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Malatya

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Template:Infobox town TR

Malatia can also be a misspelling of the medical term Malacia.

Malatya (Hittite: Milid; Greek: Μαλάτεια, Malateia; Armenian: Մալադիա, Malatia; Kurdish: Meletî; Latin: Melitene) is the capital city of the Malatya Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and is located at 38.4° N 38.1° E. In ancient times, it was also known by its older name of Melitene, that dates back to the Roman domination, when Melitene was the base camp of Legio XII Fulminata. An even older name (of the ancient Hittite city) was Milid. Old Malatya lies a few kilometres from the modern city in what is now the villages of Arslantepe (Hittite) and Battalgazi (Byzantine and medieval).

The area surrounding Malatya is best known for its apricot orchards, nourished from the alluvial soil of tributaries of the Euphrates. Malatya apricots are often dried in the sun by traditional family-run orchards, collected and shipped throughout the world. Malatya is also the home of İnönü University. It has a population of 381,081 according to the 2000 census. Some of Malatya's most famous sons is the 13th century Syriac polymath Bar-Hebraeus and the second president of Turkey, İsmet İnönü.

History

Arslantepe, ancient Malatya

Arslantepe is a site inhabited since the development of agriculture in the fertile crescent. It was called Maladiya, Milid or Meliddu by the ancient people. From the Bronze Age the site became an administrative center of a larger region in the kingdom of Ishuwa. The city was heavily fortified, probably due to the Hittite menace from the west. The Hittites conquered the city in the fourteenth century BC. After the end of the Hittite empire the city became the center of a Neo-Hittite kingdom. A palace was built and monumental stone sculptures of lions and the ruler erected.

The encounter with the Assyrian king of Tiglath-Pileser I (1115-1077 BC) resulted in the kingdom of Malatya being forced to pay tribute to Assyria. Malatya continued to prosper however until the Assyrian king Sargon II (722-705 BC) sacked the city in 712 BC. At the same time the Cimmerians and Scythians invaded Anatolia and the city declined.

The city is located 670 kms east of Ankara, and the two small towns outside the city constitute the most important sites for visiting. Aslantepe, at a distance of 7 kms, was once the capital of a Hittite state and dates back to the first millenium BC. It is the city carrying the old Hittite traditions and styles, and inside the city walls a palace has been found, with statues and reliefs, which are examples of the artistic works of that age.

Arslantepe was first excavated by the French archaeologist Louis Delaporte in the 1930s. Since 1961 an Italian team of archaeologists, today led by Marcella Frangipane, are working at the site.

Malatya once had a heavy Armenian population. But, according to an IHT article on the recent Malatya bible publishing firm murders, it was lost it in the bloody founding of the Turkish state, which was trying to scrub the nation free of minority identity to build a new Turkey. [1]

Sports

Malatya's football team is Malatyaspor, currently competing in Turk Telekom Lig A. Malatyaspor's stadium is Malatya İnönü Stadium. [1]

Notable natives

Districts

Malatya province is divided into 14 districts:

  • Akçadağ
  • Arapgir
  • Arguvan
  • Battalgazi
  • Darende
  • Doğanşehir
  • Doğanyol
  • Hekimhan
  • Kale
  • Kuluncak
  • Malatya (Capital district)
  • Pötürge
  • Yazıhan
  • Yeşilyurt

See also

References

  1. ^ Şebnem Arsu. IHT 18 April 2007 "Nationalism suspected in 3 deaths in Turkey". International Herald Tribune. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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