covers an aurie o 7,312 km². Neebourin provinces are Kayseri, Adana, Mersin, Konya, Aksaray an Nevşehir.

The province is surroondit on three sides bi ranges o the Taurus Muntains, includin Munt Hasan an the Melendiz muntains. Tae the wast lees the plain o Emen, which opens up intae the wide plain o Konya. The plain is covered wi nutritious volcanic soil an Niğde is a successfu agricultural region, pairticularly aiples an potatoes.

Surroondit bi muntains an at a fairly heich altitude the aurie haes a dry an chilly climate an is exposed tae snaws brocht bi cauld north winds in winter. Average rainfaw 0.9 mm, 78.5 mm in Aprile, practically zero in Julie an August. Therefore the hillsides are mair or less bare o vegetation, wi some forest at the heicher altitudes.

(see Niğde for mair information aboot the provincial caipital ceety).

Destricts

Niğde province is dividit intae 6 destricts (caipital destrict in bauld):

• Altunhisar
• Bor
• Çamardı
• Çiftlik
• Niğde
• Ulukışla

Some o the towns athin thir destricts are Bademdere, Bahçeli, Çiftehan, Darboğaz, Fertek an Kemerhisar.

Etymology

Kent in antiquity as Nakita or Nahita the namit haes mutatit throu Nekidâ, Nekide an Nikde tae the day's Niğde.

History

An auld photograph o Niğde ceety center

The aurie haes been settled syne the Neolithic period o 8000-5500 BC, as pruivit excavations o burial munds höyük in the destrict o Bor, an tin mines on the destrict o Çamardı-Keste. The aurie wis later settled bi the Hittites, who livit here for a thoosan years up till 800BC. The name Nig˘de first occurs in written soorces in the form na-hi-ti-ia in a Luwian inscription o king Saruanis frae Andaval as wis pointit oot bi Gelb (Hittite Hieroglyphs II [1935] pp. 17–18). Then came Assiries an Phrygies, Greeks, Persies, Alexander the Great, Romans, who biggit the ceety o Tyana wi its palaces an watterwirks.

Roman rule persisted frae the Eastren caipital o Byzantium till the aurie wis occupee'd bi the Seljuk Turks frae 1166 onwards. Bi the early 13t century Niğde wis ane o the lairgest ceeties in Anatolie an a nummer o impressive mosques an tombs date frae this period. The aurie wis brocht athin the Ottoman Empire in 1471 an sicweys passed intae the territory o the Turkis Republic in the 1920s.

Niğde the day

A façade detail frae Eskigümüş Monastery

Niğde benefits frae its rich agricultur, its aiples are pairticlularly famous, an its location atween the walthy regions o Konya an Adana on the Mediterranean coast. An aw acause the province is near the tourist attractions o Cappadoccie it is close tae the airports o Kayseri an Nevşehir.

As well as aiples important crops include potatoes, cabbages, grain an succar beet. Niğde is Turkey's biggest potato growin region an haes the maist aiple trees (awtho newer plantins in ither provinces are achievin greater production).

Meat an dairy are important activities alang wi beekeepin an mair recently trout ferms an aw.

Niğde haes a rich tradeetion o fowk cultur includin sang an dance an the famous proverb (the Turkis equivalent o "the early bird catches the worm") - "Bor's eastren mercat is ower, ride your donkey tae Niğde". Anither Niğde tradeetion is tae plum someane (Erikletmek) meanin if you hae visitors sit them in the gairden an fill them up wi plums (or ither fruit) sae you daena hae tae gie them dinner.

Places o interest

A view frae Aladağlar in the province

The Aladağlar an Bolkar muntain ranges in the Taurus muntains are popular for winter sports, climbin an trekkin throu the heich meadaes an muntain veelages. The muntains are pairticularly attractive when the hills are covered in spring flouers.

• The Aladaglar muntains in pairticular are ane o the maist popular climbin venues in Turkey. Awtho the Aladaglar muntains mairch on an are namit efter the destrict o Aladağ, in Adana Province, thay are generally reached frae the veelages o Demirkazık an Çukurbağ in Çamardı.
• The Bolkar muntains hae a 7 km ski-run an a crater lake.

Niğde is pairt o Cappadoccie an daes attract some tourists tae its historical steids, awtho nothin lik as mony as the centre o the aurie in Nevşehir. Steids o historical importance in Niğde include a lairge nummer o kirks, mosques an unnergrund ceeties (safe-havens cut deep doun intae the saft volcanic rock). Anither important steid is the auncient ceety o Tyana an a nummer o Roman watterwas in the destrict o Bor.

Niğde haes a nummer o mineral het-springs an ither attractions, sae wi a little investment in hotels an ither infrastructur the province coud attract mair tourists than at present.

See an aw

• Leet o populatit places in Niğde Province

Freemit airtins

• (in Turkis) Niğde govrenor's offeecial wabsteid
• (in Turkis) Niğde municipality's offeecial wabsteid
• (in Inglis) Niğde weather forecast information Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
• (in Inglis) Niğde University's offeecial wabsteid