Alay, Niğde

Alay is a belde (town) in the central district (Niğde) of Niğde Province, Turkey. It is situated 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Niğde at 38°15′N 34°42′E / 38.250°N 34.700°E / 38.250; 34.700. The population of the town is 3647 as of 2011 The town may be very old. According to Mayor's page it was named after İsmail Bahri Mahmut, a commander of a regiment (Turkish: Alay). The settlement was declared a seat of township in 1988. The main crops of the town are potato and wheat.

References

Niğde

Niğde is a town and the capital of Niğde Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey at an elevation of 1,300 m. In 2010 the population was 109,724.

The town is located between the volcanic Melandiz Mountains, which include the Mount Hasan stratovolcano near the city of Aksaray to the north, and the Niğde Massif to the south-southeast. The massif is a metamorphic dome that contains abandoned antimony and iron mines. Several marble quarries are currently active in the pure white crystalline marble of the massif.

One of the most historically important places in Turkey is near Nigde; The Gumusler cave church, in a small village close to central Nigde.

History

See Niğde Province for a summary of the history of the region, which goes back a long way. This is rich farmland near a number of ancient trade routes, particularly the road from Kayseri (ancient Caesarea) to the Cilician Gates. Settlers throughout history include Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, Romans, Byzantines and finally Turks from 1166 onwards. In the early Middle Ages, it was known as Magida, and was settled by the remaining inhabitants of nearby Tyana after the latter fell to the Arabs in 708/709. By the early 13th century Niğde was one of the largest cities in Anatolia. After the fall of the Sultanate of Rûm (of which it had been one of the principal cities), Niğde was captured by Anatolian beyliks such as Karaman Beylik and Eretna Beylik. According to Ibn Battuta, ruinous, and did not pass into Ottoman hands till the time of Mehmet II.

Niğde (electoral district)

Niğde is an electoral district of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. It elects three members of parliament (deputies) to represent the province of the same name for a four-year term by the D'Hondt method, a party-list proportional representation system.

Members

Population reviews of each electoral district are conducted before each general election, which can lead to certain districts being granted a smaller or greater number of parliamentary seats.

Niğde is a shrinking electoral district, having for many years been represented by five members. Since the 1999 general election it has had three members of parliament in Ankara.

General elections

2011

Presidential elections

2014

References

Coordinates: 37°50′N 34°45′E / 37.833°N 34.750°E / 37.833; 34.750