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Adana

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Shows the location of the Province Adana

Adana is the fifth largest (14.030 km²) city in Turkey and the capital of Adana Province. It has a population of 1,130,710 (2000).

One of the large towns of Turkey, about nineteen miles from the sea, Adana derives its importance from its situation as the gateway to the Cilician plain (also called the Adana or Çukurova plain), that great flat stretch of fertile land, possibly the most productive in this part of the world, the east side of the Taurus Mountains. In Adana all the houses are flat-topped and the roofs serve as the bedrooms for the inhabitants during the hot summers. Adana was more important for its agriculture while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Several types of fruit are native to this area, the apricot being an example.

From Adana, crossing the Cilician plain going west, the road from Tarsus enters the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. With every foot of ascent the coolness increases, reaching an altitude of nearly 4000 feet. Then through the famous Cilician Gates, that rocky pass through which armies have coursed since history's dawn, and the caravan has arrived on the Anatolian plain.

Adana is the marketing and distribution center for an agricultural region in which cotton, wheat, barley, grapes, citrus fruits, olives, and tobacco are produced. The chief industries in the city are textile manufacturing, tanning, and the processing of wool. The city is also famous for its cuisine, namely the Adana kebab and şalgam, a local variety of turnip juice.

History

Located on the right bank of the Seyhan River in the Cilician plain, Adana was a caravan stop, river crossing, and frontier outpost protecting Asia Minor from incursions from Syria. (Tarsus was closer to the Cilician Gate.)

Its name derives from the 16th century BC Hittite polity URUAdaniya of Kizzuwatna. In Hellenistic times, it was known as Antiochia in Cilicia (Αντιόχεια της Κιλικίας) or Antiochia ad Sarum (Αντιόχεια η προς Σάρο).

The history of Adana is mixed with that of Tarsus; they seem often to be the same city, moving as the river changed position and the name changing over time. Adana was of little importance in ancient history; Tarsus, Ayas/Issus (today Yumurtalik), and Kozan (formerly Sis) have usually been the major population and administrative centers, especially during the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia.

Adana was first settled by the Hittites during the Egyptian eighteenth dynasty. It is the location of Antiochia in Cilicia – also known as Antiochia ad Sarum ("Antiochia on the Sarus") – of Hellenistic foundation in the region then known as Cilicia Campestris. [1]

Adana was probably founded in 63 BC by the Roman statesman Pompey the Great. For several centuries thereafter it was a way station on a Roman military road leading to the East. The city declined in importance after the fall of the Roman Empire in AD476 but was rebuilt in the 8th century by Harun al-Rashid, caliph of Baghdad. The city was captured by Karamanid in 1219. After Karamanid, the city was held by Ramazanoğulları, then by Mamluk until it was held by Ottoman Empire

In 1909 it was the scene of what some have termed the Adana massacre[2], while others refer to the event as the Adana rebellion[3].

After WWI, Ottoman government gave the control of the city to allied forces. The city was mostly controlled by French forces until February 5, 1921.

By the aid of France forces, some Armenian groups started to kill Turkic-muslim citizens of the city. [1][2][3] during French Occupation

Places to visit

File:Mosque adana.jpg
Sabance Brothers Mosque

Local points of interest include a great stone bridge, built in part during the reign (6th century) of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and the ruins of a castle dating from 782. Stone Bridge is the oldest bridge in the world, which is still being used.

There is an old Bazaar (Kazancılar Çarşısı) near Büyük Saat, big clock tower. Its silhouette is used as symbol of the city. Addiditionally, there are old buildings, graves of local governers near Büyük Saat.

Bebekli Kilise, (Church of Babies) is an old Catholic church which is located in city center. In the street of the church, there are lots of old houses.

Historical Chronology

Names of the City

  • Adanos
  • Ta Adana
  • Uru Adaniya
  • Erdene
  • Edene
  • Ezene
  • Batana
  • Atana
  • Azana
  • Adana

Buildings and monuments

Historical Sites and Ruins

Festivals

Education

Transportation

Airport

See also

Football Teams

Famous people from Adana

References

  1. ^ Classical Gazetteer, page 37
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition (1911), sv. Adana; for the Adana massacre, sv. Turkey (vol. 27, p. 464c).
  3. ^ Justin McCarthy, The Population of the Ottoman Armenians, page(65-85)

Template:Districts of Adana

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