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Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province. Before 1973, Kahramanmaraş was officially named Maraş, and later, it attained the prefix "kahraman" (meaning "hero" in Turkish) to commemorate Battle of Marash. The city lies on a plain at the foot of the Ahir Dağı (Ahir Mountain).The region is best known for its distinctive ice cream, and its production of salep, a powder made from dried orchid tubers. Kahramanmaraş Airport has flights to İstanbul and Ankara.

History

Early history

In the early Iron Age (late 11th century BC to ca. 711 BC), Maraş was the capital city of the Syro-Hittite state Gurgum (Hieroglyphic Luwian Kurkuma). It was known as "the Kurkumaean city" to its Luwian inhabitants and as Marqas to the Assyrians. In 711 BC, the land of Gurgum was annexed as an Assyrian province and renamed Marqas after its capital.

Maraş was called Germanicia Caesarea ( grc, Γερμανίκεια, Germanikeia) in the time of the Roman and Byzantine empires, probably after Germanicus Julius Caesar rather than the German people. According to a 2010 ''Cumhuriyet'' article, the first ruins of Germanicia have already been unearthed in the Dulkadiroğulları quarters of the city.

Late Antiquity and Medieval Period

During the Byzantine Empire, Germanikeia was seat of an eparch and one of the city's eparch participated in the First Council of Nicea. The city was lost to the Arabs in the 7th century and during the rule of al-Mansur the whole Christian population of the Germanikeia valley was deported and resettled at Ramla in Palestine. After the fall of the Armenian kingdoms in the 11th century the city became an important stronghold for the exiled Armenians and the city became the capital of the short-lived principality of Philaretos Brachamios that at times included Antioch and Edessa.

After Philaretos' death, another Armenian general named Tatoul took over the city and hosted the exhausted army of the First Crusade for four days before it moved on to the Siege of Antioch. According to the Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa, Germanikeia was destroyed by an earthquake and 10,000 people were killed, which is probably an exaggeration. In 1100, the city was captured by the Danishmends, followed by the Seljuks in 1103. In 1107, Crusaders led by Tancred retook it with aid from Toros I of Little Armenia. In 1135, the Danishmends besieged Germanikeia unsuccessfully, but captured it the next year. However, the Crusaders retook it in 1137.

Kaykhusraw I, Sultan of Rum captured Marash in 1208. Seljuk rule lasted to 1258, when Marash was captured by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, following the war with the Ilkhanate. Served by an Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop, it became for a very short period of time, the seat of the Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia. Marash was captured by Al-Ashraf Khalil, Mamluk Sultan, in 1292. It was recaptured by Hethum II, King of Cilician Armenia, in 1299. Marash was finally taken by the Mamluks in 1304.

Marash was ruled by Dulkadirs as vassals of the Mamluks from 1337–1515 before being annexed to the Ottoman Empire. In the early days of Ottoman rule (1525–6) there were 1,557 adult males (total population 7,500); at this time all the inhabitants were Muslims, but later a substantial number of non-Muslims migrated to the city, mainly in the 19th century.

Modern period

During Ottoman rule, the city was initially the centre of Eyalet of Dulkadir (also called Eyalet of Zûlkâdiriyye) and then an administrative centre of a sanjak in the Vilayet of Aleppo.

After the First World War, Marash was controlled by British troops between 22 February 1919 and 30 October 1919, then by French troops, after the Armistice of Mudros. It was taken over by the Turkish National Movement after the Battle of Marash on 13 February 1920. Afterward a massacre of Armenian civilians took place. Roving Turkish bands threw kerosene-doused rags on Armenian homes and laid a constant barrage upon the American relief hospital. The Armenians themselves, as in previous times of trouble, sought refuge in their churches and schools. Women and children found momentary shelter in Marash's six Armenian Apostolic and three Armenian Evangelical churches, and in the city's sole Catholic cathedral. All the churches, and eventually the entire Armenian districts, were set alight. When the 2,000 Armenians who had taken shelter in the Catholic cathedral attempted to leave, they were shot.Hovannisian, Richard G. (1971). ''The Republic of Armenia: The first year, 1918-1919''. University of California Press, p. 41. Early reports put the number of Armenians dead at no less than 16,000, although this was later revised down to 5,000–12,000.

In 1973, Marash's name was changed to Kahramanmaraş when the Turkish government added "Kahraman" to the name, in reference to the resistance to the French occupation after the First World War. ''Kahraman'' means "heroic" or “brave” in Turkish.

In December 1978, the Maraş Massacre of leftist Alevis took place in the city. A Turkish nationalist group, the Grey Wolves, incited the violence that left more than 100 dead. The incident was important in the Turkish government's decision to declare martial law, and the eventual military coup in 1980.

Demographics

In 1913, the town was home to 45 thousand Turks and 30 thousand Armenians, while other ethnic groups had very small representation. The population of the province (which includes the city) was 1,112,634 as of 2017.see Demographics of Turkey#Census

Climate

Kahramanmaraş has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: ''Csa'', Trewartha: ''Cs''). Summers are very hot and dry with a daytime average of 35 °C (95 °F) but temperatures can reach 40 °C (104 °F) quite easily. The highest recorded temperature is 45.2 °C (113.3 °F) on 30 July 2007. Winters are cool and wet with daytime temperatures typically in the 5-10 °C (40-50 °F) range. The coldest temperature recorded is -9.6 °C (14.7 °F) on 6 February 1997.

Industry

Several internationally known ice cream companies, like MADO, Yaşar Pastanesi, EDO and Ferah Pastanesi, started their business in Kahramanmaraş, and thousands of people visit the city because of its ice cream (dondurma in Turkish).

Sports

At elevation, the nearby Yedikuyular Ski Resort offers winter sports activities.

Notable natives

* Leo III - Byzantine emperor (717 - June 18, 741)
* Nestorius - 5th century religious leader
* Gülbahar Hatun - consort of Sultan Bayezid II and the mother of Sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire
* Veysi Kaynak - Turkish politician from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) who currently serves as a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
* Mahir Ünal - Turkish politician and academic from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) who served as the Minister of Culture and Tourism
* Ben Bagdikian - Armenian-American journalist, news media critic and commentator
* Emine Hatun - principal consort of Sultan Mehmed I of the Ottoman Empire
* Serdar Bilgili - Turkish businessman
* Soner Sarikabadayi - Turkish singer
* Necip Fazıl Kısakürek - Turkish poet and writer
* Hasibe Eren - Turkish actor
* Şeref Eroğlu - European and World champion and Olympic medalist wrestler
* George E. White - American missionary and witness to the Armenian Genocide
* Necmettin Hacıeminoğlu, Turkish writer

See also

* Anatolian Tigers
* Cilicia War
* Domuztepe
* Dulkadiroğlu, Kahramanmaraş
* Onikişubat
* Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam University (KSU)

References

External links

Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam UniversityKahramanmaraş Official Government WebsiteKahramanmaraş Town Office Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahramanmaras

Populated places in Kahramanmaraş Province
Recipients of the Medal of Independence with Red Ribbon (Turkey)
Districts of Kahramanmaraş Province
Aleppo vilayet
Crusade places
Roman sites in Turkey