History
Findings discovered during researches in Tekir Valley, Döngel Village caves show that the human settlement in the vicinity had started in the Upper Paleolithic Era and went on in Neolithic, Calcolithic and Earlier Bronze Ages. City was founded by Hittites. Then, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Mamluks, Dulkadir Principality and Ottomans captured the city.
Maraş, which is one of the few medalist world cities, was granted Heroism title and its name was changed as Kahramanmaraş by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 7 February 1973 for the resistance and fight which the people of Maraş had put up during the Revolutionary War.
Geographical Position
Surface area of Kahramanmaraş province is 14,525 km².
Northern terrains of the province are quite mountainous. Landforms often consist of mountains that are extensions of the Southeast Taurus Mountains and the rift valley areas between these. Elevation of the terrains varies between 350 m to 3000 m, and the province has vast plains. These plains are Gavur, Maraş, Göksun, Aşağı Göksun, Afşin, Elbistan, Andırın, Mizmilli, Narlı and Inekli plains. Major mountains in the province are Nurhak, Binboğa, Engizek, Uludaz and Ahırdağı. Major water courses are Ceyhan River and Aksu, Bertiz, Erkenez, Göksu, Göksun, Hurman, Körsulu, Sarsap and Söğütlü streams.
Kahramanmaraş is in the Mediterranean climate zone. It exactly fits Mediterranean Climate and is warm and rainy in winters and hot and dry in summers. At levels higher than 1000 meters, winters are cold and snowy and summers are relatively cool Mediterranean mountain climate. In the terrains in East Anatolia Region of the province, temperature difference between summers and winters is greater and the climate is continental where rains are mostly in the spring.
Vegetation in Kahramanmaraş lands are different than those in the region. Northern and northeastern parts of Kahramanmaraş have Inner Anatolia climate, therefore sugar beet, wheat and legumes are raised hereabouts. But the southern and southwestern parts are in the Mediterranean Region and therefore the flora is mostly scrubs. Cultivation is made on 300,000 hectare land in Kahramanmaraş province. Apart from some bushes and scrubs, woods cover 473,615 hectare of the land. And that corresponds to 33.7% of the entire province land.
Administrative and Socio-Economic Status
Population of Kahramanmaraş province according to Address-Based Census in 2009 is 1,037,491. While 605,531 of the population are living in urban areas, 431,960 are in counties and villages. The rate of urban population is 58% and the rate of those living in the villages is 42%. Again, according to the results of the same census, population of the center is 384,953, which corresponds to 72 people per km². Largest towns in terms of population are the Central town, Elbistan, Afşin, Pazarcık and Türkoğlu respectively. Largest town in terms of surface area is again the Central town, and the least populated town is Nurhak; and the town with the smallest surface area is Çağlayancerit. Kahramanmaraş, where the annual birth rate between 2008 and 2009 was 7.9 per mille, is quite lower than Turkey’s average number of 14.5 per mille.
Number of towns in Kahramanmaraş is 10, number of municipalities is 64 and the number of villages is 476.
Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University was founded in 1992 and currently it has *9 Faculties, *3 Institutes, *2 Colleges and *8 Vocational Schools of Higher Education.
While the urbanization rate in Kahramanmaraş province was 58.36% in 2009 with a 0.22% increase compared to 2008, it is quite below Turkey’s average; it is below the average rates of Turkey in terms of GDP per capita and employment rate in the industry compared to the total employment. Annual birth increase rate and the total rate of agriculture employment are above the country average.
Literacy in Kahramanmaraş province as of 2009 is 82.98% for women and 95.90% for men. On the other hand, preschool schooling rate in Kahramanmaraş province is 32.04%, which is lower than Turkey average (38.55%). Number of students per classroom in elementary education in Kahramanmaraş province is 36, which is higher than the average number (32) of the country. Number of students per classroom in secondary education is 31 in Turkey and 35 in Kahramanmaraş.
Economical structure of Kahramanmaraş was generally based on agriculture, livestock and small handicrafts until 1980’s.
While the export rate per capita was USD 1,846 in Turkey in 2008, it was USD 369 in Kahramanmaraş. As for the import rate per capita, while the average number for Turkey is 2,824, import rate per capita in Kahramanmaraş province is USD 516. Number of exporter companies in Kahramanmaraş increased 72% between the years 2001 and 2009.
State highway roads in Kahramanmaraş are 397 km asphalt roads in total while the length of railroads is 147 km.
In the finance sector, on the other hand, the number of bank branches in Kahramanmaraş at the end of 2007 was 45, and it increased to 60 at the end of 2009. Population per branch in the same period in Kahramanmaraş is 17,154.
Industrialization in Kahramanmaraş has generally been in the textile sector. Nevertheless, copper handicrafts from the past and steel kitchenware sector as an extension of aluminum works are also other fields that have contributed in the same industrialization trend. Steelwork Industry follows the textile sector as the second largest industrial sector. One of the most important sectors of the city, powder and flaked pepper, is also developing in parallel with industrialism. Ice-cream sector which made Kahramanmaraş a famous city is also among the rapidly growing sectors.
Historical and Touristic Places in Kahramanmaraş are;
Kahramanmaraş Museum, Karahöyük, Yassı Tumulus (Tanır Village), Kaşanlı Village Relief, Pazarcık (Turunçlu Village) Ruins, Ufacıklı Village Ruins, Chapels, Kahramanmaraş Castle, Hurman Castle, Meryemçıl (Gaben) Castle, Azgıt (Yeniköy) Castle, Babikli Castle, Hastırın Castle, Anacık Castle, Kız Castle, Haznadarlı Mosque (Duraklı Mosque), Hatuniye Mosque, Himmet Baba Mosque and Tomb, Eshab-ı Keyf Complex and Mosque, İklime Hatun Masjid, Taş Madrasa, Taşhan, Kuruhan, Katiphanı, Tüfekçi Bath, Acar Bath.
