NEVSEHIR

Nevsehir ancient name was "Nyssa", but in the Ottoman period it was renamed "Muskara". The son in law of Sultan Ahmet III, the Ottoman Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha was born in Nevsehir and therefore took a great interest in its construction. The small village with 18 houses, once under the administration of Ürgüp, was transformed with the building of mosques, fountains, schools, soup kitchens, inns and bath houses, and its name was changed from Muskara to Nevsehir, which means New City.

Damat Ibrahim Pasha Kulliyesi
Kursunlu mosque, situated in the Damat IIbrahim Pasha complex, was completed in 1726. The mosque, which is situated in the centre of a court with three gates, has an elegant minaret 44m in height. The name" Kursunlu" comes from the sheets of lead covering the main dome. Most of the internal decorations consist of floral motifs. A Madrasah, library, soup kitchen and a bath house are contained in the same complex.

The citadel found on the highest point of the city was constructed in the Seljuk Period to defend and protect the caravan trails.

The Museum of Nevsehir
Nevsehir Museum was opened to public in the medrese building, a part of the complex of Damat Ibrahim Pasha Kulliye in 1967 and was moved to its present location, the Cultural Centre, in 1987.

The objects are displayed in two sections; archaeological and ethnographic. The artefacts in the archaeological section are from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages and from the Phrygian, Urartian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine civilizations. In addition to these, pieces from Iran, Mesopotamia and Cyprus are also on display. In the ethnographic section, oil lamps, written works, weapons, local garments, handicraft, carpets and kilims belonging to the Ottoman Period and the early years of the Turkish Republic can be seen.