Elbistan (;Aksüt, Ali
"''On the Alevism of Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinozu and Afsin - Elbistan Nurhak Ekinözü Afşin Aleviliği Üzerine - Zum Alevitentum in Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinözü und Afşin''"
- Alevilik-Bektaşilik Araştırmaları Dergisi 2017 (No.15), pp.264-265, 27
doi:10.24082/abked.2017.15.011
/ref> ; (Al-Bustan) ) is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Kahramanmaraş Province Kahramanmaraş Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is 14,520 km2, and its population is 1,177,436 (2022). Its provincial capital is the city o ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 2,201 km², and its population is 141,307 (2022).

Etymology

The name "Elbistan" was pronounced similarly in Byzantine and Islamic sources. Elbistan was known as Plasta and Plastentia () in antiquity. Elbistan was known as ''Ablasta'' () according to Armenian historians in the early 11th century. According to

Baldric of Dol Baldric of Dol ( 10507 January 1130) was Prior (ecclesiastical), prior and then abbot of Bourgueil from 1077 to 1106, then made bishop of Dol-en-Bretagne in 1107 and archbishop in 1108 until his death. He fulfilled his monastic duties by travelling ...

the city was known as ''"Ablistan"'' till 15th century.

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

historian

Muhammad ibn Iyas Muhammad ibn Iyas (June 1448 – 1522/4) is one of the most important historians in modern Egyptian history. He was an eyewitness to the Ottoman invasion of Egypt. He was born in Cairo and took his first education there. His quotes have been u ...

wrote the city's name as ''"Albistan"''. Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey from

Dulkadirids The Beylik of Dulkadir () was one of the Turkish Anatolian beyliks (principality) established by the Oghuz Turk clans Bayat, Afshar, and Begdili after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Etymology The meaning of Dulkadir is unclear. ...

used the name ''"Elbistan"'' in the official documents. After

were conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the 16th century, the current name became prevalent. Among the rural people of Elbistan it is pronounced as ''"Albıstan"''. Albistan means "the orchard" in Arabic.

History

The settlement of the Elbistan plain around the town of Elbistan goes back to prehistoric times. In 1947, an important

Anatolian hieroglyphic Anatolian hieroglyphs are an indigenous logographic script native to central Anatolia, consisting of some 500 signs. They were once commonly known as Hittite hieroglyphs, but the language they encode proved to be Luwian, not Hittite, and the ter ...

inscription stele was discovered near the village of

Karahüyük (Elbistan) Karahüyük (Elbistan) (also known as Karahöyük, Karahoyuk) is a village of Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş province of Turkey. It is located 169 km to the north from Kahramanmaraş city and 9 km northwest from the Elbistan town. In 1947, a ...

, which is located 9 km northwest from Elbistan town. This stele is believed to be from the 12th century BC. In the mid-10th century, modern settlement of the area began. The town seems to have been settled first by

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

immigrants. By the end of the 11th century, the town had become the most important one in the Elbistan plain, was fortified against Turkish raiders and was seat of an Armenian bishop. When the army of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

passed through Anatolia recovering land for the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

in 1097,

Peter Aliphas Peter Aliphas was an 11th-century Frankish knight who served first under Robert Guiscard and later under the Byzantine Empire. Biography Peter Aliphas is typically identified with the Provençal knight Peter of Aulps although some consider him ...

was installed as governor of Plastentia. In 1277 the

Mamluks Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...

led by

Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...

defeated a

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

army in the

Battle of Elbistan On April 15, 1277, the Mamluk Sultan Baybars marched from Syria into the Mongol-dominated Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and attacked the Mongol occupation force in the Battle of Elbistan (Abulustayn). Upon reaching Elbistan with at least 10,000 horsem ...

. Thereafter, Elbistan and the region around it became part of the Mamluk northern frontier. In 1337

Zeyneddin Karaca Bey Zayn al-Din Qaraja Beg (; 1279 – 11 December 1353) was a Turkoman chieftain who founded the Dulkadirid principality in southern Anatolia and northern Syria, ruling from 1337 to 1353. Before his ascendance, Qaraja competed with Taraqlu, ano ...

captured the town from the Mamluks and established the

Beylik of Dulkadir The Beylik of Dulkadir () was one of the Turkish Anatolian beyliks (principality) established by the Oghuz Turk clans Bayat, Afshar, and Begdili after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Etymology The meaning of Dulkadir is unclear. ...

with the region around Elbistan and Marash as its center. Nevertheless, Dulkadirids continued to pay homage to the Mamluks and fought with the Karamandids to defend Mamluk interests though they sought for more autonomy. The Dulkadirids controlled the region for 178 years until the Ottomans finally conquered it in 1515. Elbistan became then known as " vilayet-i Türkmân" in the Ottoman documents.

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

Seyahatnâme ''Seyahatname'' () is the name of a literary form and tradition whose examples can be found throughout centuries in the Middle Ages around the Islamic world, starting with the Arab travellers of the Umayyad period. In a more specific sense, the ...

from the 17th century gives information about the region that in the mountains and towns mostly reside

Turkmens Turkmens (, , , ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and north-western Afghanistan. Sizeable groups of Turkmens are found also in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, ...

who originally migrated from

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

. It seems that some local chiefdoms were given varying degrees of autonomy, notably around the localities of

Haticepınar Haticepınar is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Afşin, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey.Mahall ...

and Kasanlı.

Demographics

noted that the majority of the town's population was Turkoman in his seyahatname. Currently, the majority of the population of the district is

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

with a significant

Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

and Sunni

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

population of approximately 10,000. Turkish

Alevis Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

are also present. The Turkmen Alevism of the region is historically rooted in the Alevi Turcoman

in the 14th century.38>Aras, Bahtiyar Murat; Gökhan, İlyas
"''Pazarcık Türkmen Alevileri''"
- Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Bölümleri 38 pp.18, 30, 78, 94, 110-111, 156, 433, 439, 443-444,

Climate

Elbistan has a fairly dry climate with cold winters and hot, dry summers. Elbistan's climate is classified as a dry-summer

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dsa'').

Economy

The

Elbistan coalfield Elbistan coalfield, also known as Afşin Elbistan Lignite Reserve, is a large lignite coalfield in Kahramanmaraş Province in the south-east of Turkey. Elbistan is the field with the most coal in Turkey. Former Çöllolar coal mine also supplied ...

supplies

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...

to the nearby Afşin-Elbistan power stations in

Afşin Afşin is a municipality and district of Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,502 km2, and its population is 80,044 (2022). It is the location of the ancient town Arabissus. Afşin-Elbistan power stations Two coal fired power ...

Environment

It is said that

air pollution in Turkey In Turkey, air pollution is the most lethal of the nation's environmental issues, with almost everyone across the country exposed to more than World Health Organization guidelines. Over 30,000 people die each year from air pollution-related ill ...

from the nearby

coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating a gigawatt each. They generate ...

s also affects Elbistan, as well as smoke from landfill. In late 2020 the oldest plant Afşin-Elbistan A, was said by opposition MP

Ali Öztunç Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

to be still operating without filters.

Composition

There are 92

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Elbistan District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. * Ağlıca * Akarca * Akbayır * Akören * Aksakal * Alembey * Alkayaoğlu * Armutalan * Atmalıkaşanlı * Bahçelievler * Bakış * Balıkçıl * Battalgazi * Beştepe * Beyyurdu * Büyükyapalak * Çalış * Çatova * Ceyhan * Çiçekköy * Çıtlık * Cumhuriyet * Demircilik * Dervişçimli * Doğan * Eldelek * Elmalı * Esentepe * Evcihüyük * Fakıoğlu * Geçit * Gökçek * Gücük * Gümüşdöven * Günaltı * Gündere * Güneşli * Güplüce * Güvercinlik * Hacıhasanlı * Hasanalili * Hasankendi * Horhor *

İğde İğde is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,697 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). It is located between Elbistan (16 km from it ...

* İkizpınarı * İncecik * Izgın * Kalaycık * Kalealtı * Kangal * Kantarma * Karaelbistan * Karahasanuşağı * Karahüyük * Karamağara * Kavaktepe * Kayageçit * Keçemağara * Kışlaköy * Kızılcıoba * Köprübaşı * Körücek * Köseyahya * Köşkköy * Küçükyapalak * Kümbet * Orhangazi * Ovacık * Özbek * Özcanlı * Pınarbaşı * Sarıyatak * Sevdili * Söğütlü * Sünnetköy * Tapkıran * Tapkırankale * Taşburun * Tepebaşı * Topallı * Toprakhisar * Türkören * Uncular * Uzunpınar * Yalakköy * Yalıntaş * Yapılı * Yapılıpınar * Yapraklı * Yeşilyurt * Yoğunsöğüt * Yunusemre

Notable people

* Mustafa Atici,

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

politician of Kurdish descent *

Mazlum Çimen Mazlum Çimen (born 18 June 1958 in Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş) is a Turkish musician, ballet dancer, film actor, folk singer, and award-winning film score composer. Early life He was born in Sevdilli village of Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş Province on ...

, ballet dancer, award-winning film score composer and folk singer *

Fidan Doğan Fidan Doğan (17 January 1982 – 9 January 2013) was a Kurdish activist who worked at the Kurdish information centre in Paris and also represented the Brussels-based Kurdish National Congress in France. Biography Born in Elbistan in sou ...

, murdered Kurdish activist * Tulay Goren, missing Kurdish schoolgirl *

Kemal Gözükara Kemal Gözükara is a Turkish mathematician and businessman and is also a benefactor and president of the Istanbul Arel University. Life and work Gözükara was born in the village of Eldelek in the district of Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş. He atte ...

, mathematician, businessman and president of the

Istanbul Arel University Istanbul Arel University () is a private nonprofit university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established in 2007 by the Kemal Gözükara Education and Culture Foundation. Teaching is done mostly in English, and there are bachelor, masters an ...

* Mahir Ünal, Turkish MP and former minister of Culture and Tourism *

Tahsin Yücel Tahsin Yücel (17 August 1933 – 22 January 2016) was a Turkish translator, novelist, essayist and literary critic. Born in Elbistan, Yücel studied at the Istanbul University, graduating in French philology. After completing his postgraduate s ...

, Turkish translator, novelist, essayist and literary critic

References

External links

Municipality's official website

District Governor's official website

Elbistan Araç Kiralama
{{Authority control Populated places in Kahramanmaraş Province Districts of Kahramanmaraş Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey Former Armenian inhabited settlements Capitals of former nations