The
Kayseri Province in central
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, is an area that has been linked with mythological stories as well as important figures in Turkish history. It is located in
AnatoliaAnatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, and surrounded by the
Mount ErciyesMount Erciyes is a massive stratovolcano located 25 km to the south of Kayseri in Turkey.Erciyes is the highest mountain in central Anatolia, with its summit reaching...
, the
Mount HasanMount Hasan is an inactive stratovolcano in Aksaray province, Turkey. With an altitude of 3,253 m , it ranks as the second highest mountain of central Anatolia...
and the Mount Ali. The Ali mountain is named like that in honor of
Ali BabaAli Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves...
, who is said to have lived in the area.
Districts
Kayseri province is divided into 16
districtsThe 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 957 districts . In the early Turkish Republic and in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the kaza....
(capital district in
bold):
- Akkışla
Akkışla is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 9,864 of which 3,265 live in the town of Akkışla.-External links:* *...
- Bünyan
Bünyan is a town and a district of Kayseri Province in Central Anatolia, Turkey. The town's former name was "Sarımsaklı", meaning "land of garlic" in reference to the region's considerable production of the Alliaceae plant, and this name is sometimes still used in the region.As for the origins of...
- Develi
Develi is a town and district in Kayseri Province in Central Anatolia Region, Turkey.-History:The town's name is reported to derive from Devle Bey, a Seljuk commander of Alp Arslan, , and who was also named Dev Ali , and leader of an Oghuz Turkish clan of the same or of a similar name...
- Felahiye
Felahiye is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is İsmet Gürsel Kısır...
- Hacılar
Hacilar is an early human settlement in southwestern Turkey, 25 km southwest of present day Burdur. It has been dated back 7040 BC at its earliest stage of development. Archaeological remains indicate that the site was abandoned and reoccupied on more than one occasion in its...
|
- İncesu
İncesu is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Zekeriya Karayol ....
|
- Kocasinan
Kocasinan is a metropolitan district of the city of Kayseri in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The name comes from Mimar Sinan, the Great, famous Ottoman architect. The mayor is Bekir Yıldız...
|
- Melikgazi
Melikgazi is a metropolitan district of Kayseri in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Along with the neighboring Kocasinan district, it was historically the core of Kayseri city, until additional districts were joined into the metropolitan area in 2004...
|
- Özvatan
Özvatan is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. This is a tiny district of Kayseri. It is located in the north east of the province and it is almost 70 km from Kayseri. It is connected to the town 'Felahiye'. It has a harsh climate being too cold in...
- Pınarbaşı
Pınarbaşı is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It was founded by Sultan Abdülaziz and was initially named Aziziye. After the formation of the Turkish Republic, Pınarbaşı was renamed with its current name. Pinasbasi is famous as its horses and very...
- Sarıoğlan
Sarıoğlan is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Ali Rıza Başaran ....
- Sarız
Sarız is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Ömer Faruk Eroğlu ....
- Talas
Talas is a town in central Anatolia and a district of Kayseri Province in Turkey. The population of Talas city was 40,122 in 2000, while the district of Talas as a whole counted 60,925 people.-History:...
|
- Tomarza
Tomarza is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It seems that Tomarza was the center of an Armenian autonomy, along with Zeytun/Süleymanlı and Göksun in the 17th century. The mayor is Fahrettin Işık ....
- Yahyalı
Yahyalı is a town and district in Kayseri Province of Turkey. It is the southernmost district of the province and its area is defined by the steep lines of the Taurus Mountains, named Aladağlar in their section through this region, and is crossed by the River Zamantı.A section within the...
- Yeşilhisar
Yeşilhisar is a town and district of Kayseri Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is İhsan Ünal ....
|
History
Kayseri was first known as the city of
Masaka. Later, during the
Roman periodAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the province's name was changed to
Kaesarea, then
KayzerCaesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
before becoming known with its modern name of
KayseriKayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
.
Danishmend GaziDanishmend Gazi, full name Gümüştekin Danishmend Ahmed Gazi or Danishmend Taylu , was the founder of the Beylik of Danishmends...
conquered Kayseri in 1084. The Seljuk Empire then modernised the province, with new buildings and mosques being built around. During this period, the
Şifahane, Kayseri's first hospital, and perhaps the first hospital in all of Anatolia, was built. It was built in honor of Princess Gevher Nesibe Hatun, daughter of the Sultan. She died of a disease at a young age. Construction of the hospital was completed in 1206.
Later on, Kayseri became a cultural mecca of poets, artists in Turkey. Seyyid Burhaneddin lived there, and so did others such as
Kadı BurhaneddinKadi Burhan al-Din Ahmed was vizier and atabeg to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 783 AH he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He was an outstanding Turkish poet. He was also a poet who wrote primarily in Persian...
and Seyrani, among many others. Seynari was born in 1807. Sinan the Great, an
OttomanThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
architect, was also from Kayseri.
According to Turkish
mythologyThe term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, a man named Hasan Baba would cross mountains during the month of August every year and bring Ali Baba snow, which would not melt.
In 1919, Atatürk chose Kayseri as his new home.
Modern Kayseri
Kayseri is nowadays a province filled with modern buildings and museums. Some of Turkey's most famous
statues and monuments are located there. The modern city of
KayseriKayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
is in the Melikgazi district.
Transportation in Kayseri
Apart from taxi and bus transportation, Kayseri has a modern airport, Kayseri International Airport is served by 13 airlines, including
Turkish AirlinesTurkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul...
.
External links
Kayseri governor's official website Kayseri municipality's official website Kayseri weather forecast information