Kahramanmaraş is the capital city of Kahramanmaraş Province in southeastern Turkey. The city lies on a plain at the foot of the Taurus Mountains and has a population of 326,198 as of 2000. The region is best known for its production of salep, a flour made from dried orchid tubers, and its distinctive ice cream.
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History
Kahramanmaraş was founded as a Hittite city-state ca. 1000 BC. Later, the city was called Germanicia Caesarea in the time of the Roman and Byzantine empires. It was at the time of the First Crusade the capital of a minor Armenian principality. Prior to 1973, Kahranmanmaras was known as Maraş or Marash. It gained its modern name on October 7, 1973 when the Grand National Assembly of Turkey added "Kahraman" to the name. The addition of "Kahraman" ("hero" in Turkish) was in commemoration of the victory against the French Armenian Legion during the Battle of Maraş in the Turkish War of Independence. After the war, Maraş also received the Turkish Medal of Independence, given to the city as a whole for such actions as the Sütçü İmam Incident. In December 1978, Kahramanmaraş was the site of a massacre of leftist Alevis. An ultra-nationalist group, the Grey Wolves, incited the violence that left over 100 dead. The incident was of key importance in the Turkish government's decision to declare martial law, and the eventual military coup in 1980.[1]
Industry
Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city. Also, many of the American clothing companies like Aéropostale and American Eagle are supplying their yarns from Kahramanmaraş. Some of the internationally-known ice-cream companies like Mado, Yaşar Pastanesi, EDO and Ferah Pastanesi started their business in this ice-cream city and thousands of people visit Kahramanmaraş, just because of its ice-cream (dondurma in Turkish).
Sports
The city has a local football team called; Kahramanmaraşspor which is currently in Turkish 2nd Division Category B Group 5. Kahramanmaraşspor plays its home games in Hanefi Mahçiçek Stadium. Some famous Turkish players like Mehmet Özdilek and Kemalettin Şentürk played in Kahramanmaraşspor before transferring to bigger clubs.
Notable natives
- Şeref Eroğlu - European and World champion, Olympic medalist wrestler
See also
References
- ^ Zurcher, Eric. "Turkey: A Modern History". I.B. Tauris: London, 1993: 276-277
External links
- Kahramanmaraş City Portal
- Kahramanmaraş Communication Portal
- Kahramanmaraş Daily Information Website
- Kahramanmaraş Official Government Website
- Kahramanmaraş Town Office Website
- Kahramanmaraş Town Police Office Website
- Kahramanmaraşspor Unofficial Website
- Kahramanmaraş , University of Sütçü İmam
- Armenian history and presence in Marash
 Kahramanmaraş in Kahramanmaraş Province (in the Mediterranean region) of Turkey |
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| Urban districts | Kahramanmaraş |    |
| Rural districts | Afşin - Andırın - Çağlayancerit - Ekinözü - Elbistan - Göksun - Nurhak - Pazarcık - Türkoğlu | |
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Regions
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| Aegean | ||
| Black Sea | ||
| Central Anatolia | ||
| East Anatolia | ||
| Marmara | ||
| Mediterranean | ||
| Southeastern Anatolia | ||
