Kemerhisar is a town ( belde) in the Bor District, Niğde Province, Turkey.[ Belde Belediyesi , Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023.] Its population is 5,463 (2022).
Geography
The distance from Kemerhisar to Bor is and to Niğde is . It is only west of Bahçeli, another town of Niğde.
History
The earliest name of Kemerhisar was
Tuwanuwa. It was an important
Hittites city on the way to
Cilician Gates in
Taurus Mountains. During the Hellenistic age, the name was
Tyana. It was briefly the capital of Cappadocia, the vassal of
Roman Empire.
[ Mayor's page ] Apollonius of Tyana, a contemporary of
Christ, was born in Tyana.
[ Page about Apollonius] The town was an important settlement during
Roman Empire domination and the aqueduct, which is the symbol of the town, had been constructed by the emperors
Trajan and
Hadrian.
After the town was incorporated into the
Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, the
Turkish people 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
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.
