Founded in ancient times. Kirsehir became
n the Middle Ages. the center of the Ahi
Brotherhood, a Moslem
sect whose moral and social ideals played
an important role in the spiritual and
political life of Anatolian towns.Among
Kirsehir's many fine Seljuk buildings are
the Cacabey Mosque of 1272 (a former
astrological observatory), the Alaeddin
Mosque of 1230 and the Ahi Evran Mosque,
near the tomb of the founder of the
Ahi sect. Out of town on the road toward
Kayseri, is the attractive Asik Pasa
Mausoleum which was built during the
period of Mongol rule, in 1333. The
Kirsehir Archaeology Museum houses objects
mostly from Kalehoyuk.
Within the surroundings of Kaman, in the
province of Kirsehir, is the important
archaeological center of Kalehoyuk, still
being excavated. Near Kalehoyuk in a
center of Hatti and Hittite settlements is
located one of
the largest parks in Turkey - Mikasonmiya
Ani Bahcesi, which contains 16,500 trees
of 33 different species.
The road to Nevsehir and Cappadocia passes
through Hacibektas, the town where Haci
Bektas Veli settled and established his
Bektas Sufi order in the 14th century. The
dervishes who followed the sect's tenets
of love and humanism were housed in the
monastery which includes a mausoleum and
mosque. The complex is now a museum open
to the public. Honey and rose-colored
onyx, plentiful in the region, were used
by disciples of this order and are known
as Hacibektas stone. In town, there are
many exquisite onyx souvenirs for sale.
It is also worth stopping to wander
through the interesting Archaeology and
Ethnography Museum.
Nevsehir,
a provincial capital, is the gateway to
Cappadocia. In the town itself, the
hilltop Seljuk castle, perched on the
highest point in the city, and the
Kursunlu Mosque, built for the Grand
Vizier Damat Ibrahim Pasha, are among the
remaining historical buildings. The mosque
forms part of a complex of buildings which
includes a medrese, a hospice and a
library. An ablution fountain in the
courtyard still bears its original
inscription. The Nevsehir Museum displays
local artifacts.
Violent eruptions of the volcanoes Mt.
Erciyes (3,916 meters) and Mt. Hasan
(3,268 meters) three million years ago,
covered the plateau surrounding Nevsehir
with tufa, a soft stone comprised of lava,
ash and mud. The wind and rain have eroded
this brittle rock and created a
spectacular surrealist landscape of rock
cones, capped pinnacles and fretted
ravines, in colors that range from warm
reds and golds to cool greens and
greys.Goreme National Park, known in Roman
times as Cappadocia,
is one of those rare regions in the world
where the works of man blend unobtrusively
into the natural surroundings.
Nevsehir,
a provincial capital, is the gateway to
Cappadocia. In the town itself, the
hilltop Seljuk castle, perched on the
highest point in the city, and the
Kursunlu Mosque, built for the Grand
Vizier Damat Ibrahim Pasha, are among the
remaining historical buildings. The mosque
forms part of a complex of buildings which
includes a medrese, a hospice and a
library. An ablution fountain in the
courtyard still bears its original
inscription. The Nevsehir Museum displays
local artifacts.
