Mut, Mersin
Encyclopedia
Mut is a town and district of Mersin Province
in the Mediterranean
region of Turkey
.
Mut is a rural district at the foot of the Sertavul Pass
on the road over the Taurus Mountains
from Ankara
and Konya
to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur
or Silifke
. Mut is known for its special apricot variety, Mut şekerparesi, and a statue of a girl carrying a basket of them stands at the entrance to the town. The summer is hot and the people of Mut retreat to high meadows (so called yayla
) even further up the mountainside. The forests up here are home to wild boar, and the Gezende reservoir on the Ermenek River is a welcome patch of blue in this dry district. The dam has a hydro-electric power station built in Romania
.
(2000 BC), and was later part of ancient Cilicia
, which eventually formed part of the Roman Empire
. Alahan Monastery
15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Mut had been constructed in the second half of the 6th century by the emperor. The Romans were succeeded by the Kingdom of Armenia. In the 13th century the Armenians were replaced by the Karamanid clan who founded the state of the same name. The mosque of Lal Pasha
, and the Red Minaret (Kızılminare) are among the buildings from the Karamanids that still stand in Mut today.
Mersin Province
The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the other major town is Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul...
in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Region, Turkey
The Mediterranean Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions . It is bordered by the Aegean Region to the west, the Central Anatolia Region to the north, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the northeast, the Southeastern Anatolia Region to the east, Syria to the southeast, and...
region 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...
.
Mut is a rural district at the foot of the Sertavul Pass
Sertavul Pass
The Sertavul Pass is a mountain pass situated on the central Taurus Mountains at the border of Mersin Province with Karaman Province on the road from Konya over Karaman to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur or Silifke....
on the road over 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...
from Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and 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:...
to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur
Anamur
Anamur is a town and district of the province of Mersin, on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey, between Antalya and the city of Mersin.Anamur is Turkey's southernmost point, a coastal resort famous for its bananas and peanuts.-Etymology:...
or Silifke
Silifke
-Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them...
. Mut is known for its special apricot variety, Mut şekerparesi, and a statue of a girl carrying a basket of them stands at the entrance to the town. The summer is hot and the people of Mut retreat to high meadows (so called yayla
Yayla (resort)
Yayla is a name given to the summer mountain resorts in Turkey.- Etymology :Nomadic herdsmen of Turkic origin used to call their herding locations by different names depending on the season. Yazlak, yaylak, güzlek and kışlak referred to herding locations of different seasons of the year...
) even further up the mountainside. The forests up here are home to wild boar, and the Gezende reservoir on the Ermenek River is a welcome patch of blue in this dry district. The dam has a hydro-electric power station built in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
History
The area has probably been inhabited since the time of the HittitesHittites
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...
(2000 BC), and was later part of ancient 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...
, which eventually formed part of the Roman Empire
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....
. Alahan Monastery
Alahan Monastery
The Alahan Monastery is a one hour walking distance from the village of Alahan, located in the province of Mersin, Turkey. The site is being considered to be put on the World Heritage list of sites who have "outstanding universal value" to the world....
15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Mut had been constructed in the second half of the 6th century by the emperor. The Romans were succeeded by the Kingdom of Armenia. In the 13th century the Armenians were replaced by the Karamanid clan who founded the state of the same name. The mosque of Lal Pasha
Laal Pasha Mosque
Laal Pasha Mosque is a Medieval mosque in Mut in Mersin Province, Turkey. - History :...
, and the Red Minaret (Kızılminare) are among the buildings from the Karamanids that still stand in Mut today.
Notable natives
- KaracaoğlanKaracaoglanKaracaoğlan is a 17th century Ottoman folk poet and ashik. His exact dates of birth and death are unknownbut it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680...
(Poet) - Musa Eroğlu (Musician)
- Hüseyin Gezer (Sculptor)
- Seyhan KurtSeyhan Kurt- Biography :Born in Grenoble, Isère, France, he started his primary education at La Verpillere, Ecole Les Marronnier and completed it at Ecole Jean Jaures in Lyon. He graduated from Dumlupinar High School in Mersin and continued his education in Selcuk University in Konya and studied French...
(Poet,writer) - Fikri Sağlar (Politicien)
- İbrahim Özat (Painter)
- Ziya Özel (Researcher)
- Doğan Atlay (Researcher)
Well-known residents
- Mut is one of the places in the area that claims to be the burial place of the folk poet KaracaoğlanKaracaoglanKaracaoğlan is a 17th century Ottoman folk poet and ashik. His exact dates of birth and death are unknownbut it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680...
. - The folk musician (sazBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
and bağlamaBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
player) Musa EroğluMusa EroğluMusa Eroğlu is a Turkish folk musician and bağlama virtuoso.He was born in the Mut county district of Mersin. He completed his secondary education...
was born in Mut. - The Anatolian leopardAnatolian leopardThe Anatolian leopard , also called the Asia Minor leopard is a leopard subspecies native to southwestern Turkey. Its continued existence is uncertain.- Distribution and habitat:...
was last sighted near Mut, in the locality called "Dandi" in 2001