Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality

Turkey / Kahramanmaras /
 city, capital city of state/province/region
Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ, Greek: Γερμανίκεια, Turkish: Kahramanmaraş) - is the capital of Kahramanmaraş Province in southeast of today's Turkey. The city lies on a plain at the foothills starting Armenian Taurus Mountains and has a population of 326,198 as of 2000. Marash was initially called Germanikeya. The city was laying at crossroads of many countries and interests throughout history.It was a part of: Seleukid kingdom and Armenian empire of Tigranes The Great, Roman empire and Byzantium, Arabic caliphate and Kingdom of Cilician Armenia, Mamluk Sultanate and eventually fell into the Ottoman hands. At 1258-1304 Marash became the seat of Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia). By the end of the 19th century Marash was a city populated mainly by Armenians at the north of Aleppo Vilayet of Ottoman empire. Marash city had 6 Armenian Apostolic, 3 Armenian Evangelical and a sole Armenian Catholic cathedrals. But Armenian population of Marash thrice was subjected to massacres by the Turks: 1894-96, 1915-18 and 1920-21. As a result Armenians were either expelled from the whole Cilician region or died through massacres and death marches. In 1920 after the Battle of Marash, Turks who expelled French forces from Cilicia, defeated numerically small Armenian units defending the city, massacere last remnants the Armenian population and considering this as heroism, rename historic name of Marash to Kahramanmarash. Kahraman in Turkish language means "hero". Today's Kahramanmarash region is best known for its production of salep, a flour made from dried orchid tubers, and its distinctive ice cream.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahramanmaraş
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Coordinates:   37°34'15"N   36°54'46"E

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  • Kahramanmaraş was originally established by the Armenian culture that first settled in the region and has been traced back to 4000 BC. Evidence shows the migration after the great flood as talked about in the Old Testament. The region began centralizing in population during the Early Bronze Age circa 3100 BC. which along with the increase of people, also increased in wealth due to traders. This cultural establishment attracted many travelers from Anatolia seeking rare goods imported from regions far as Mediterranean bordering countries like ancient Greece. In 1300 BC. he Armenian people were occupied by the Hittites, who controlled an empire spanning from the edge of modern day Turkey down to the edge of Egypt under Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II . Kaykhusraw I, Sultan of Rum captured Maraş. Seljuk rule lasted to 1253. In 1253, Maraş fell to the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, following the invasion of Anatolia by the Ilkhanate. Maraş was left to Armenians on condition as vassal of the Mongols. Maraş was captured by Al-Ashraf Khalil, Mamluk Sultan in 1292. But, it was recaptured by Hethum II, King of Cilician Armenia with Mongol alliance. Maraş finally passed to Mamluks in 1304. With the looming Young Turk Revolution of 1908, riots initially protesting government reform, spiraled to rage against the Armenian people. Possibly due to political views in support of the existing government constitution or because of being the Christian minority in the region, it soon turned to full scale massacres in 1909. In 1917 a country-backed Armenian Genocide had killed 1.5 million people in the span of three years. The Ottoman claimed Maraş shortly after with many of the city's wealthy Armenian families gone, of which played a key role in the prior economic structure.While many Armenian families had to flee their homes during the Turkish advancement, some rallied to protect their homes forming a millitia. This opposition reffered to as the "Fighting Marash", consisted of ordinary fathers and sons fending off advancing forces using gurilla tactics. Otherwise unsuccessfull attempts to hold the area, many of the millitia still alive were forced to retreat to neighboring countries.