Kemerhisar
Town
Kemerhisar Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 37°49′28″N 34°34′15″E / 37.82444°N 34.57083°E / 37.82444; 34.57083Coordinates: 37°49′28″N 34°34′15″E / 37.82444°N 34.57083°E / 37.82444; 34.57083
Country	Turkey
Province	Niğde Province
District	Bor
Government
• Mayor	Beytullah Kirazcı (CHP)
Elevation	1,100 m (3,609 ft)
Population  (2013)
• Total	5,243
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	51730
Area code	0388
Licence plate	51

Kemerhisar is a belde (town) in Niğde Province, Turkey

Geography

Kemerhisar at 37°49′N 34°34′E / 37.817°N 34.567°E / 37.817; 34.567 is a part of Bor district of Niğde Province. Distance to Bor is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) and to Niğde is 22 kilometres (14 mi). It is only 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Bahçeli another town of Niğde. The population is 5,348 as of 2011.^[1]

History

Historical Roman aqueduct

The earliest name of Kemerhisar was Tuwanuwa. It was an important Hitite city on the way to Cicilian Gates in Toros Mountains. During the Hellenistic age, the name was Tyana. It was briefly the capital of Cappadocia, the vassal of Roman Empire.^[2] Apollonius of Tyana, a contemporary of Christ, was born in Tyana.^[3] The town was an important settlement during Roman Empire domination and the 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) aqueduct, which is the symbol of the town, had been constructed by the emperors Trajan and Hadrian.^[4] After the town was incorporated into the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, the Turks called the city Kilisehisar (Churchfort). The name was later replaced by the name Kemerhisar (Vaultfort), referring to the historical Roman aqueduct within the town.

Economy

Panoramic view of the town

The main economic activity is agriculture. There are apple gardens and vineyards around the town. Onion and potato are also produced. Some Kemerhisar residents work in the sugar mill.

References