NEVSEHIR

city, central Turkey. It lies on the lower slopes of a hill crowned by a ruined citadel dating from the Seljuq period. Other monuments include the mosque Kursunlu Cami, with its attached madrasah (religious school), hospice, and library, built in the early 18th century by Damad Ibrahim Pasa, grand vizier of the Ottoman sultan Ahmed III. A market for the agricultural products of the region, Nevsehir is linked by road with Ankara, Adana, and Kayseri. The surrounding area is drained by the Kizil River and is a prosperous grain-producing district. Occupying a part of the ancient region of Cappadocia, the area is rich in historical sites, notably the rock-carved churches and monasteries at Greme, east of Nevsehir city. Hacibektas, north of Nevsehir, is said to be the birthplace of Hajji Bektash Wali (died before 1295), founder of the influential Bektashi order of dervishes (mystics); it contains the order's large tekke (monastery). Pop. (1985) city, 50,204.