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Adana

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Adana is the capital of Adana Province. According to 2000 census, it is the fifth most populous city of Turkey (after Bursa), with 1,130,710 inhabitants.[GeoHive - Turkey - Administrative units]. The 2006 estimate for its population is 1,271,894.

One of the largest and most dynamic cities in Turkey and situated at about nineteen miles from the sea, Adana derives its importance from its location as the gateway to the Cilician plain, now known as Çukurova plain, a large flat stretch of fertile land, possibly the most productive in this part of the world, on the east side of the Taurus Mountains.

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.

Financial Times affiliated Foreign Direct Investment Magazine named Adana among the 25 European Regions of the Future for 2006/2007.[fDi Magazine: European Regions of the Future] Elected along with Kocaeli for Turkey, Adana scored the most points for cost effectiveness against Kocaeli's wider infrastructure, while Adana and Kocaeli tied on points for human resources and quality of life.

Contents

Etymology

Its name derives from Hittite polity URUAdaniya of Kizzuwatna. In the Iliad of Homer, the city is called Adana. In Hellenistic times, it was known as Antiochia in Cilicia (Greek: Αντιόχεια της Κιλικίας) or Antiochia ad Sarum (Greek: Αντιόχεια η προς Σάρον; "Antiocia on the Sarus"). The editors of The Helsinki Atlas tentatively identify Adana as Quwê (as contained in cuneiform tablets), the Neo-Assyrian capital of Quwê province. The name also appears as Coa, and may be the place from which King Solomon is reported to have obtained horses in the Bible. (I Kings 10:28; II Chron. 1:16).[Innvista - Horses from Egypt and Kue]

According to a different point of view, it is believed that the name of thunder god Adad (Tesup) that lived in the forested regions was given to the region where the Taurus Mountains and the Seyhan River form this region. Adad was the thunder god of Hittites and Tesup was the thunder god of Syrian and Mesopotamian tribes. As these groups took and gave ideas, names and writing styles to each other this is a strong likelihood. Since the thunder god brought rain and rain brought abundance this god lived in this region as a loved and respected one in honor of him this region was called as the Uru Adaniyya in other words it was called as the region of Ada.

Adana's name had different versions over the centuries. These include; Adanos, Ta Adana, Uru Adaniya, Erdene, Edene, Ezene, Batana, Atana, Azana, as well as Adana.

History

Historically, Adana was more important for its agriculture while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Today, while Tarsus is still an important regional and historical center, Adana became an international metropolis, outstretching other neighboring centers.

Overview

Finds in the region reveal human occupation of the area during the Paleolithic. Generally speaking, the history of Adana falls behind 3000 years. The city was directly and indirectly the subject of many epic poems and legends. Adana is mentioned by name in a Sumerian epic, the Epic of Gilgamesh.

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

Antiquity

Tepebag Tumulus was built in the Neolithic Age; it is considered the oldest city of the Cilicia region, in which archeologists found a stone wall and a city center.

According to the inscription of Kava, which was written by the Hittites and found in Hattusas (BogazKoy), Kitvanza Kingdom was the first kingdom that ruled Adana, which was under the protection of the Hittites in 1335 BC. In the inscription of Kava, the official name of the city was Uru Adaniyya and the inhabitants of the city were called Danuna. The name of the city is believed to have come from a legend that Adanus and Sarus, two sons of Uranus, came to a place near the Seyhan River where they built Adana.

After the rule of the Hittites, in approximately 1191-1189 B.C, invasions from the west caused many small kingdoms to arise. In chronological order, these were: Kue Kingdom, Assyrians, 9th century BC; Clinician Kingdom, Persians, 6th century BC; Alexander the Great in 333 BC; Seleucids; and the pirates of Cilicia and Roman statesman Pompey the Great. For several centuries thereafter it was a waystation on a Roman military road leading to the East.

During the era of Pompey, the city was used as a prison for the pirates of Cilicia. Cilicia and Adana were probably developed during the time of Julian. With the building of large bridges, roads, government buildings, and irrigation and plantation, Adana and Cilicia became the most developed and crucial trade centers of the area. After the split of the Roman Empire, the area became part of the Byzantine Empire.

Middle Ages

In the 7th century, after Roman rule, the Abbasids ruled Adana. According to an Arab historian of the era, the name of the city was derived from Ezene, the prophet Yazene's grandson.

The Byzantines regained control of the area in the beginning of the 10th century, after the Abbasids lost power. Other kingdoms that ruled the city were chronologically Armenian Kingdom and Inhabitants of Selonica.

After the victory of Alp Arslan in the Battle of Manzikert, large numbers of Turks came to the area. They called the region 'Çukurova' instead of 'Cilicia'. The Seljuks captured the city from the Mamluks. Though there had been times of peace between the two kingdoms, they would usually fight for control of this area. When the Seljuks captured Adana, they brought Karamanids to Çukurova to keep the border safe. However, the Seljuk dominance of Adana ended with the coming of the Crusaders in 1097. After this it was part of the kingdom of Cilician Armenia for nearly 300 years. The Mamluks captured the city in 1360 from Gosdantin III. The Mamluks re-captured the city at the beginning of 14th century, allowing many Turkmen families to settle there. The Ramazanoğlu family, one of the Turkmen families brought by the Mamluks, ruled Adana until the Ottomans captured the city.

Modern era

From the end of the Renaissance to the modern era (1517–1918), the Ottoman Empire ruled the area.

England, France and Russia entered into a political struggle with the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. In order to demolish Ottoman rule, they helped the Egyptian Governor Mehmet Ali Pasha in his rebellion against the Ottomans. After a very short time these areas were in the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. An administrative institution was established and Adana had become a province.

In 1909 Adana was the site of what is termed the Adana massacre.Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition (1911), sv. Adana; for the Adana massacre, sv. Turkey (vol. 27, p. 464c). Turkish scholars and some others refer to the event as the Adana rebellion based on a thesis of its underlying causes.Justin McCarthy, [The Population of the Ottoman Armenians], page(65-85)

After World War I, the Ottoman government gave the control of the city over to Allied forces. During the Turkish War of Independence, Adana was strategically important. Mustafa Kemal came to the city on October 31, 1918 and stayed there for eleven days. As a result, he decided to fight against the Allies and the idea of what he called Kuvayi Milliye was born. Turkish nationalists grouped together and fought until February 5, 1921.

Further information: Franco-Turkish War

Chronology

Features

The houses in Adana have flat tops, and the roofs serve as bedrooms for the inhabitants during the hot summers. Several types of fruit, including the apricot, are native to this area.

From Adana, crossing the Çukurova going west, the road from Tarsus enters the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. The temperature decreases with every foot of ascent; the road reaches an altitude of nearly 4000 feet. It goes through the famous Cilician or Çukurova Gates, the rocky pass through which armies have coursed since the dawn of history, and continues to the Anatolian plain.

Places to visit

Mosque in Adana
Enlarge
Mosque in Adana

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

Büyük Saat, a large clock tower, was built by the local governor of Adana in 1882. Ufortunately, ıt was damaged during the French occupation. The tower was rebuilt in 1935, and its silhouette is used as a symbol of the city.

There is an old bazaar (Kazancılar Çarşısı) around Büyük Saat. Çarşı Hamamı is a Turkish bath built in 1519, which is located in Kazancılar Çarşısı. Addiditionally, there are old buildings and graves of local governors near Büyük Saat.

Bebekli Kilise (Church of Babies) is an old Catholic church located in the city center. There are many old houses in the street where the church is located.

OTHERS

Festivals

Education

Transportation

Airport

See also

Football Teams

Famous people from Adana

References

Other sources

External links


 Districts of Adana 






Adana Metropolitan Districts: 
Seyhan |
Yüreğir 

External Districts: 
Aladağ | 
Ceyhan | 
Feke | 
İmamoğlu | 
Karaisalı | 
Karataş | 
Kozan | 
Pozantı | 
Saimbeyli | 
Tufanbeyli | 
Yumurtalık 



































































 





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