Karaman
Encyclopedia
Karaman is a town in south central Turkey
, located north of the Taurus Mountains
, about 100 km (62 mi) south of Konya
. It is the capital district of the Karaman
Province
. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231 872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman. The district covers an area of 3686 km² (1,423 sq mi), and the town lies at an average elevation of 1039 m (3,409 ft). The Karaman Museum is one of the major sights.
Laranda which in turn comes from the Luwian language
Larawanda, literally "sandy, a sandy place".
in about 322 BC and later became a seat of Isaurian pirates. It belonged to the Roman
and later Byzantine Empire
until it was captured by the Seljuks in the early 12th century. Karaman was occupied by Frederick Barbarossa in 1190. It was subsequently an important military site as part of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom
, until they lost it. In 1256, the town was taken by the Turkish
warlord
Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey
and was renamed Karaman in his honour. From 1275, Karaman was the capital of the emirate
(and later Ottoman
province) of Karamanid.
In 1468 Karamanid was conquered by the Ottomans and in 1483 the capital of the province was moved to Konya
. Karaman has retained ruins of a Karamanid castle and some walls, two mosques and a Koran school (madrasah
) from that age. An exquisite mihrab
from a mosque
from Karaman can now be found in the Çinili Pavilion near the Archeology Museum
in Istanbul
.
There was a Roman Catholic titular see
for the city.
The poet Yunus Emre
(c. 1238-1320) resided in Karaman and is believed to lie buried beside the Yunus Emre Mosque. A small adjacent park is adorned with quotations from his verse, many of them unfortunately graffiti
-splattered. In 1222, the Sufi preacher Bahaeddin Veled arrived in town with his family, and the Karamanoğlu emir built a medrese to accommodate them. Veled's son was the famous Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, who married his wife, Gevher Hatun, while his family was living in Karaman. It was here, too, that Rumi's mother died in 1224. She was buried, along with other family members, in the Aktekke Mosque (also known as the Mader-i Mevlana Cami), which Alaeddin Ali Bey had built to replace the original medrese in 1370.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, located north of the Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey 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...
, about 100 km (62 mi) south of Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
. It is the capital district of the Karaman
Karaman Province
Karaman Province is a province of central Turkey. It has an area of 9,163 km². It has a population of 232,633 . According to the 2000 census the population was 243,210. Population density is 27.54 people/km². The traffic code is 70. The capital is the city of Karaman...
Province
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231 872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman. The district covers an area of 3686 km² (1,423 sq mi), and the town lies at an average elevation of 1039 m (3,409 ft). The Karaman Museum is one of the major sights.
Etymology
The town owes its name to Karaman Bey who was one of the rulers of the Karamanid dynasty. The former name comes from the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Laranda which in turn comes from the Luwian language
Luwian language
Luwian is an extinct language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. Luwian is closely related to Hittite, and was among the languages spoken during the second and first millennia BC by population groups in central and western Anatolia and northern Syria...
Larawanda, literally "sandy, a sandy place".
History
In ancient times Karaman was known as Laranda. It was destroyed by PerdiccasPerdiccas
Perdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire.Arrian tells us he was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis...
in about 322 BC and later became a seat of Isaurian pirates. It belonged to the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and later Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
until it was captured by the Seljuks in the early 12th century. Karaman was occupied by Frederick Barbarossa in 1190. It was subsequently an important military site as part of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
, until they lost it. In 1256, the town was taken by the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey
Karamanoglu Mehmet Bey
Mehmed Beg or Mehmed Bey of Karaman , also known as Shams al-Din Mehmed Beg was the third ruler of the Karamanids.Mehmet Fuat Köprülü suggested that the government officials, who had been educated under the influence of the Persian culture, had used the Persian language in their state's official...
and was renamed Karaman in his honour. From 1275, Karaman was the capital of the emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
(and later Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
province) of Karamanid.
In 1468 Karamanid was conquered by the Ottomans and in 1483 the capital of the province was moved to Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
. Karaman has retained ruins of a Karamanid castle and some walls, two mosques and a Koran school (madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
) from that age. An exquisite mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
from a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
from Karaman can now be found in the Çinili Pavilion near the Archeology Museum
Istanbul Archaeology Museum
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums is a group of three archeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace.The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of three museums....
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
There was a Roman Catholic titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
for the city.
The poet Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre was a Turkish poet and Sufi mystic. He has exercised immense influence on Turkish literature, from his own day until the present...
(c. 1238-1320) resided in Karaman and is believed to lie buried beside the Yunus Emre Mosque. A small adjacent park is adorned with quotations from his verse, many of them unfortunately graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
-splattered. In 1222, the Sufi preacher Bahaeddin Veled arrived in town with his family, and the Karamanoğlu emir built a medrese to accommodate them. Veled's son was the famous Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, who married his wife, Gevher Hatun, while his family was living in Karaman. It was here, too, that Rumi's mother died in 1224. She was buried, along with other family members, in the Aktekke Mosque (also known as the Mader-i Mevlana Cami), which Alaeddin Ali Bey had built to replace the original medrese in 1370.
Climate
Karaman has a semi-arid climate with hot and dry summers and cold winters. Karaman is a very sunny city all year long.External links
- http://www.kilbasan.net/Website of Karaman's maintown: Kilbasan
- District governor's official website, karaman.gov.tr
- District municipality's official website, karaman.bel.tr
- All About Turkey: Karaman, allaboutturkey.com
- Extensive photo site with highlights of the town,
- Extensive photo site with objects at the museum,
- Karaman City