Seyhan
Encyclopedia
Seyhan is a district in the Adana Province
of Turkey
. It is completely within the city of Adana
and the municipality of Seyhan is a lower-tier municipality which serves to the entire district.
Seyhan is home to 35 percent of the residents of Adana Province and almost half of the residents of the city of Adana. It is the fifth most populous metropolitan district in Turkey
. The district is the first settlement area of Adana and gets its name from the river
that forms the east border.
Seyhan is the administrative, business and cultural center of Adana. It includes the historical neighborhood of Tepebağ
, and the landmarks such as Büyüksaat, Ulu Camii, Ramazanoğlu Hall
and Sabancı Merkez Camii. Adana Center for Arts and Culture
, Sabancı Cultural Center
, Seyhan Cultural Center and Greater Municipality Theater Hall are also located at the district.
Seyhan Governorship is the district branch of the central government operating under the Adana Governorship. The chief executive of the Seyhan district is the District Governor who is appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Seyhan Governorship overseas the functioning of the district directorates of the ministries.
Seyhan directorate of the Adana Province Special Administration is the district branch of the provincial administration. Seyhan district is represented with 11 members at the 61-member Adana Provincial Parliament.
The only municipality incorporated in the Seyhan district is the Seyhan Municipality since the district is completely absorbed within the city of Adana. The municipality serves the entire Seyhan district and it is further divided into neighborhoods, the smallest administrative units of the province. Seyhan is the only district in the Adana Province that does not have a village.
Azim Öztürk, A former professor of the Çukurova University, is the mayor of Seyhan since 2004. Öztürk is currently serving his second term and he's the first mayor of Seyhan to be re-elected to the office. In the last mayoral election on March 29, 2009, he was elected slightly ahead of Ahmet Özlü and Turan Özer with only %26 of the popular votes. The turnout was a high of %80.5, where the total number of registered voters were 643,818.
|-
|1
|AKP
|Azim Öztürk
|align="right"|93,710
|align="right"|26,19
|align="right"|
|-
|2
|MHP
|Ahmet Özlü
|align="right"|90,343
|align="right"|25,24
|align="right"|
|-
|3
|CHP
|Turan Özer
|align="right"|90,008
|align="right"|25,15
|align="right"|
|-
|4
|DTP
|Mustafa Avcı
|align="right"|53,781
|align="right"|15,03
|align="right"|
|-
|5
|Independent
|Bülent Özülkü
|align="right"|9,464
|align="right"|2,644
|align="right"|
|}
The 21 commissions of the council are; environment, legal, urban development, budget planning, education, culture, transportation, tariffs, health care, public relations, youth and sports, consumer protection, auditing, human rights, real estate, social services, EU and foreign affairs, tourism, disabled rights, earthquake and disasters and urban transformation. Each commission has 5 councilor members elected by the council.
Municipal Council consists of 45 members. The candidates for the councilor positions are either nominated by National Parties or run independently. The councilors are elected by the d'Hondt method
, where the whole municipality is one electoral district and there is 10% threshold for a party to gain seat at the council. As with mayor, councilors are elected for a 5-year term. Left-wing and right-wing parties have a slight balance at the council. Left leaning CHP
leads the council with 18 members, conservative AKP
and far-right Turkish nationalist MHP
have 12 members and left-wing pro-Kurdish BDP
has 3 members at the council.
) are administered by the muhtar and the Neighborhood Seniors Council consisting of 4 members. Muhtar and the Senior Council are elected for 5 years at the local elections and are not affiliated with political parties. Neighborhoods are not an incorporation therefore do not hold government status. Muhtar, although being elected by the residents, acts merely as an administrator of the district governor. Muhtar can voice neighborhood issues to the municipal hall together with the Seniors Council.
Seyhan has total of 99 neighborhoods, 69 of them in the urban area, 30 are outside the urban area. The neighborhoods outside the urban area are the former villages and the municipalities that annexed to the city of Adana as city borders are expanded in 2008.
, Şakirpaşa Airport
and the little canal.
Old Town: Referring to the city of Adana before the foundation of the Republic, this zone is bordered by D400 state road on the road, Seyhan river
on the west, roughly Debboy and Obalar street at the south and the Adana Şakirpaşa Airport on the west. The city was first founded in Tepebağ and then spread in three directions, thus this zone holds almost all the history of Adana. The 20 neighborhoods of this zone are; Kayalıbağ, Tepebağ
, Karasoku, Ulucamii, Türkocağı, Sarıyakup, Alidede, Beşocak, Hurmalı, Kuruköprü, Hanedan, Kocavezir, Sucuzade, Mirzaçelebi, İstiklal, Yeşilyuva, Emek, Meydan, Gülpınar and Dumlupınar.
Three boulevards: This zone is one of the fine samples of planned neighborhoods of the Republic Era. It is locally named with the three major boulevards passing within the zone, Ziyapaşa, Atatürk and Gazipaşa. Founded north of the city, it is currently bordered by D-400 state road on the south, Seyhan river
on the west, railway line on the north and metro
line on the west. The metropolitan hall is located in this zone close to the intersection of Atatürk boulevard and D400 state road. It hosts the major sports venues of Adana: 5 Ocak Stadium, Atatürk Swimming Complex and Adnan Menderes Sports Hall. The most popular parks of the city, Merkez Park and the Atatürk Park, are also located here. The four neighborhoods of this zone are; Reşatbey, Çınarlı, Cemalpaşa and Kurtuluş. The population of this zone is 39,037.
North of the railway line: Covering the area north of the railway line, west of the Seyhan river, east of the metro line and south of the Çukurova
district, this zone has seen rapid growth since 1960's and has planned and unplanned sections. North-west part of this zone is known as the Hospitals area, home to Numune, Chest Diseases and the Military hospitals. The 6 neighborhoods of this zone are Ziyapaşa, Sümer, Gazipaşa, Namık Kemal, Yenibaraj and Yeşilyurt.
North of the little canal: Mostly an unplanned residential zone, it is bordered by the little irrigation canal on the south, metro line on the east, Çukurova district on the north and roughly Öğretmenler Boulevard on the west. The 10 neighborhoods of this zone are; Tellidere, Fatih, Pınar, 2000 Evler, Gürselpaşa, Güzelyurt, Kıyıboyu, Mavibulvar, Bahçeşehir and Yeni Mahalle
South of the little canal: This zone covers the area, little canal on the north, the metro line on the east, D400 state road on the south and Öğretmenler Boulevard on the west. It is a residential and an industrial zone and home to Adana City Hall, Adana Province Special Administration headquarters and the Adana Police headquarters (under construction). 12 neighborhoods of the zone are; Mithatpaşa, Döşeme, Denizli, Narlıca, Ahmet Remzi Yüreğir, Sakarya, İsmetpaşa, Yeşilevler, Demetevler, Barış, Fevzipaşa and Aydınlar.
East of the Airport: Covering the area west and north of the Şakirpaşa Airport, south of the D400 and west of the Adana Hippodrome, it has unplanned residential areas as well as small-scale industrial sites. 5 neighborhoods of this zone are; Şakirpaşa, Uçak, Onur, Ova and Yeşiloba,
South of the Old Town: This zone covers the area south of the old town and Şakirpaşa Airport and west of the Seyhan river. It is largely a low-income residential area of unplanned neighborhoods filled with shanty homes. It was started being populated during the city's explosive growth in 1950's and seen further growth during the mass migration of Kurds from Southeastern Anatolia Region
in 1990's during the peak of Turkey-PKK conflict. The unemployment rates are very high in this zone. The 12 neighborhoods of this zone are; Mestanzade, Hürriyet, Havuzlubahçe, Bahçelievler, Dağlıoğlu, Gülbahçesi, Şehit Duran, Yenibey, Barbaros, Bey, Akkapı, Mıdık.
Karayusuflu: 9 neighborhoods of this former municipality are; Bahçelievler, Serinevler, Kayışlı, Salmanbeyli, Dervişler, Çaputçu, Köylüoğlu, Dörtağaç, Mürseloğlu
Küçükdikili: 5 neighborhoods of this former municipality are; Çınarlı, Dikili, Kavaklı, Mekan, Söğütlü,
Former Villages: 16 neighborhoods that were formerly villages are; Büyük Çıldırım, Büyük Dikili, Camuzcu, Gökçeler, Gölbaşı, Karakuyu, Koyuncu, Kuyumcular, Küçük Çıldırım, Sarıhamzalı, Sarıhuğlar, Yalmanlı, Yenidam, Yolgeçen, Zeytinli, Hadırlı,
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It is completely within the city of Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
and the municipality of Seyhan is a lower-tier municipality which serves to the entire district.
Seyhan is home to 35 percent of the residents of Adana Province and almost half of the residents of the city of Adana. It is the fifth most populous metropolitan district in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The district is the first settlement area of Adana and gets its name from the river
Seyhan River
The Seyhan River is the longest river in Turkey that is flowing into Mediterranean Sea. The river is 560 km and flows southwest from its headwaters in the Tahtalı-Mountains in Anti-Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea via a broad delta...
that forms the east border.
Seyhan is the administrative, business and cultural center of Adana. It includes the historical neighborhood of Tepebağ
Tepebağ
Tepebağ is a historical neighborhood in the old town of Adana. It is situated on a hill overlooking to the Seyhan River steps away from the Taşköprü, and reflects the traditional housing architecture of the city. Tumulus at Tepebağ is the area of the first settlements in Adana.-History:Throughout...
, and the landmarks such as Büyüksaat, Ulu Camii, Ramazanoğlu Hall
Ramazanoğlu Hall
Ramazanoğlu Hall is the old government residence of the Ramadanids located in Adana. Currently used as a cultural center, it is one of the oldest samples of a mansion in Turkey...
and Sabancı Merkez Camii. Adana Center for Arts and Culture
Adana Center for Arts and Culture
Adana Center for Arts and Culture is a public facility for cultural events operating at the historical state building of Adana that served as a school for most of its history...
, Sabancı Cultural Center
Sabancı Cultural Center
Hacı Ömer Sabancı Cultural Center is a complex in Adana that is composed of a theatre hall, public library, fine arts gallery and an exhibition hall. It has been established on an area of 1.5 hectare, located at the west end of the Seyhan Bridge across the Sabancı Mosque.-History:The Center was...
, Seyhan Cultural Center and Greater Municipality Theater Hall are also located at the district.
Governance
Seyhan district is administered by three levels of government; central government, provincial administration and the municipality.Seyhan Governorship is the district branch of the central government operating under the Adana Governorship. The chief executive of the Seyhan district is the District Governor who is appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Seyhan Governorship overseas the functioning of the district directorates of the ministries.
Seyhan directorate of the Adana Province Special Administration is the district branch of the provincial administration. Seyhan district is represented with 11 members at the 61-member Adana Provincial Parliament.
The only municipality incorporated in the Seyhan district is the Seyhan Municipality since the district is completely absorbed within the city of Adana. The municipality serves the entire Seyhan district and it is further divided into neighborhoods, the smallest administrative units of the province. Seyhan is the only district in the Adana Province that does not have a village.
Seyhan Municipality
Seyhan Municipality was incorporated in 1986 as a lower-tier municipality as Adana Municipality is upgraded to a metropolitan status. The organs of the Seyhan Municipality are the mayor, encümen (the executive committee) and the municipal council.Mayor
Mayor is the chief executive of the municipality, presides municipal departments and chairs the municipal council. Mayoral candidates are either nominated by National Parties or run independently. The mayor is elected by first past the post voting for a 5-year term.Azim Öztürk, A former professor of the Çukurova University, is the mayor of Seyhan since 2004. Öztürk is currently serving his second term and he's the first mayor of Seyhan to be re-elected to the office. In the last mayoral election on March 29, 2009, he was elected slightly ahead of Ahmet Özlü and Turan Özer with only %26 of the popular votes. The turnout was a high of %80.5, where the total number of registered voters were 643,818.
|-
|1
|AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
|Azim Öztürk
|align="right"|93,710
|align="right"|26,19
|align="right"|
|-
|2
|MHP
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
|Ahmet Özlü
|align="right"|90,343
|align="right"|25,24
|align="right"|
|-
|3
|CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
|Turan Özer
|align="right"|90,008
|align="right"|25,15
|align="right"|
|-
|4
|DTP
Democratic Society Party
The Democratic Society Party was a Kurdish Kurdish nationalist political party in Turkey. The party considered itself social democratic, and had observer status in the Socialist International. It was considered to be the successor of the Democratic People's Party...
|Mustafa Avcı
|align="right"|53,781
|align="right"|15,03
|align="right"|
|-
|5
|Independent
|Bülent Özülkü
|align="right"|9,464
|align="right"|2,644
|align="right"|
|}
Municipal Council
Municipal Council is the decision making organ of the Seyhan Municipality. It is responsible for approving by-laws, founding, splitting or amalgamating neighborhoods, strategic planning, urban development planning and zoning, making investments, budgeting, loaning and controlling the mayor's activities. The chair of the council is the mayor. Mayor is assisted by two vice-chairs and two council secretaries who are elected by the council.The 21 commissions of the council are; environment, legal, urban development, budget planning, education, culture, transportation, tariffs, health care, public relations, youth and sports, consumer protection, auditing, human rights, real estate, social services, EU and foreign affairs, tourism, disabled rights, earthquake and disasters and urban transformation. Each commission has 5 councilor members elected by the council.
Municipal Council consists of 45 members. The candidates for the councilor positions are either nominated by National Parties or run independently. The councilors are elected by the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
, where the whole municipality is one electoral district and there is 10% threshold for a party to gain seat at the council. As with mayor, councilors are elected for a 5-year term. Left-wing and right-wing parties have a slight balance at the council. Left leaning CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
leads the council with 18 members, conservative AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
and far-right Turkish nationalist MHP
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
have 12 members and left-wing pro-Kurdish BDP
Peace and Democracy Party
The Peace and Democracy Party ) is a political party in the Republic of Turkey. It succeeded the Democratic Society Party following the closure of the latter party for its alleged connections with the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU.The BDP has observer status in the...
has 3 members at the council.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods (MahalleMahalle
Mahalle is an Arabic word, adopted into Turkish which is variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood." It is an official administrative unit in many Middle Eastern countries. In the Ottoman Empire the mahalle was the smallest administrative entity...
) are administered by the muhtar and the Neighborhood Seniors Council consisting of 4 members. Muhtar and the Senior Council are elected for 5 years at the local elections and are not affiliated with political parties. Neighborhoods are not an incorporation therefore do not hold government status. Muhtar, although being elected by the residents, acts merely as an administrator of the district governor. Muhtar can voice neighborhood issues to the municipal hall together with the Seniors Council.
Seyhan has total of 99 neighborhoods, 69 of them in the urban area, 30 are outside the urban area. The neighborhoods outside the urban area are the former villages and the municipalities that annexed to the city of Adana as city borders are expanded in 2008.
Neighborhoods in the urban area
The urban neighborhoods of Seyhan are spread into 7 distinctive zones. The major separators of these zones are the D400 state road, railway line, Adana MetroAdana Metro
Adana Metro is a rail rapid transit system extending 14 km on the north-south corridor of Adana. It has 13 stations and can transport 21,600 passengers per hour one-way...
, Şakirpaşa Airport
Adana Sakirpasa Airport
Adana Airport or Adana Şakirpaşa Airport is an airport located in the city of Adana in the Adana Province of Turkey. Adana Airport was opened to service as a civil-military airport in 1937. It started to be used as a civil airport in 1956...
and the little canal.
Old Town: Referring to the city of Adana before the foundation of the Republic, this zone is bordered by D400 state road on the road, Seyhan river
Seyhan River
The Seyhan River is the longest river in Turkey that is flowing into Mediterranean Sea. The river is 560 km and flows southwest from its headwaters in the Tahtalı-Mountains in Anti-Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea via a broad delta...
on the west, roughly Debboy and Obalar street at the south and the Adana Şakirpaşa Airport on the west. The city was first founded in Tepebağ and then spread in three directions, thus this zone holds almost all the history of Adana. The 20 neighborhoods of this zone are; Kayalıbağ, Tepebağ
Tepebağ
Tepebağ is a historical neighborhood in the old town of Adana. It is situated on a hill overlooking to the Seyhan River steps away from the Taşköprü, and reflects the traditional housing architecture of the city. Tumulus at Tepebağ is the area of the first settlements in Adana.-History:Throughout...
, Karasoku, Ulucamii, Türkocağı, Sarıyakup, Alidede, Beşocak, Hurmalı, Kuruköprü, Hanedan, Kocavezir, Sucuzade, Mirzaçelebi, İstiklal, Yeşilyuva, Emek, Meydan, Gülpınar and Dumlupınar.
Three boulevards: This zone is one of the fine samples of planned neighborhoods of the Republic Era. It is locally named with the three major boulevards passing within the zone, Ziyapaşa, Atatürk and Gazipaşa. Founded north of the city, it is currently bordered by D-400 state road on the south, Seyhan river
Seyhan River
The Seyhan River is the longest river in Turkey that is flowing into Mediterranean Sea. The river is 560 km and flows southwest from its headwaters in the Tahtalı-Mountains in Anti-Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea via a broad delta...
on the west, railway line on the north and metro
Adana Metro
Adana Metro is a rail rapid transit system extending 14 km on the north-south corridor of Adana. It has 13 stations and can transport 21,600 passengers per hour one-way...
line on the west. The metropolitan hall is located in this zone close to the intersection of Atatürk boulevard and D400 state road. It hosts the major sports venues of Adana: 5 Ocak Stadium, Atatürk Swimming Complex and Adnan Menderes Sports Hall. The most popular parks of the city, Merkez Park and the Atatürk Park, are also located here. The four neighborhoods of this zone are; Reşatbey, Çınarlı, Cemalpaşa and Kurtuluş. The population of this zone is 39,037.
North of the railway line: Covering the area north of the railway line, west of the Seyhan river, east of the metro line and south of the Çukurova
Çukurova, Adana
Çukurova is a district in the Adana Province of Turkey. A large portion of the district is within the city of Adana, incorporated under the same name as a lower-tier municipality. It is a modern residential district which came into being in the last 30 years as the city expanded north...
district, this zone has seen rapid growth since 1960's and has planned and unplanned sections. North-west part of this zone is known as the Hospitals area, home to Numune, Chest Diseases and the Military hospitals. The 6 neighborhoods of this zone are Ziyapaşa, Sümer, Gazipaşa, Namık Kemal, Yenibaraj and Yeşilyurt.
North of the little canal: Mostly an unplanned residential zone, it is bordered by the little irrigation canal on the south, metro line on the east, Çukurova district on the north and roughly Öğretmenler Boulevard on the west. The 10 neighborhoods of this zone are; Tellidere, Fatih, Pınar, 2000 Evler, Gürselpaşa, Güzelyurt, Kıyıboyu, Mavibulvar, Bahçeşehir and Yeni Mahalle
South of the little canal: This zone covers the area, little canal on the north, the metro line on the east, D400 state road on the south and Öğretmenler Boulevard on the west. It is a residential and an industrial zone and home to Adana City Hall, Adana Province Special Administration headquarters and the Adana Police headquarters (under construction). 12 neighborhoods of the zone are; Mithatpaşa, Döşeme, Denizli, Narlıca, Ahmet Remzi Yüreğir, Sakarya, İsmetpaşa, Yeşilevler, Demetevler, Barış, Fevzipaşa and Aydınlar.
East of the Airport: Covering the area west and north of the Şakirpaşa Airport, south of the D400 and west of the Adana Hippodrome, it has unplanned residential areas as well as small-scale industrial sites. 5 neighborhoods of this zone are; Şakirpaşa, Uçak, Onur, Ova and Yeşiloba,
South of the Old Town: This zone covers the area south of the old town and Şakirpaşa Airport and west of the Seyhan river. It is largely a low-income residential area of unplanned neighborhoods filled with shanty homes. It was started being populated during the city's explosive growth in 1950's and seen further growth during the mass migration of Kurds from Southeastern Anatolia Region
Southeastern Anatolia Region
Southeastern Anatolia Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions . It is bordered by the Mediterranean Region to the west, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the north, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.-Provinces:...
in 1990's during the peak of Turkey-PKK conflict. The unemployment rates are very high in this zone. The 12 neighborhoods of this zone are; Mestanzade, Hürriyet, Havuzlubahçe, Bahçelievler, Dağlıoğlu, Gülbahçesi, Şehit Duran, Yenibey, Barbaros, Bey, Akkapı, Mıdık.
Neighborhoods outside the urban area
As the city borders are expanded, the municipalities and the villages in the new limits of the city are annexed to the city. Neighborhoods of the former municipalities and former villages then became part of the Seyhan district as neighborhoods. There are total of 30 non-urban neighborhoods which are located on the west and south end of Seyhan.Karayusuflu: 9 neighborhoods of this former municipality are; Bahçelievler, Serinevler, Kayışlı, Salmanbeyli, Dervişler, Çaputçu, Köylüoğlu, Dörtağaç, Mürseloğlu
Küçükdikili: 5 neighborhoods of this former municipality are; Çınarlı, Dikili, Kavaklı, Mekan, Söğütlü,
Former Villages: 16 neighborhoods that were formerly villages are; Büyük Çıldırım, Büyük Dikili, Camuzcu, Gökçeler, Gölbaşı, Karakuyu, Koyuncu, Kuyumcular, Küçük Çıldırım, Sarıhamzalı, Sarıhuğlar, Yalmanlı, Yenidam, Yolgeçen, Zeytinli, Hadırlı,