Pozanti
Encyclopedia
Pozantı is a small city
and a large district in Adana Province
of Turkey
, on the main road from the city of Adana
up across the Taurus Mountains
. Pozantı stands in the foothills, at the bottom of a rare pass through these high mountains. The mayor is Mustafa Çay (MHP
).
Standing at the entrance to a pass across the Toros mountains Pendonsis was a city of strategic importance, the gateway between the high plain of Anatolia
and the low plain of Cilicia
or Çukurova
and thus the Middle East. Pozantı has successively passed though the hands of Hittites
, Persians, Alexander the Great, Rome
and Byzantium
. In the period of the Abbasids the armies of Islam moved through. And then following the battle of Malazgirt
in 1071 Turks made their appearance. During the Crusades
control of the pass was returned to the Byzantines, and was finally brought under Ottoman
control by Selim I
in his campaign of 1517.
Pozantı is windy and bleak and for most of this history was a fort and a road-house, but when the railway was put through in 1917 more people began to live here permanently. But still the place really lives from the passing trade on the road.
Pozantı was briefly occupied by French forces at the end of World War I
.
As the road from the city is a modern motorway Pozantı is the easiest retreat from the city of Adana, residents drive up here to picnic and escape from the summer heat.
New investment for 5 stars hotel Pendosis Vacation Club having 84 rooms and many luxury possibilities will enhance the tourism activities during the whole 12 months.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and a large district in Adana Province
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, on the main road from the city of Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
up across 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...
. Pozantı stands in the foothills, at the bottom of a rare pass through these high mountains. The mayor is Mustafa Çay (MHP
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
).
History
Pozantı has had a number of names. In antiquity it was Pendonsis or Pendosis. To the Arabs El Bedendum and finally Bozantı and Pozantı in Turkish.Standing at the entrance to a pass across the Toros mountains Pendonsis was a city of strategic importance, the gateway between the high plain of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and the low plain of Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
or Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
and thus the Middle East. Pozantı has successively passed though the hands of Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
, Persians, Alexander the Great, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. In the period of the Abbasids the armies of Islam moved through. And then following the battle of Malazgirt
Malazgirt
Malazgirt is a town in Muş Province in eastern Turkey, with a population of 23,697 .-Founding:...
in 1071 Turks made their appearance. During the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
control of the pass was returned to the Byzantines, and was finally brought under 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...
control by Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
in his campaign of 1517.
Pozantı is windy and bleak and for most of this history was a fort and a road-house, but when the railway was put through in 1917 more people began to live here permanently. But still the place really lives from the passing trade on the road.
Pozantı was briefly occupied by French forces at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Pozantı today
For many Pozantı is a place to have a break after the hard journey across the Toros. At the spring of Şekerpınar, where there is a plant for bottling the spring water, there are motels and well-known roadside restaurants specialising in barbecued meats. For many stopping here to relax on a carpeted bench grilling large quantities of lambchops or shish kebab is an essential part of the journey to Adana. Especially if you've come all the way over the mountains dodging around slow-moving trucks. (oh and the river trout is delicious too).As the road from the city is a modern motorway Pozantı is the easiest retreat from the city of Adana, residents drive up here to picnic and escape from the summer heat.
New investment for 5 stars hotel Pendosis Vacation Club having 84 rooms and many luxury possibilities will enhance the tourism activities during the whole 12 months.
Places of interest
- The only historical building in the city centre is the mosque and fountain of Ottoman general Cemal Paşa, built in 1919 (and since repaired and extended).
- At the entrance to the pass are the old and new castles of Anahşa.
- On the hill called Tekir, next to the modern highway, stand the remains of a 19th century fort
- Near the village of Aşçıbekirli lie the ruins of the Byzantine town of Fenese.
- More ruins have been found near the village of Kamışlı in the high meadows (yayla) of Ören and Asar.
See also
- PadyandusPadyandusPadyandus or Podyandos , and appearing corrupted in ancient sources as Opodanda, Opodandum, and Rhegepodandos, was an ancient town in Cataonia, the southernmost part of Cappadocia, in what is today Turkey. The town was located about 40 km to the southeast of Faustinopolis, near the pass of...
- BelemedikBelemedikBelemedik is small village in Adana Province, Turkey. But it was one of the important settlements on Toros Mountains during the early years of the 20th century and especially the World War I years.- Geography :...