Düziçi is a town and district of
Osmaniye Province
Osmaniye Province ( tr, ) is a province in south-central Turkey. It was named Cebel-i Bereket () in the early republic until 1933, when it was incorporated into Adana Province. It was made a province again in 1996. It covers an area of 3,767&nbs ...
in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
region of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. It is located in a small plain in the foothills of the
Nur Mountains
The Nur Mountains ( tr, Nur Dağları, "Mountains of Holy Light"), formerly known as Alma-Dağ, the ancient Amanus ( grc, Ἁμανός), medieval Black Mountain, or Jabal al-Lukkam in Arabic, is a mountain range in the Hatay Province of south ...
and 440 m above the sea level.
Düziçi is on a route from the Middle East to
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and has seen numerous armies and campaigns throughout the centuries. The historical names for this site are minor variations of Haruniye (Arabic: ''al-Hārūniyya(h)''; Armenian: ''Harun'' or ''Harunia''; Crusader: ''Haronia'' or ''Aronia''). Its small castle is on an outcrop about 3 kilometers northeast of the town.
History and Monuments
The ancient names of the city were
Irenopolis and Neronias.
The fortress was built in A.D. 785/86 during the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
by
Harun al-Rashid
Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar
, أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...
as a link in a chain of
Arab defenses along the Nur Dağları, and named after him as al-Haruniyya. The Byzantine general
Nicephorus Phocas captured the 1,500 residents of Haruniyya in 959. When it was recaptured by
Emir of Aleppo
The rulers of Aleppo ruled as kings, emirs and sultans of the city and its surrounding region since the later half of the 3rd millennium BC, starting with the kings of Armi, followed by the Amorite dynasty of Yamhad. Muslim rule of the city end ...
,
Sayf al-Dawla
ʿAlī ibn ʾAbū l-Hayjāʾ ʿAbdallāh ibn Ḥamdān ibn al-Ḥārith al-Taghlibī ( ar, علي بن أبو الهيجاء عبد الله بن حمدان بن الحارث التغلبي, 22 June 916 – 9 February 967), more commonly known ...
, in 967, the fort was repaired. Following the
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and th ...
in 1071 nomadic Turks began to move into Anatolia and the nearby hills were temporarily settled by the Avşar tribe of the Turkmen. At some point between the mid-12th century and 1198/99 it became the possession of the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
. On January 22, 1236 the Armenian
King Hethum I and his wife
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
Places
United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
bestowed the castle and village of Haruniyya to the Knights of the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
.
The plan of the local medieval fortress, Haruniye Kalesi, reveals a compact
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
-like structure with a massive tower at the east, which protects a
postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...
gate. There are continuous galleries with pointed vaults in the north and west walls which are opened by embrasured arrow slits. The main entrance is at the south. Repairs to the castle may belong to the Teutonic Knights or the Mamluks. The lower level of the large tower at the east may have functioned as a cistern.
In the late 13th century it was captured by the
Egyptian Mamluks, who made Haruniyya the administrative center for eastern Cilicia in the mid-14th century. The Ottomans took control in 1516 during the
campaign against Egypt of Sultan
Selim I
Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite last ...
. In the Ottoman period the town was still known as ''Haruniye''.
Düziçi is one of many places in the
Çukurova
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
area that claims association with the legendary 17th century folk-poet
Karacaoğlan
Karacaoğlan was a 17th-century Anatolian Turkish folk poet and ashik. His exact dates of birth and death are unknown but it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680. He lived around the city of Mut near Mersin. His t ...
.
The town was occupied by the French forces after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
until the
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
.
Population
The population of the county in 2014 is 80 430 according to the census. In this 45.987's the town center, while 34 443 are living in towns and villages. As of 2014 the city center population is 45 987.
Depending on the district, including the district depends; 4 waist , 25 villages and 20 from neighborhood consists.
Düziçi today
This is a farming district, growing peanuts, corn and wheat, irrigated by Berke reservoir.
Education
1 High School of Science in Our Town center, 2 Anatolian High School, 1 Public High School, 1 Vocational and Technical High School, 1 Health Professions High School, 1 Commercial High School, 1 Multi-Program High School a total of 8 schools, including, in the hands District 1 General high school for a total of 9 high school, also one kindergarten, one 8 years 22 and 29 at 5 There is a total of 51 years, including elementary school. We have a total of 61 schools across the county.
Places of interest
*The castle of Harun al-Rahshid.
*The Haruniye hot springs.
*Mount Düldül, a peak in the Nur Mountains
References
External links
District governor's official website
District municipality's official website
Extensive photographic survey, description and plan of Haruniye Castle / Düziçi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duzici
Populated places in Osmaniye Province
Districts of Osmaniye Province
Castles in Turkey
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
780s establishments