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Fertek is a town in Niğde Province, Turkey.

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Fertek
Town
Fertek Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 37°58′N 34°37′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Niğde Province
District	Niğde Central district
Elevation	1,270 m (4,170 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,920
Time zone	UTC+3
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3
Postal code	51000
Area code	0388
Licence plate	51

Geography

Fertek at about 37°58′N 34°37′E is almost merged with Niğde, the distance between Fertek and Niğde city center is being about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). The town is situated at the eastern slopes of the mountains with an altitude of about 1,270 metres (4,170 ft) The population of the town is 1920 as of 2011 [1]

History

The history of the town can be traced back to ancient ages when the town was an underground city like some of the Capadocian towns to the north. During Byzantine Empire times the name of the town was Fertakaina, Fertaki, or Fertakion. Although the town was captured by Turks in the late 11th century the original Greek character was more or less preserved throughout the centuries. According to Ottoman statistics of 1895, the Greek population of the town was 1200 and the Turkish population was 1300. As a result of the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-1922 and the following population exchange between Greece and Turkey, town's Greek Orthodox community was exchanged with Turks from the village of Zelegosdi in Kastoria. As a result of the forced name change campaign, shortly after the town was renamed with a random name, and officially recorded as Aydınyurt. Despite it, the town kept its historical name even in official recordings.[2]

Economy

Fertek's economy has been mostly agricultural throughout history. Grapes are the most important products. Before the Greeks were deported, the rakı (spirits) distilled in Fertek were very popular in İstanbul. In modern times, being close to Niğde, city services also play a part of the town economy. At the moment there is no notable touristic revenue, but the touristic potential due to the underground city (which needs restoration) and various buildings including churches allows for the possibility of tourism.[3]

Sightseeing

Fertek New Mosque - Church

One of the historical places in Fertek is the Church of the Angels of Gabriel and Michael, which was opened on September 29, 1835 as a charity by Pilgrim Nikola, who is a Greek living here.[4]

Fertek Ömerağa Mosque

Ömerağa Mosque is a domed historical structure made of cut stone in 1669. The mosque was also repaired twice. The first repair was done in 1799 and the second in 1958.[5]

Mandilmos

The name of the Mandilmos promenade in Fertek comes from classical Greek. The origin of this name is Pandimos. Pandimos means belonging to the people, belonging to the public. However, the word, which has undergone dialect changes over time, has turned into Mandilmos. Mandilmos promenade was a place where the ceremony of consecration of newborn children in the fresh water spring (ayazma), which is believed to be healing and holy water, was held in the period when the Greeks lived. After the religious service in the church, the people gathered behind the priest and sang hymns and went to Mandilmos, where they would return to their homes after the baptism of the newborn children. It is estimated that this building was built in the 18th century. It is a domed structure originally made of cut stone. However, with the repairs made later, it lost its old feature. Today it is used as a promenade.[6]

See also

• Geographical name changes in Turkey
• Mehmet I of Karaman

References

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