Elbistan

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Elbistan
Elbistan
Coordinates: 38°12′05″N 37°11′18″E / 38.20139°N 37.18833°E / 38.20139; 37.18833Coordinates: 38°12′05″N 37°11′18″E / 38.20139°N 37.18833°E / 38.20139; 37.18833
Country Turkey
Province Kahramanmaraş
Government
 • Mayor Durmuş Küçük (AKP)
 • Kaymakam Ahmet Altıntaş
Area[1]
 • District 2,319.08 km2 (895.40 sq mi)
Elevation 1,150 m (3,770 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 95,037
 • District 139,855
 • District Density 60/km2 (160/sq mi)
Post code 46300
Website www.elbistan.bel.tr

Elbistan is a district in Kahramanmaraş Province in southern Turkey. Elbistan city center's population is 95 037. (By official censoral registration system of Turkey in 2012).[citation needed]

Elbistan is the most populous district of Kahramanmaraş province. It is also the largest district of the province by area and it has the fourth largest plain in the country. The climate is very dry, but irrigation is provided by the Ceyhan river, one of the biggest rivers in Turkey.

The city used to be the capital city of the Dulkadirids. In 1277 the Mamluks led by Sultan Baibars defeated a Mongol army in the Battle of Elbistan. The region was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire shortly before the campaign against the Mameluks of Egypt in 1512, although some local chiefdoms were given varying degrees of autonomy, notably around the localities of Haticepınar and Kasanlı.

Name

The name "Elbistan" was pronounced similarly in Byzantine and Islamic sources. Elbistan is known as: Plasta or Ablastha in Byzantine sources; Ablasta or Ablastayn in Armenian sources; and Ablestin, Abulusteyn or Ablusteyn in Arabic and Persian sources. After the Ottoman Empire took control in the sixteenth century, the current name became prevalent. Among the rural people of Elbistan it is pronounced as Albıstan.[citation needed] Albistan means "the orchard" in Arabic.

Industry

Power station.

There is a large lignite coalfield close to Elbistan on which there are two power stations owned and operated by Elektrik Uretim AS (EUAS): Elbistan 'A' built in the 1980s (in need of refurbishment due to the state of the plant and the high emissions[citation needed]) and the more modern Elbistan 'B' which is still under construction. They are built near the small district of Afsin, on the high plateau of Elbistan in the south east of Turkey. In June 2006 the World Bank agreed a loan to refurbish Elbistan A to achieve security of supply over the medium term.[citation needed] In the year 2005 a Turkish TV show called 'Arena' raised concerns about health issues caused by the power stations.[citation needed]

The Afsin-Elbistan Thermic Power Station was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 5000 liras banknotes of 1990-1994.[3]

Economy

As well as coal mining and power generation, Elbistan's economy is principally agricultural.

Population

Total population Town Center
137,283 95037

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05. 
  2. ↑ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27. 
  3. ↑ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Banknote Museum: 7. Emission Group - Five Thousand Turkish Lira - IV. Series. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.

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