TUFANBEYLI

'Tufanbeyli' is a district of Adana Province of Turkey, 196km north-east of the city of Adana, on an uneven, sloping plateau high in the Tahtalı range of the Toros mountains.
Tufanbeyli is reached by crossing one of three high mountain passes. It's a struggle to reach but the views are incredible. The river Göksün, a tributary of the Seyhan runs across the plateau. The climate is hot dry summers and cold winters. The mountains are forested but these are steadily being consumed by the local people.

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History

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History

The area has been inhabited for a long time, there are Hittite burial mounds in the village of Hanyeri and Gebze, and the ruins of a Roman ampitheatre, an antique castle and a Byzantine church. And more antique ruins in the district of Şar. In the past the town was named Hüketçe and Mağra.
The area is now settled by descendants of Turks from the Caucasus and the Avşar (Afshar? tribe; the former having come to Anatolia in flight from the Russian influx into the Caucasus in the 18th and 19th centuries. The latter being the one group of Turkish migrants from Asia that have preserved their clan identity in Anatolia. The Avşar played a key role in the Turkish conquest of the Çukurova region and remained a local authority right up until the 19th century, especially in mountain strongholds like Tufanbeyli.

See also

★ Short intro to the area

★ website Devoted to the Avşar culture