Aksaray Province
Encyclopedia
Aksaray Province is a province
in central Turkey
. Its adjacent provinces are Konya
along the west and south, Niğde
to the southeast, Nevşehir
to the east, and Kırşehir
to the north. It covers an area of 7,626 km². The provincial capital is the city of Aksaray
.
This is a region of great natural beauty: Aksaray is one of the four provinces in the much-visited area of Cappadocia
, along with Nevşehir, Niğde and Kayseri
. Also the 3,000m volcano Mount Hasan
stands between Aksaray and Niğde
. Summers are hot and dry on the plain, but the area is green and covered in flowers in springtime, when water streams off the mountainside. The 2400km² salt lake, Tuz Gölü
, lies within the boundaries of Aksaray, a large area of swamp with a maximum depth of 1 metre.
(capital district in bold):
have been settled for 8,000 years. and the area around Aksaray bears monuments to a string of civilisations that have settled on the plain in that time. The mound of Aşıklı Höyük in the town of Kızılkaya indicates a settlement dating back to 5,000BC (and also a skull of a woman who had apparently been trepanned, the earliest known record of brain surgery).
Later the Silk Road
came through here so caravanserai and then larger and larger settlements were built to supply and shelter travellers and traders. The city and surroundings of Aksaray thrived in the Roman
, Byzantine
and the Turkish
periods.
Today Aksaray is a rural, agricultural province, its people religious and conservative. Since the 1950s many have moved to Europe as migrant workers. The population of Aksaray has long included a higher proportion of Kurd
ish people than most central Anatolian provinces. Many of them were resettled here from Tunceli and other eastern cities following the Sheikh Said rebellion
in the 1920s.
and a great number of historical mosques and churches
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
in central Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Its adjacent provinces are Konya
Konya Province
Konya Province is a province of Turkey located in central Anatolia. The provincial capital is the city of Konya. It is the largest province by area of Turkey.-Districts:...
along the west and south, Niğde
Nigde Province
Niğde Province is a small rural province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Population is 337.931 of which 100.418 live in the city of Niğde. The population was 348,081 in 2000 and 305.861 in 1990. It covers an area of 7,312 km²...
to the southeast, Nevşehir
Nevsehir Province
Nevşehir Province is a province in central Turkey with its capital in Nevşehir. It adjacent provinces are Kırşehir to the northwest, Aksaray to the southwest, Niğde to the south, Kayseri to the southeast, and Yozgat to the northeast. Nevşehir includes the area called Cappadocia - a very popular...
to the east, and Kırşehir
Kirsehir Province
Kırşehir Province is located in central Turkey, forming part of the central Anatolian region. It stands on the North Anatolian Fault, and is currently in an earthquake warning zone. The average elevation is approximately 985 meters above sea level. The provincial capital is Kırşehir.It became a...
to the north. It covers an area of 7,626 km². The provincial capital is the city of Aksaray
Aksaray
Aksaray is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital district of Aksaray Province. According to 2009 census, population of the province is 376 907 of which 171,423 live in the city of Aksaray. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest...
.
This is a region of great natural beauty: Aksaray is one of the four provinces in the much-visited area of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, along with Nevşehir, Niğde and Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
. Also the 3,000m volcano Mount Hasan
Mount Hasan
Mount Hasan is an inactive stratovolcano in Aksaray province, Turkey. With an altitude of 3,253 m , it ranks as the second highest mountain of central Anatolia...
stands between Aksaray and Niğde
Nigde
Niğde is a small city and the capital of Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The population is 109,724 per the 2010 statistics...
. Summers are hot and dry on the plain, but the area is green and covered in flowers in springtime, when water streams off the mountainside. The 2400km² salt lake, Tuz Gölü
Lake Tuz
Lake Tuz is the second largest lake in Turkey with its surface area and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. It is located in the Central Anatolia Region, northeast of Konya, south-southeast of Ankara and northwest of Aksaray.-Geography:...
, lies within the boundaries of Aksaray, a large area of swamp with a maximum depth of 1 metre.
Districts
Aksaray province is divided into 7 districtsDistricts of Turkey
The 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 957 districts . In the early Turkish Republic and in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the kaza....
(capital district in bold):
- AğaçörenAgaçörenAğaçören, formerly Panlı, is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 15,869 of which 4,983 live in the town of Ağaçören. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is .-External links:*...
- AksarayAksarayAksaray is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital district of Aksaray Province. According to 2009 census, population of the province is 376 907 of which 171,423 live in the city of Aksaray. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest...
- EskilEskilEskil is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, situated on the southern shore of Lake Tuz. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 28,952 of which 22,125 live in the town of Eskil. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation...
- GülağaçGülagaçGülağaç, formerly Ağaçlı, is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 26,874 of which 4,672 live in the town of Gülağaç...
- GüzelyurtGüzelyurtGüzelyurt, formerly Gelveri, is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, at a distance of from the city of Aksaray. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 16,836 of which 3,775 live in the town of Güzelyurt...
- OrtaköyOrtaköy, AksarayOrtaköy is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, located north-west of the city of Aksaray, nearer to Kırşehir. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 58,873 of which 26,961 live in the town of Ortaköy...
- SarıyahşiSariyahsiSarıyahşi is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, at a distance of from the province seat of Aksaray. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 12,120 of which 7,751 live in the town of Sarıyahşi, and the remainder in surrounding villages...
Etymology
In antiquity the area was named Archelais Garsaura, which was mutated to Taksara during the Seljuk Turkish era, and then to Aksaray.History
The plains of central AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
have been settled for 8,000 years. and the area around Aksaray bears monuments to a string of civilisations that have settled on the plain in that time. The mound of Aşıklı Höyük in the town of Kızılkaya indicates a settlement dating back to 5,000BC (and also a skull of a woman who had apparently been trepanned, the earliest known record of brain surgery).
Later the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
came through here so caravanserai and then larger and larger settlements were built to supply and shelter travellers and traders. The city and surroundings of Aksaray thrived in the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
and the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
periods.
Today Aksaray is a rural, agricultural province, its people religious and conservative. Since the 1950s many have moved to Europe as migrant workers. The population of Aksaray has long included a higher proportion of Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish people than most central Anatolian provinces. Many of them were resettled here from Tunceli and other eastern cities following the Sheikh Said rebellion
Sheikh Said rebellion
Sheikh Said Rebellion was a rebellion of a Kurdish clergy Sheikh Said and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers in 1925.-Background:The Azadî was dominated by officers from the former Hamidiye, a Kurdish tribal militia established...
in the 1920s.
Places of interest
- Aşıklı Höyük - a burial mound 25km east of the city of Aksaray.
- Acemhöyük - an early Bronze Age settlement, 18km north-west of the city of Aksaray.
- The ancient city of Nora, in the village of Helvadere near the city of Aksaray.
and a great number of historical mosques and churches
- Ihlara valley - a canyon, 40km from the city of Aksaray, in the district of Güzelyurt
- TaşpınarTaşpınar, Aksaray- Geography :Taşpınar is in the Anatolian plateau, just west of Mount Hasan. The coordinates of the midtown can be given as The average altitude is . The population is 2746 - History :...
- famous for rugs, 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) south of Aksaray