Adana @ Travel Turkey

Countdown begins for Sabancı Theater Festival in southern Turkey
The 13th State Theaters-Sabancı International Adana Theater Festival will kick off March 27 in the Mediterranean province of Adana. 'The Symphony of Water' by Italian group Studio Festi, who performed on the city's iconic Taşköprü last year, ... March 8, 2011 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=sabanci-tiyatro-festivali-suyun-senfonis...

Direct flights from Saudi Arabia to Turkey's Adana and Hatay
Saudi Arabia's budget air carrier Nasair has started direct flights between Adana and Jeddah and Riyadh and Hatay. Saudi Arabia's budget air carrier Nasair has started direct flights between Adana and Jeddah and Riyadh and Hatay ... March 16, 2011
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=71182...

Turkey's first literary museum to open in Adana
The first of five literary museums to be established in five Turkish provinces by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will open in the southern city of Adana. January 2, 2011 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n...

Adana welcomes visitors with orange trees, hot weather
Orange trees, hot weather, famous places and rich soil: the province of Adana in southern Turkey has it's own ways to welcome people from all over the world. September 30, 2010 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=adana-welcomes-visitors-with-orange-trees...

Adana is named among the 25 European Regions of the Future for 2006/2007 by Foreign Direct Investment Magazine. Chosen alongside Kocaeli for Turkey, Adana scored the most points for cost effectiveness against Kocaeli's points for infrastructure development, while Adana and Kocaeli tied on points for the categories of human resources and quality of life.

One of the largest and most dynamic cities in Turkey and situated thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) inland, Adana is the gateway to the Cilician plain, now known as the Çukurova plain, the large stretch of flat and fertile land which lies to the south-east of the Taurus Mountains. This is possibly the most productive area in this part of the world.

History

The history of Adana is intrinsically linked to the history of Tarsus; they seem often to be the same city, moving as the neighboring Seyhan River changed its position, and the name changed too over the course of centuries. Adana was of little importance in ancient history, while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Also, Ayas (today Yumurtalık), and Kozan (formerly Sis) have been population and administrative centers, especially during the time of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.

The history of Adana goes back more than 3000 years; finds in the region reveal human occupation of the area during the Paleolithic Age. Tepebag Tumulus, where archaeologists found a stone wall and a city center, was built in the Neolithic Age; it is considered to be the oldest city of the Cilicia region. In the mid 7th century, the Arab Abbasids captured the city. The Byzantines recaptured Adana in 964. After the victory of Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert, the Seljuk Turks overran much of the Byzantine Empire. om the end of the Renaissance to the modern era (1517-1918), the Ottoman Empire ruled the area.

Etymology

Some claim that the name is derived from the Hittite URUAdaniya of Kizzuwatna, while others contend that it is related with the legendary Danaus and the Danaoi, a legendary Greek tribe. In the Iliad of Homer, the city is called Adana. In Hellenistic times, it was known as Antiochia in Cilicia or Antiochia ad Sarum. The editors of The Helsinki Atlas tentatively identify Adana as Quwe (as contained in cuneiform tablets), the Neo-Assyrian capital of Quwe province. The name also appears as Coa, and may be the place referred to in the Bible, where King Solomon obtained horses. (I Kings 10:28; II Chron. 1:16).

The name of the city is believed to have come from a legend that Adanus and Sarus, two sons of Uranus, came to a place near the Seyhan River where they built Adana.

Alternatively, it is believed that Adad (Tesup), the name of the Hittite Thunder God that lived in the forest was given to the region. The Hittites ideas, names and writings have been found in the area so this is a strong possibility. The theory goes that since the Thunder God brought so much rain and this rain in turn brought such great abundance in this particular region, this god was loved and respected by its inhabitants and, in his honor, the region was called the 'Uru Adaniyya'; in other words 'The Region of Ada'.

Adana's name has had many different versions over the centuries: Adanos, Ta Adana, Uru Adaniya, Erdene, Edene, Ezene, Batana, Atana, Azana, Addane.

Adana has become an international metropolis, stretching and swallowing its neighbors. Adana is the marketing and distribution center for the Çukurova agricultural region, where cotton, wheat, corn, soy bean, barley, grapes and citrus fruits are produced in great quantities. The main industries of the city are textile manufacturing, leather tanning, and wool processing. The houses in Adana have flat tops, and the roofs serve as bedrooms for the inhabitants during the hot summers.

The city is also famous for its cuisine, including; the Adana kebab; şalgam, a salty fermented juice made from turnips; Şırdan a kind of home-made sausage stuffed with rice, and eaten with cumin; paça, boiled sheep's feet; bicibici (pronounced as bee-jee-bee-jee) made from diced semolina, rose water and sugar and served with crushed ice, consumed especially in summer time. Furthermore, the city has a number of famous desserts, such as Halka Tatlı a round shaped dessert and Ta%u015F Kaday%u0131f a bow shaped dessert. Several types of fruit, including the apricot, are native to this area.

NATO's Incirlik Air Base is located in town of İncirlik, 12 km (7 mi) east of Adana. Shopping in Adana is enhanced the 'American bazaar' a street market selling new and second-hand goods that have seeped out of the Incirlik Air-base.

Sightseeing

• Stone Bridge, built in part during the 6th-century reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, the oldest extant bridge in the world which is still in use.
• Yilanlı Kale The ruins of a castle dating from 782.
• Büyük Saat (The Great Clock), a large clock tower, was built by the local governor of Adana in 1882. Unfortunately, it was damaged during the French occupation but it was rebuilt in 1935, and its image can be found in the city's coat of arms. There are many historical buildings and tombs of local governors next to the Büyük Saat.
• The Old Bazaar, Kazancılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of Cauldron-Makers), founded around Büyük Saat, where Çarşı Hamamı (Bath of the Bazaar), a Turkish bath built in 1519 can be found.
• Bebekli Kilise (Church of Babies) is an old Catholic church located in the city center. There are many historic houses in the street where the church is located.
• Seyhan Dam
• Ramazanoğlu Türbesi

Mosques

• Adana Ulu Camii
• New Mosque
• Butter mosque
• Eski Camii
• Sabancı Mosque
• Alemdar Mescidi
• Şeyh Zülfi mescidi

Museums

• Adana Museum
• Adana Etnography Museum
• Adana Archeological Museum
• Adana Atatürk Museum
• Misis Mosaic Museum

Hammams

• Irmak Hamamı
• Mestenzade Hamamı
• Yeni Hamam

Festivals

• Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival (Altın Koza Film Festivali)

How to get Adana

Daily flights link Adana with İstanbul and Ankara. There are less frequent departures from Antalya. Inter-city coaches travel to the city at reasonable rates from virtually every town and city across Turkey.

Where to stay in Adana

Expensive: Seyhan Hotel Tel 0322/457 5818, ww.otelseyhan.com. Right by the Archaeology Museum and Sabancı Mosque; great buffet breakfast and views across to the river. Budget: Mercan Tel 0322/351 2603 www.otelmercan.com. Excellent value and spotless city-center hotel.

Where to eat in Adana

Yüzevler Tel 0322/454 7513 Ziyapaşa Bulvarı. The place where locals head for their Adana kebab fix.

Adana Article on Wikipedia

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1- Adana @ Travel Turkey
2- Adana Article on Wikipedia

Some text above is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.