İskenderunİskenderun (إسكندرونة), historically known as Alexandretta (Αλεξανδρέττα, little Alexandria) and Scanderoon, is a city in Hatay Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Located on an alluvial plain, the city was heavily damaged by powerful earthquakes in February 2023 and subsequent aftershocks, floods and fires. The city's history dates back to 333 BC, when it was founded by Alexander the Great as Alexandretta. It subsequently fell under Seleucid rule before being conquered by the Romans.
ÇukurovaÇukurova (tʃuˈkuɾova) or the Cilician Plain (Cilicia Pedias in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osmaniye Province and northwestern Hatay Province. Çukurova is a portmanteau of the Turkish words çukur "hollow, depression" and ova "plains". The oldest recorded use of the name in Turkish can be traced back to Aşıkpaşazade's late 15th century work tr.
Armenian Kingdom of CiliciaThe Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: Կիլիկիոյ Հայոց Թագաւորութիւն, ), also known as Cilician Armenia (Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, ), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia (Կիլիկիայի հայկական իշխանութիւն), was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. Located outside the Armenian Highlands and distinct from the Kingdom of Armenia of antiquity, it was centered in the Cilicia region northwest of the Gulf of Alexandretta.
UrfaUrfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (ʃanˈɫɯɾfa), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa in Hellenistic times. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. About northeast of the city is the famous Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, the world's oldest known temple, which was founded in the 10th millennium BC.
Taurus MountainsThe Taurus Mountains (Turkish: Toros Dağları or Toroslar) are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east. It is a part of the Alpide belt in Eurasia. The mountain range under the current name was mentioned in The Histories by Polybius as Ταῦρος (Taûros).
KonyaKonya (ˈkoɲ.ja) is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (Ἰκόνιον). In 19th-century accounts of the city in English its name is usually spelt Konia or Koniah. In the late medieval period, Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Turks' Sultanate of Rum, from where they ruled over Anatolia.
AlawitesThe Alawites (علوية), or pejoratively Nusayris (Nuṣayriyya), are an Arab ethnoreligious group that live primarily in the Levant and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that originated from Shia Islam. The Alawites venerate Ali ibn Abi Talib, revered as the first Imam in the Twelver school, as the physical manifestation of God. The group is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century. Ibn Nusayr was a disciple of the tenth Twelver Imam, Ali al-Hadi and of the eleventh Twelver Imam, Hasan al-Askari.
TrabzonTrabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Persia in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast. The Venetian and Genoese merchants paid visits to Trabzon during the medieval period and sold silk, linen and woolen fabric.
Tarsus, MersinTarsus (ˈtɑrsəs; Hittite: 𒋫𒅈𒊭 Tārša; Ταρσός Tarsós; Տարսոն Tarson; طَرسُوس Ṭarsūs) is a historic city in south-central Turkey, inland from the Mediterranean. It is part of the Adana-Mersin metropolitan area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey. Tarsus forms an administrative district in the eastern part of Mersin Province and lies at the heart of the Çukurova region. With a history going back over 6,000 years, Tarsus has long been an important stop for traders and a focal point of many civilisations.
GaziantepGaziantep (ɡaːˈziantep), historically Aintab and still informally called Antep (ˈantep), is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region. It is located approximately east of Adana and north of Aleppo, Syria and situated on the Sajur River. The city is thought to be located on the site of ancient Antiochia ad Taurum and is near ancient Zeugma.
