Aksaray
central district and city in Aksaray Province, Turkey
Aksaray (pronounced [ˈaksaɾaj]) is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District. Its population is 247,147 (2021). In 2021 the province had an estimated population of 429,069 distributed over about 7,659 km2 (2,957 mi2). The average elevation is 980 m (3,215 ft), with the highest point being Mt. Hasan (Turkish: Hasan Dağı) at 3,268 m (10,722 ft).
The city of Aksaray has a long history and was an important stopover point on the Silk Road that transited Anatolia for centuries. It is a mid-sized city with the Melendiz river running through it and several monuments dating back to the pre-Ottoman era as well as some impressive examples of government buildings from the early Turkish Republic that are gathered around the main square.
The nearest airport is Kapadokya Nevşehir Airport (NAV) which is 62.1 km away from the city.
Etymology
In antiquity the area was named Archelais Garsaura, which was mutated to Taksara during the Seljuk Turkish era, and then to Aksaray.
“Aksaray” enters the record as central district and city in Aksaray Province, Turkey. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Aksaray, central and district can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Aksaray” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Aksaray, central and district provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q182025. VIAF identifies the subject as 5148170868669022930008. The Library of Congress control number is n85260439. Authority coordinates are 38.369, 34.030. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Aksaray”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Aksaray primary sources, Aksaray archive and Aksaray research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Aksaray” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.