Population: 9,200
Old names: Fertakaina, Bartakina, Aydınyurt
Fertek is little more than a leafy suburb of Niğde, the sort of place to which those who’ve made their money in town would retreat to to soak up the peace and quiet. In the back streets at times there are no sounds at all bar those of the birds. The only reason why an outsider would want to come to Fertek is to see the fine stone Church of Sts Michael and Gabriel in the main square. It was built in 1831 (or 1837 – the signs on the facade differ) and was turned into a mosque, the Yeni Cami (New Mosque), after the 1923 Graeco-Turkish population exchange. Its size and impressive architecture suggest that the lost Rum (Greek) community was a wealthy one. Apparently, the local Greeks were known as Karamanlides rather than the more usual Rum.
The mosque is open to visitors during the day if you use the small door to the left of the main one. Inside you will be able to see some of the original frescoes still surviving behind curtains in the original apse.
In the back streets there are still many fine old stone houses with jutting cumbas (bay windows) although many seem to have been abandoned. There is also a small Greek Orthodox chapel dedicated to Timios Stavros (the True Cross) dating back to 1890. The Ömer Ağa Cami dates back to 1669 but was extensively restored in 1958.
There is known to be an ‘underground city‘ (known as Mandilmos) beneath Fertek although it is not open to the public.
Transport info
Buses run between Niğde’s Eski Garaj and Fertek every half-hour.
Nineteenth-century frescoes still survive behind curtains in the apse of Fertek’s Yeni Cami
