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Adana

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Coordinates: 37°48′N 35°57′E

Image:Flag of Turkey.svgAdana, Turkey
Image:Adana,Turkey.jpg

A view from the northern part of Adana
Image:Adana logo.jpg

Coat of Arms of Adana Municipality
Map
Image:Adana Turkey Provinces locator.jpg

Location of Adana and Adana Province
Overview
Total Population 1,271,894 (2006 (est))
Elevation 23 m m
Coordinates 37°48′ N 35°57′ E
Postal code 01xxx
Area code 0322
Licence plate code 01
Mayor Aytaç Durak
Website http://www.adana-bld.gov.tr


Adana, Turkey (the ancient Antioch in Cilicia or Antioch on the Sarus) is the capital of Adana Province. According to the 2000 census, with 1,130,710 inhabitants <ref>GeoHive - Turkey - Administrative units</ref>, it is the fifth most populous city of Turkey (after İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Bursa). The 2006 estimate of Adana's population is 1,271,894.

For most Turkish people the word 'Adana' associates with Kebab, watermelons and very hot weather.

Contents

[edit] Location

One of the largest and most dynamic cities in Turkey and situated thirty kilometres (nineteen miles) inland, Adana is the gateway to the Cilician plain, now known as the Çukurova plain, the large stretch of flat and fertile land which lies to the south-east of the Taurus Mountains. This is possibly the most productive area in this part of the world.

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.

The north of the city is surrounded by the Seyhan reservoir, which was built in 1957. The lake is used to produce electricity, and to provide the irrigation water to the lower part of Çukurova plain, agricultural production area located in the south parth of the city. Two irrigation canals in the city flow to the plain passing through the city center from east to west. Also there is another canal for irrigating the Yüreğir plain to the southeast of the city.

[edit] Etymology

Its name is derived from the Hittite 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 referred to in the Bible, where King Solomon obtained horses. (I Kings 10:28; II Chron. 1:16).<ref>Innvista - Horses from Egypt and Kue</ref>

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.

Alternatively, it is believed that Adad (Tesup), the name of the Hittite Thunder God that lived in the forest was given to the region. The Hittites ideas, names and writings haved been found in the area so this is a strong possibility. The theory goes that since the Thunder God brought so much rain and this rain in turn brought such great abundance in this particular region, this god was loved and respected by its inhabitants and, in his honor, the region was called the 'Uru Adaniyya'; in other words 'The Region of Ada'.

Adana's name has had many different versions over the centuries: Adanos, Ta Adana, Uru Adaniya, Erdene, Edene, Ezene, Batana, Atana, Azana.

[edit] History

The history of Adana is intrinsically linked to the history of Tarsus; they seem often to be the same city, moving as the neighbouring Seyhan River changed its position and the name changed over the course of centuries. Adana was of little importance in ancient history while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Also, Ayas (today Yumurtalik), and Kozan (formerly Sis) have been population and administrative centers, especially during the time of the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia.

The history of Adana goes back 3000 years; finds in the region reveal human occupation of the area during the Paleolithic Age.

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

Then the city was directly and indirectly the subject of many epic poems and legends over the course of many millennia. Adana is mentioned by name in a Sumerian epic, the Epic of Gilgamesh.

According to the Hittite inscription of Kava, found in Hattusa (Boğazkale), Kitvanza Kingdom was the first kingdom that ruled Adana, under the protection of the Hittites in 1335 BC. In that time the name of the city was Uru Adaniyya and the inhabitants were called Danuna.

After the rule of the Hittites, circa 1191-1189 B.C, invasions from the west caused many small kingdoms to take control of the plain, as follows: Kue Assyrians, 9th century BC; Cilician Kingdom, Persians, 6th century BC; Alexander the Great in 333 BC; Seleucids; and the pirates of Cilicia and Roman statesman Pompey the Great.

During the era of Pompey, the city was used as a prison for the pirates of Cilicia. For several centuries thereafter it was a waystation on a Roman military road leading to the East. After the split of the Roman Empire, the area became part of the Byzantine Empire and was 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 important trade centers of the region.

[edit] 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 the Armenian Kingdom and the inhabitants of Selonica.

After the victory of Alp Arslan in the Battle of Manzikert, large numbers of Turks arrived in the region and they called the region 'Çukurova' instead of 'Cilicia'. Of these Turkish armies the Seljuks repeatedly fought the Mamluks for control of the 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 which it was part of the kingdom of Cilician Armenia for nearly 300 years. The Mamluks re-captured the city in 1360 from Gosdantin III, allowing many Turkmen families to settle in it. The Ramazanoğlu family, one of the Turkmen families brought by the Mamluks, ruled Adana until the Ottomans captured the city.

[edit] 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 undermine and destroy the Ottoman rule, they helped the Egyptian Governor Mehmet Ali Pasha in his rebellion against the Ottomans. The province was returned to Ottoman sovereignty quite quickly, but resulted in the establishment of Adana as a province in its own right.

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

After World War I, the Ottoman government lost control of the city 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


[edit] Chronology

[edit] Features of Adana today

Adana has become an international metropolis, stretching and swallowing its neighbours. Adana is the marketing and distribution center for the Çukurova agricultural region, where cotton, wheat, barley, grapes, citrus fruits, olives, and tobacco are produced in great quantities. The main industries of the city are textile manufacturing, leather tanning, and wool processing. Foreign Direct Investment Magazine named Adana among the 25 European Regions of the Future for 2006/2007. <ref>fDi Magazine: European Regions of the Future</ref> Chosen along with Kocaeli for Turkey, Adana scored the most points for cost effectiveness against Kocaeli's points for infrastructure development, while Adana and Kocaeli tied on points for the categories of human resources and quality of life.

The city of Adana today is administered by two district council authorities: Seyhan and Yüreğir. Seyhan, the more developed western part of the city, is located on the right side of Seyhan River. Yüreğir is located on the left side of the river, and NATO's Incirlik Air Base is located within this province.

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.

The city is also famous for its cuisine, including; the Adana kebab; şalgam, a salty fermented juice made from turnips; Sirdan a kind of home-made sausage stuffed with rice, and eaten with cummin; Paça, boiled sheep's feet; Bicibici (pronounced as bee-jee-bee-jee) made from diced semolina, rose water and sugar and served with crushed ice, consumed especially in summer time. But especially the Adana kebab, this you have to try.

Shopping in Adana is enhanced the 'American bazaar' a street market selling new and second-hand goods that have seeped out of the Incirlik Air-base.

And finally did we mention that it gets hot in summer!!! No one stirs in daytime unless absolutely necessary.



[edit] Sightseeing

Image:Adana mosque DCP 8776.JPG
  • Stone Bridge, built in part during the 6th-century reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, the oldest extant bridge in the world which is still in use.
  • Yilanlı Kale The ruins of a castle dating from 782.
  • Büyük Saat (The Great Clock), a large clock tower, was built by the local governor of Adana in 1882. Unfortunately, ıt was damaged during the French occupation but it was rebuilt in 1935, and its image can be found in the city's coat of arms. There are many historical buildings and tombs of local governors next to the Büyük Saat.
  • The old bazaar, Kazancılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of Cauldron-Makers), founded around Büyük Saat, where Çarşı Hamamı (Bath of the Bazaar), a Turkish bath built in 1519 can be found.
  • Bebekli Kilise (Church of Babies) is an old Catholic church located in the city center. There are many historic houses in the street where the church is located.

OTHERS

[edit] Festivals

[edit] Education

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Airport

[edit] Sports and Athletics

There is a race-track and also two well-known football teams:

[edit] Famous People from Adana

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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[edit] Other Sources

[edit] External links


Image:Adana Turkey Provinces locator.gif Districts of Adana Image:Flag of Turkey.svg

Adana Metropolitan Districts: Seyhan | Yüreğir
External Districts: Aladağ | Ceyhan | Feke | İmamoğlu | Karaisalı | Karataş | Kozan | Pozantı | Saimbeyli | Tufanbeyli | Yumurtalık

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