The Rahmaniye Mosque in Niğde was built in 1747 by Abdurrahman Pasha and belongs to the group of rectangular, flat-roofed mosques. It keeps much of its original character. Outside it measures 9.25 by 12.20 metres for the prayer hall, with a three-bay porch of 3.70 by 10.55 metres set on the north side and a single-balcony minaret at the northeast corner.
The walls and minaret are fine-dressed yellowish trachyte; basalt was used for the porch columns and for the arch and jambs of the main door, plaster for the mihrab, and timber and tile for the roof. A single row of large windows with low arches breaks up the mass of the walls, and the building as a whole is plain. The porch columns have double-scrolled capitals in the manner of the Ionic order, and a cornice runs round the facade walls from the level of the window heads. The decoration worth looking at is inside, at the mihrab: its hood is worked in muqarnas, its crown has triangular pediments ornamented with scrolling stems, tulips and various flowers, and seven fine mouldings frame it on three sides. The ornament shows the Baroque taste of its period. The mosque is in the Kale quarter, within walking distance of the centre.
Getting there
- Access
- Within walking distance of the city centre.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Niğde as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -0.2 °C in January to 22.6 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in May (48 mm) and lightest in July (6 mm). Long-term means for 1935-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
