'Sivas' (''sometimes misspelt as "Sıvas"'',
Greek: ''Σεβάστεια'',
Armenian: ''Սեբաստիա'') is the
provincial capital of
Sivas Province in
Turkey. According to the 2005 Turkish census, its population was 306,473.
The city lies at an elevation of 4,193 feet (1,285 m) in the broad valley of the
Kızılırmak river, and is a moderately-sized trade center and industrial city, although the economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Rail repair shops as well as a thriving industry of manufacturing rugs, bricks, cement, and cotton and woolen textiles are all important for the economy of the city. The surrounding region is a cereal-producing area and with large deposits of iron ore, which are worked at
Divrigi.
Sivas is also communications center to the north-south and west-east trade routes to Iraq and Iran, respectively. With the development of railways, the city gained new economic importance, as it stands at the junction of several railways and highways and is linked by air with
Istanbul via
Ankara, as well as an important rail line linking the cities of
Kayseri,
Samsun, and
Erzurum.
Etymology
There are different opinions about the origin of the city's name but there is not a clear and accepted source for these claims. According to one view, the name ''Subasa'' which was firstly mentioned in the
Hittite records for the eastern city, where the river ''Marashantiya'' (
Kızılırmak) had its origin, is the source of the name Sivas. Another view argues that the name comes from a Western origin. According to this claim, after the conquest of
Anatolia by the Roman Empire, Sivas appeared in records as ''Sebaste'' (the name derives from Greek Σεβαστή, a translation of Latin ''Augusta'' in honor of the emperor Augustus). Sivas which was conquered in 1463 by Ottoman Empire army had numerous names before that time. After under the control of Ottoman Empire Sivas became centre of state.
History
Ancient and medieval
The locality has been subjected to many arcological excavations and indicate settlements by many peoples throughout ancient times. Excavations at a mound known as
Topraktepe indicate
Hittite settlements in the locality, although little is known of Sivas' history prior to its emergence as the Roman city of Sebastea, which became the capital of Armenia Minor under the emperor
Diocletian.
An ancient town of importance in the early history of the Christian Church, Sivas was the home of
St. Blaise and
St. Peter of Sebaste, who were bishops of the town, and of
Eustathius, one of the early founders of
monasticism in
Asia Minor — all in the 4th century; the place of martyrdom of the
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, also 4th century; the birthplace (1676) of
Mekhitar, the founder of the Mekhitarist Order. Several patriarchs were born in Sebaste, among them Atticus, 5th‑century Patriarch of Constantinople, and Michael, a 16th‑century Patriarch of Echmiadzin.
The city was once the headquarters of the
Armenian church.
The Armenian king Sennacherib John of Vaspurakan (the southern Armenian kingdom, whose parts make up modern day province of
Van, Turkey) ceded his land to Byzantine emperor
Basil II in 1021 A.D. and immigrated to Sivas with many of his nobles and people and became vassal to Byzantines, until the city was conquered by the
Turkmen Danishmend dynasty (1155–1192) after the
Battle of Manzikert in 1071.
In 1174, the city was captured by
Seljuk ruler
Kilic Arslan II and periodically served as capital of the Seljuk empire along with
Konya. Under Seljuk rule, Sivas was an important center of trade and site of a citadel, along with mosques and madrasahs ( religious educational institutions), four of which survive today and one of which houses the Sivas Museum.
The city fell to the Ottoman Sultan
Bayezid I (1389–1402) in 1398, was lost to
Timur (
Tamerlane; 1336–1405) in 1400, and was recaptured by the Ottomans in 1408. Under the Ottomans, Sivas served as the administrative center of the province of Rum until about the late nineteenth century.
Modern
The
Sivas Congress, which laid the foundations of the modern Turkish Republic, was held in this city on
4 September,
1919. Upon the return of
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881–1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic, from
Amasya, the
Congress of Sivas, considered a turning point in the formation of the Turkish Republic, was held in September 1919. It was at this congress that Kemal's position as chair of the executive committee of the national resistance was confirmed. (see
Turkish War of Independence)
On
July 02,
1993, Thirty-seven Turkish intellectuals and locals participating in the
Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural and Literary Festival were killed when their hotel in downtown Sivas, namely the Madimak Hotel, was burnt down by 2000 members of various anti-democratic, pro-shariah radical islamist groups protesting against
Aziz Nesin, the Turkish translator of
Salman Rushdie's
The Satanic Verses. Individuals who have given their lives that fateful day include, high profile Turkish
Sunni and
Alevi artists and intellectuals such as
Muhlis Akarsu,
Metin Altiok,
Behçet Aysan,
Nesimi Cimen and
Orhan Kaynar, as well as a Dutch anthropologist. Nesin managed to escape the burning building by the help of a fireman, and was carried away to safety from the fanatical mob. Protested by many Turkish and Kurdish singers e.g.
Grup Yorum,
Arif Sağ,
Musa Eroğlu,
Selda Bağcan,
İlkay Akkaya and more, who sang
Aşık Veysel's song "Sivas Ellerinde Sazim Calinir", the tragic and much-condemned incident has been a turnpoint in Turkish political history, with the Government taking a harder stance against religious fanaticism, militant Islam and antisecularism. There have also been national campaigns in late 2006 to convert the Hotel into a museum to commemorate the tragedy, carried out by the
Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Institute itself, the outcome of which are yet to be determined.
Sights
A cultural hub as well as an industrial one, Sivas features many monuments of 13th-century
Seljuk architecture. ''Mavi Medrese'' from 1271,
Şifaiye Medresesi from 1218 and the ''Çifte Minare Medresesi'' from 1271 with its intricately carved facade and minarets are among the most noteworthy edifices. The oldest mosque is the Great Mosque dating from the Turkmen era. Near Sivas lay the Armenian Christian monastery of the Holy Cross, with its royal throne and other relics. It is now entirely destroyed.
''Ulu Camii'' (Mosque) completed in 1196, is famous for its simplicity and it is a showcase for the Seljuk Turks' architectural success. The city is also famous for its ''Medrese''s (Madrasa). ''Gök Medresesi'' (the Celestial Madrasa) and ''Mavi Medrese'' were built in 1271. On the other hand,
Sifaiye Medresesi was completed earlier, in the eve of the second wave of Turkic immigration to Anatolia, in 1218 and the with its intricately carved facade and minarets are among the most noteworthy edifices carries on the traditional Seljuk Medrese plan.
The city also contains some of the finest examples of the Ottoman architectural style. ''Kurşunlu Hamamı'' (Bath) which was completed in 1576, is the largerst bath in the city and it contains many details from the classical Ottoman bath building. ''Behrampaşa Hanı'' (Caravansaray), was completed in 1573 and it is famous for its lion motives around its windows.
''Atatürk Kongre ve Etnografya Müzesi'' (Atatürk Congress and Ethnography Museum) is a museum that is dedicated to the Sivas Congress and the ethnographic pieces special to the region.
Sivas is also famous for its thermal springs which have a respectable percentage in the city's income. People believe that the water of these thermal springs can cure many illnesses. The most famous thermal areas are, ''Sıcak Çermik'', ''Soğuk Çermik'' and ''Kangal Balıklı Kaplıca''.
Notable natives
★
Pir Sultan Abdal - Legendary
Sufi poet
★
Aşık Veysel - poet of the
Turkish folk literature
★
Nebahat Albayrak - Turkish-Dutch politician and currently state minister in the Netherland's government
★
Ahmet Ayık - World and Olympic champion sports wrestler
See also
★
Şifaiye Medrese
★
Sivas Congress
External links
★
Sivas State Theatre's Website
★
Sivaslılar Vakfı - Everything about Sivas and Sivas Culture
★
Bizim Sivas - Sivas' Biggest Local Newspaper
★
The Football Team of Sivas City - Sivasspor - supporters meet here
★
About Sivas
★
Sivas Dick Osseman
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