Kırşehir, historically known as Mocissus or Mokissos () and Justinianopolis () in ancient times, is a city in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It is the seat of Kırşehir Province and Kırşehir District.İl Belediyesi
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023. Its population is 162,989 (2023).

History

The history of Kırşehir dates back to the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

. During the period of the Hittites, the basin of Kırşehir was known as the country of "Ahiyuva", meaning "the Land of the Achaeans", as the

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

were known to the Hittites. This basin also took the name

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

at the time of the Romans and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

s. Kırşehir was once known as Aquae Saravenae. The

Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persian culture. The founder of th ...

took the city in the 1070s and bestowed the current name. In Turkish, "''Kır Şehri''" means "''steppe city''" or "''prairie city''". It became the chief town of a

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

in the Ottoman vilayet of Angora, which possessed, 1912, 8,000 inhabitants, most of them Muslim Turks. In the 19th century, Kırşehir was attached to the sanjak of

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. From 1867 until 1922, Kırşehir was part of

Angora vilayet The Vilayet of Angora () or Ankara was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, centered on the city of Angora (Ankara) in north-central Anatolia, which included most of ancient Galatia. Demographics At the beginni ...

. In 1924, Kırşehir was made capital of the new Kırşehir Province.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

visited the city in 1921 and 1931.

Historic buildings and structures

Kesikköprü

Kesikköprü is one of the bridges built by the

Seljuk Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...

in Central

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. It is on the way of Kırşehir-

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

, about to the south of Kırşehir, and across the River Kızılırmak with its 13 parts. Those who came from Izmir and tried to reach Sivas and Erzurum from Tokat passed over Kesikköprü. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the bridge took the name of Kesikköprü due to the fact that caravan roads were cut off by

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

. There is an old

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

mosque built during the reign of either Mesud I or

Kilij Arslan II Kilij Arslan II () or ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd () ( Modern Turkish ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192. Reign In 1159, Kilij Arslan attacked Byzantine emperor Ma ...

. In the countryside is a ruined ''

türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

'' (tomb) of a possible

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...

during the times of either

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. The inscription on the bridge says it was built by

Atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the ti ...

Izzu’d-Din Muhammed in 646 of the

Hijrah The Hijrah, () also Hegira (from Medieval Latin), was the journey the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the e ...

/1248 of the Christian era during the rule of Keykavus, the son of Keyhüsrev. The inscription sunk in the river in 1953. The three-line inscription on the stone base can be read with difficulty:

Ashik Pasha Mausoleum

Aşık Pasha Mausoleum is the tomb of the 14-century

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

poet Aşık Pasha who died in 1332.

Kırşehir Castle

Kırşehir Castle is located on a hill mound, believed to have been built in the 4th century. It covers an area of 10 acres. It is thought to have been built by the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Justinian Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

. Nothing remains from the castle.

Geographical center of the world

The village of Seyfe within Kırşehir district is considered the geographical center of Earth, as it lies at the intersection of the 39th parallel north and the 34th meridian east.

Ecclesiastical history

Metropolitan Archbishopric of Mocissus

Mocissus was also a Christian bishopric, and became a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ...

when, as

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Empe ...

(De ædif., V, iv) informs us,

divided Cappadocia into three provinces and made this fortified site in north-western

metropolis of

Cappadocia Tertia Cappadocia was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire in Anatolia (modern central-eastern Turkey), with its capital at Caesarea Mazaca, Caesarea. It was established in 17 AD by the Emperor Tiberius (ruled 14–37 AD), following the death ...

, giving it the name of Justinianopolis. Nothing else is known of its history, and its name should perhaps be written Mocessus. There is no doubt that the site of Mocissus, or Mocessus, is that which is occupied by the modern city of Kırşehir. It figured in the '' Notitiæ episcopatuum'' until the 12th or 13th century. Only a few of its bishops are known: the earliest, Peter, attended the Fifth Ecumenical Council (Second Council of Constantinople, 536); the last, whose name is not known, was a Catholic, and was consecrated after the mid-15th century Catholic

Council of Florence The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1445. It was convened in territories under the Holy Roman Empire. Italy became a venue of a Catholic ecumenical council aft ...

by Patriarch Metrophanes II of Constantinople.

Titular see

The diocese was restored in 1895 as a titular archbishopric of the highest (Metropolitan) rank. It's vacant, having had the following incumbents: * John Joseph Frederick Otto Zardetti (1895.05.25 – 1902.05.09) * Giacomo Merizzi (1902.08.21 – 1916.03.22) * Giovanni Battista Vinati (1916.07.31 – 1917.01.09) * Adolf Fritzen (1919.07.31 – 1919.09.07) * Lorenzo Schioppa (1920.08.20 – 1935.04.23) * John Hugh MacDonald (1936.12.16 – 1938.03.05) * Nicolas Cadi (1939.11.16 – 1941) * Roger-Henri-Marie Beaussart (1943.12.10 – 1952.02.29) * Vigilio Federico Dalla Zuanna, O.F.M. Cap. (1952.11.24 – 1956.03.04) * Giovanni Jacono (1956.10.02 – 1957.05.26) * Heinrich Wienken (1957.08.19 – 1961.01.21) * Gabrijel Bukatko (1961.03.02 – 1964.03.24)

Climate

Kırşehir has a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Csa'') or

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

Trewartha climate classification The Trewartha climate classification (TCC), or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC), is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köp ...

: ''Dc''), with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. Light rainfall occurs year-round, except for late summer when rain is virtually absent. Highest recorded temperature: on 14 August 2019
Lowest recorded temperature: on 6 January 1942

Famous people from Kırşehir

* Uğur Mumcu, investigative journalist * Haşim Kılıç, the President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from October 22, 2007 until February 10, 2015 *

Mustafa Bumin Mustafa Bumin (born 26 June 1940) is a former Turkish judge. He was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 31 May 2000 until 24 June 2005. He was born in Mucur, Kırşehir Province. Under his presidency of the Constitutional court ...

, the President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from May 31, 2000 until June 26, 2005 * Lütfi Müfit Özdeş, politician *

Osman Bölükbaşı Osman Bölükbaşı (1913 – February 6, 2002) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician and political party leader. Early life He was born at Hasanlar village of the former Mucur district in 1913. He completed his secondary education at the Is ...

, politician * , politician * , performance artist *

Muharrem Ertaş Muharrem Ertaş (1913 – 3 December 1984) was a Turkish folk music singer and a virtuoso of the traditional Turkish instrument bağlama. He was one of the most important members of the Bozlak genre. Early life He was born in 1913 in the village ...

, folk musician * , folk musician * Neşet Ertaş, folk poet * Ahi Evren, preacher - died in Kırşehir * , politician * , Ṣūfī spiritual leader, Turkish poet * , 18th century Ottoman grand vizier * Yasin Öztekin, footballer *

Nuri Şahin Nuri Şahin (born 5 September 1988) is a German and Turkish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently head coach of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. He began his playing career at Dortmun ...

, footballer

Gallery

File:Kirsehir aerial view.jpg, View of Kırşehir from an airplane File:Ahi_Evran_Mosque_-_panoramio_(1).jpg, Ahi Evran Tomb front view File:Ahi_Evran_Mosque_-_panoramio.jpg, Ahi Evran Tomb side view File:Apple_Farm_-_panoramio.jpg, Apple farm in Kırşehir File:Cugun.jpg, Cügün (Cogun) lake File:Üçayak Gesamt.jpg, The ruins of the Üçayak Byzantine Church File:Kentpark_at_Night_-_panoramio.jpg, View of Kent Park at night File:Kent_Park_-_panoramio.jpg, View of the city during the day File:Winter_in_Hilla_Park_-_panoramio.jpg, Winter in Hilla Park File:Özbağ-Kırşehir_Merkez-Kırşehir,_Turkey_-_panoramio.jpg, Construction of the new mosque in Özbağ in Kırşehir, Turkey

References

External links

GigaCatholic with titular incumbent biography links
* *
Kirsehir Portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirsehir Roman sites in Turkey Populated places in Kırşehir District Provincial municipalities in Turkey