Altunhisar
Altunhisar was established on the foots of Hasandağı in the South West of the province of Niğde. The distance of the district to the center of the province is 35 km. Considering the mound excavations carried out in the region, a church belonging to the Romans in Yeşilyurt Village of the district, the caves used as living center in the east of the district, and the history of the Niğde region, it is seen that the history of the district dates back to the neolithic period and is a ancient settlement.
After the Victory of Manzikert, the district, which came under the sovereignty of the Seljuk State with Konya and Niğde, was named as first Andugu and then Ortaköy at that period. The district, which came under the domination of Karamanoğulları after the Seljuk State, has a mosque and a fountain belonging to Karamanoğlu Yakup Bey. In 1471, during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Niğde was included in the Ottoman territory. Evliya Çelebi mentions Ortaköy, which he passed on his way from Bor to Aksaray in his itinerary, he said "It is a wide and enviable plain and a prosperous town decorated with vineyards, gardens, mosques and masjids. There are 36 townships and villages subordinated to this town.".
After the proclamation of the Republic, the name Ortaköy, which became a town in 1928, was changed to Altınhisar in 1956, inspired by the Altıntaş plain on its south, and in 1991 it was transformed into a district with the name Altunhisar affiliated to Niğde.
Bor
The history of the district dates back to prehistoric times. The archaeological excavation in Köşk Höyük revealed that the settlement dates back to 5000 B.C.
The region was conquered by the Hittites, Phrygians, Persians and Romans respectively. After it remained under Byzantine rule for a long time, it became one of the important administrative and military cities of the Seljuks. After the Seljuks, the region was shared between Ertane and Karamanoğulları in the 11th century. In the Ottoman period, with the regulation dated 1518, Bor Village was subordinated to Niğde Town (Sanjak) as township; with the a new regulation made in 1584, the Bor Township transformed to a Town and remained subordinated to the Niğde Sanjak.
When administrative divisions were reorganized during the Republican era, Bor was turned into a district and became a part of Niğde.
Bor is an excerpt from the word Boris in Hittite and Phrygian. Boris means the mansion of the lord of the district surrounded by ramparts. Another meaning is greenery and abundance.
Çamardı
Archaeological excavations at the site of Göltepe Kestel ruin around Celaller Village revealed that Çamardı and its surrounding was an important settlement area in the ancient Bronze Age, covering 3000-2000 B.C. In 2000-700 B.C., known as the Hittite Period in Central Anatolia, it is known that the Hittites ruled in Niğde and its vicinity, and thus in Çamardı. After that, the district came under the domination of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome) respectively, and the first contact of the district with Turks was in the time of Melikşah. The conquest of the region by the Seljuks (1166) coincides with the Period of Kılıçarslan II in the following years. The district, which was ruled by İlhanlı after 1243, later became under the rule of Eratna Principality and Karamanoğulları Principality.
The first contact of the Ottoman Empire with the region is in the period of Yıldırım Beyazıt. Beyazıt gave the Konya-Niğde region back to Karamanoğulları , which he took without fighting.
The regions where our district is located were fully included to the Ottoman lands by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1471.In the yearbooks of Konya Province in 1869, Bereketli and Maden Towns, which are still the quarters of Çamardı District, are mentioned. Çamardı remained as a parish organization according to the local installments from 1910 to 1948, and it was deemed necessary to establish a District Organization because of its distance from the provincial center and the closed the roads in the winter months, and then it was made a District on 11 June 1947 with the decision of the Council of Ministers.
The district which is still called ÇAMARDI, was sometimes called Şamardı, sometimes as Maden and Bereketli. It is said that due to the fact that the district was located on a mountainous and forested area, it took the name Çamardı.
Çiftlik
Çiftlik district covers the north-northwest territory of the province of Niğde and is located between Niğde, Aksaray and Nevşehir. Due to this location, its history shows a parallel development with the history of this region and is also within the boundaries of the region called Cappadocia. The bowls, pots and obsidian items found in the Çiftlik Tepecik Find in the Melendiz plain 1 km east of Çiftlik point out that it was settled in the time span dating from the Neolithic period to the Early Bronze Age. Göllüdağ Ruins near Kömürcü Village in Çiftlik District of Niğde Province are teemed with traces of settlement and sites from the Hittites Period. Göllüdağ Ruins are probably ruins remaining from the 8th century during the Late Hittite City States period covering 1200-700 B.C. Ruin covers a large area surrounded by ramparts. There are settlements, temples, house foundations and a small lake in the area within ramparts. Göllüdağ Ruins are the only Late Hittite center in central Anatolia which the location has been detected. The relief of the double-headed lion found in the excavations are exhibited in the Kayseri Museum, and other finds are also exhibited in the Niğde Museum.
Ulukışla
Ulukışla region has been a lively and dynamic region in almost every period due to its geographical location and strategic importance. The region has hosted people from different cultures throughout history. The first significant historical event of the region is its inclusion in the Hittite Empire. After the Hittites, the region was conquered by the Assyrians, Phrygians, Persians and Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia in 334 B.C. Later, there were conflicts between the Seleucid Empires and the Kings of Cappadocia for the region. Although it was ruled by the Roman Empire between 17 B.C. and 395 A.D., it remained under the rule of the Byzantine Empire until 1075, when the Empire split into two. The finds unearthed as a result of archaeological studies at Zeyve Mound, within the borders of Porsuk village of Ulukışla, belong to Hittite, Phrygian and Roman periods. The city was named as Faustinepolis in the Roman period, referring to Queen Faustina. The tomb of Faustina, the wife of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is in the Başmakçı Village near Ulukışla. The castle near the city is called Lülve.
The region was conquered by Emir Ahmed Danişmend Taylı, one of the commanders of Melikşah, and his son Emir Gazi. Izzeddin Kılıçarslan II, which ruled between 1156-92, joined the lands of the province of Niğde to the Sultanate of Konya. It is known that during the reign of Izeddin Keykavus I (1211-19), son of Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I (1192-1211), Ulukışla was joined to Niğde in terms of administration. Niğde came under the administration of İlhanlılar in 1327 and Karamanoğulları as of 1357.
The joining of Niğde to the Ottoman lands was accomplished by Fatih's-conquer of Konya in 1466 and by İshak Paşa capturing Niğde in 1470. During the campaigns to the East, the province of Niğde became an location for accommodation. Returning from the Iranian Expedition, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman also passed through Ulukışla in 1549. Ulukışla was the township of Bor town of Niğde in the name of Secaeddin in the 16th century, Şücaeddin in the 18th century, in the 19th century in the name of Şücaeddin and Ulukışla in Bozok Province. Finally it was named Ulukışla due to the Öküz Mehmet Paşa Complex, which was known as Kışla among the people. The district was later subordinated to Niğde and became important thanks to Nevşehir came into prominence during the time of Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa. It was one of the main bases of Kuvay-i Milliye, which fought against French invaders during the war of liberation. Today Ulukışla is a district of Niğde.
