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, 279 doi:10.24082/abked.2017.15.011 (Al-Bustan) ) is a municipality and district of Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey.Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi , Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. 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 the city was known as "Ablistan" till 15th century. Egyptian-Mamluk historian Muhammad ibn Iyas wrote the city's name as "Albistan". Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey from Dulkadirids used the name "Elbistan" in the official documents. After Dulkadirids were conquered by the Ottoman Empire 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. Elbistan İsminin Tarihçesi
History
The settlement of the Elbistan plain around the town of Elbistan goes back to prehistoric times. In 1947, an important Anatolian hieroglyphic inscription stele was discovered near the village of Karahüyük (Elbistan), which is located 9 km northwest from Elbistan town. This stele is believed to be from the 12th century BC.Karahöyük (Elbistan) Stele hittitemonuments.com
In the mid-10th century, modern settlement of the area began. The town seems to have been settled first by Armenian 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 passed through Anatolia recovering land for the Byzantine Empire in 1097, Peter Aliphas was installed as governor of Plastentia. According to Matthew of Edessa, in 1155-1156 the ruler of Cappadocia, Yaqub Arslan, took people of Lykandos, and then uprooted the whole Christian population of Plastentia and nearby Gaihan, 70,000 in total, and settled them in his lands. As a result, Plastentia was heavily depopulated.Bedrosian, Robert (2022). The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa. Sophene Books. p. 151
In 1256-1257, the Mongol Baidju slew 7,000 of the inhabitants of Elbistan and carried off the young men and women.Vryonis, Speros (1971). The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamisation from the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Century. Berkeley: California University Press. p. 256 In 1277 the Mamluks led by Baybars defeated a Mongol army in the Battle of Elbistan. Thereafter, Elbistan and the region around it became part of the Mamluk northern frontier. In 1337 Zeyneddin Karaca Bey captured the town from the Mamluks and established the Beylik of Dulkadir 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.Akdeniz'in Altın Kenti Kahramanmaraş. Kahramanmaraş Valiliği İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü. p.33 (PDF) Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatnâme from the 17th century gives information about the region that in the mountains and towns mostly reside Turkmens who originally migrated from Bukhara.Derviş Mehmet Zılli bin, Evliya Çelebi (2006). "Mar-iş (Maraş)". Seyahatname. Yeni Şafak Gazetesi. p. 297. ."Elbistan" - Official website of the Kahramanmaras Governor (Kahramanmaraş Valiliği) It seems that some local chiefdoms were given varying degrees of autonomy, notably around the localities of Haticepınar and Kasanlı.
Demographics Evliya Çelebi 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 Turkish with a significant Alevi and Sunni Kurdish population of approximately 10,000. Turkish Alevis are also present.Dursun, Mehmet E.; Kirik, Esra. Elbistan Ağzı (Kahramanmaraş Ağızları - II). Turkish Studies - International Periodical For The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 7/1 Winter 2012, p.1045 DOI:10.7827/TurkishStudies.3174 (PDF) The Turkmen Alevism of the region is historically rooted in the Alevi Turcoman Beylik of Dulkadir in the 14th century.Aras, Bahtiyar Murat; Gökhan, İlyas. "Pazarcık Türkmen Alevileri" - Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Bölümleri . 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 (Köppen: Dsa).
Economy
The Elbistan coalfield supplies lignite to the nearby Afşin-Elbistan power stations in Afşin.
Environment It is said that air pollution in Turkey from the nearby coal-fired power stations 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 to be still operating without filters.
Composition There are 92 neighbourhoods 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 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 politician of Kurdish descent Mazlum Çimen, ballet dancer, award-winning film score composer and folk singer Fidan Doğan, murdered Kurdish activist Tulay Goren, missing Kurdish schoolgirl Kemal Gözükara, mathematician, businessman and president of the Istanbul Arel University Mahir Ünal, Turkish MP and former minister of Culture and Tourism Tahsin Yücel, Turkish translator, novelist, essayist and literary critic
References
External links
Municipality's official website District Governor's official website Elbistan Araç Kiralama