Adana

Adana is also famous for its delicious Adana Kebap. The tea houses and restaurants alongside the Seyhan Dam and Lake provide a cool and perfect view of the city and the river at sunsets. Yumurtalık (84 km from Adana) and Karataş (50 km from Adana) are the nearest beaches with proper accommodation. In Yumurtalık there is an ancient harbour castle contributing much to this pretty fishing city. For fishing, there is Camlik Park 30 km southwest of Adana. There are some ancient cities on the road to Iskenderun which include Roman remnants. Misis is on the caravan route that came from China, India and Persia. Among the remains of Roman times, the most interesting is the elegant mosaic of the 4th century AD representing Noah's Ark. Yılanlıkale has the ruins of a fortress set atop a peak dominating the River Ceyhan. Dilekkaya, the ancient Anavarza, was an important Roman - Byzantine city which still preserves the outline of the old city including two particularly worthwhile mosaics. Karatepe National Park is the neohittite site where you will find the remains of the summer residence of King Asitawada, tablets of Hittite and Phoenician inscriptions, and an openair museum holding many remnants. Castabala and Toprakkale are the other historical remains. Karsan Forest, Burucek, Tekir, Horzum, Zorkum meadows are ideal for picnicking and resting.

Adana, the most important city for the Ancient Cilician religion, and the centre of many civilizations from the Hittite to the Ottoman,is the fourth largest city in Türkiye. It was named after Adanus, the son of Uranus according to Anatolian mythology. The city is located by the Seyhan river, which winds the Toros (Taurus) Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. The history of the Tepebağ tumulus in the middle of adana dates to the Neolithic Period, 6000 B.C., and the time of the first human settlements.

Adana was first the centre of the Hatti Kingdom. It became part of the Hitite Empire in 1350 B.C., and part of the Persian Empire in the 7th century B.C. Alexander the Great and after his army resided here in 333 B.C. After the death of Alexander, it became a part of Slevkos. Rome acguired Adana in the provincial goverment center in the 1st century B.C. during this period Adana became an important trade centre. Adana belonged to the Sasani Empire in 260 A.D., to the Byzantians in the 5th century A.D., to the Abbasids in the 10th century, to the century, to the Seljuks in the 11th century, to the Armenians in the 12th century, at which time Adana became a Turkish city for the rest of its history.

The Turks who came to Adana from the Middle East in the 14th century, were attracted by the productive and irrigated land. Adana was established as a new civilization under their leadership. The Sarus River was renamed the Ceyhan. The District Goverment of Ramazanoğlu was established in 1352 and continued until 1517 in Adana. In that year, the Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Selim, who went to war with Egypt, annexed the city to the Ottoman Empire. In 1535, Adana was the residence of the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, at war in the east, and of the Ottoman Sultan Murat IV, who warred with Baghdad, the city was olso occupied by the Egyptian povincial governor's son and his army, who opposed the Ottoman Empire.

Taşköprü: Taşköprü was built by the Roman Empire architect Auexntus in the 4th century A.D., over the Seyhan River in Adana. The bridge has 21 archs, 7 of which are under water, and 14 of which can still be viewed. A model of the same bridge is presently in Rome.

Adana Museum: The Adana Museum, in the centre of Adana on the E-5 highway, was established in 1924. Antiques from Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Mersin Yumuktepe, Tarsus, Gözlükule, Misis and Çukurova excavations are exhibited, and religious artifacts are also displayed.

Ethnographical Museum: This museum is in the centre of Adana, in the Kuruköprü district. There are antigues from the Çukurova Turkoman tribe and also Islamic stone antiques.

Bebekli Church: Built between 1880 and 1890, its official name is the church of Saint Paul. At the top of the church is a 2.5 metre-high bronze statue of the virgin Mary. There is a daily ceremony at 18:00 pm, attesting to the respect the Turkish people feel for other religions.

Mosaic Museums: There are many mosaics in Çukurova dating from the early Roman period, including: Misis mosaics, Imamoğlu-Koyuevi, Kozan-Ferhatlı, Osmaniye Çardak, Düziçi-Yalamazlı village mosaics and Thetisli mosaics in Anavarza.

Hierapolis - Kastabala: It was a great Roman city, established during the 1st century B.C. Among the rocks are streets, places from the 6th century, a theatre, a castle and graves. Kastabala had a great importance in antiguity because of its Temple of Artemis.

The last Hittite City - Karatepe - Aslantas: This border castle was built by Adana's King Asativatas in the 8th century B.C. It contains a sphinx, reliefs and antigues, and has a great international importance because of its hieroglyphs.

Anavarza ruins: This ancient city's date of establishment isn't known for certain, but it was perhaps first established in 408 A.D. as the Cilician capital. Anavarza Castle of this city was the central Cilician castle. Remains in the ruins include: walls, the castle, rows, street, and two pools in front of a house with mosaics.

Ayas - Aegea ancient city: An important harbour-city, Aegea was most populated during the 1st century B.C. The city antigues include Ayas Castle, Süleyman Tower and the Marco Polo Portside.

Trekking: Trekking in the Toros mountains is a lot of fun. Start your trek at Pozanti Hamidiye village, pass through Mazmulu-Karanfil Mountain en route, stop overnight at Mazmulu and complete your trek in Eyni Valley.

Rafting: The Adana Seyhan and Feke Göksu rivers are lovely for rafting, and they will be opened to tourists as soon as possible.

Hunting: You can hunt hare, fox and lynx on the Toros mountains, wild bear and mufflon in the Karanfil Mountains, game birds include the wood pigeon, quail, grey partridge, francohin, greyleg goose and the mallard.

Yayla (high plateaus): The high plateaus of the Toros Mountains of Adana include: Zorkun, Olukbaşı, Almanpinari, Horzum, Çulluuşağı, Göller, Çatıroğlu, İndersi, Çatak, Kızıldağ, Meydan, Başpinar, Bici, Kosurga, Tekir, Bürücek, Belemedik, Armutoluğu, Fındıklı, Asar and Kamışlı.

Picnic sites: The Dağılcak forest picnic area is 10 km away from Kozan and 90 km from Adana. Yerköprü, a chasm on the Çakit stream, has natural lakes at which there are picnic sites famous in that region. The Belemedik picnic site is 79 km from Adana and 10 km from Pozantı; there is a train service from Adana.

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