With a history dating back to 6000 BC, Adana is one of the oldest settlements in Anatolia and is the fourth largest city in Turkey. Interest in the city is not only due to its collection of historical sites, but it is also renowned as a thriving, modern region.

Its population boom (now 1.849.478 million) can be attributed to its fertile plains, rivers and highlands, which have created a major textile industry, and the city is also an importing trade centre for gold.

By Road Adana can be reached via the D-400 Highway and the international TEM highway. It is 472 km from Ankara along Aksaray Pozanti; 873 km from Izmir via Afyon, Konya and Eregli; and 909 km from Istanbul via Bolu, Ankara and Aksaray. Located 5 km from the city centre, Adana’s bus station has services to all areas of the country. Regular bus services include Ankara (10 hours), Antalya (12 hours), Allepo in Syria (12 hours), Konya (7 hours), Van (18 hours) and Kayseri (7 hours).

Bus station Tel: (0322) 428 20 47

By Railway Apart from domestic services, there are also international railway connections. There are many trains to Europe, the Middle East, and countries to the north, with connections to the harbours in Mersin and Iskenderun, both of which have ferries. Adana’s railway station is 1 km. from the city centre.

The main domestic routes are a daily service to Ankara (14 hours), several weekly to Gaziantep (3 hours) and several daily to Mersin (1 hour). Railway.

Station Tel: (0322) 453 31 72

By Air There are daily flights to Istanbul and Ankara. International flights include Jedda (twice a week), plus weekly flights to Frankfurt-Dusseldorf, Munich via Ankara, and Koln via Istanbul (once a week). The airport is 3.5 km from the city centre and has a 140-vehicle parking lot.

Airport Tel: (0322) 435 42 01

Turkish Airlines: (0322) 435 91 75

Anavarza Located in Ceyhan near the village of Dilekkaya , 20 km along the Kozan-Kadirli road, the ruins resemble an open-air museum. Anavarza Castle still has traces of Roman and Muslim history, with well-preserved relics including the castle walls, the triumphal arch, numerous columns and two pools decorated with mosaics in front of the guard house.

Sar 20 km northeast of Tufanbeyli, these ruins were the scenes of the most important religious Hittite ceremonies, performed in honour of the Mother Goddess Magda-Mater. In addition, there is a Roman theatre and a Byzantine church besides the 6-metre high Ala Kapi, which is made of marble blocks.

Magarsus An ancient port city, west of the modern town of Karatas, the city of Magarsus has the remains of a theatre, temple, church and baths.

Aegaea (Ayas) This ancient port city between Yumurtalik and Ayas has a three-storey watch tower, Ottoman and Roman baths beside the city walls.

Ulu Cami Built in 1507 in Syrian or Mamluk style, this attractive mosque has black and white marble and decorative window surrounds. Inside is the tomb of Halil Bey, Emir of the Ramazanoglu Turks who ruled before the Ottomans, which contains beautiful mosaics made from Iznik tiles.

Sabanci Merkez Cami This recently constructed mosque has an immense capacity of over 28,000, and is the third largest in Turkey, with the highest dome.

Brand new in style, it has six minarets and lies next to the Girne Bridge. Much of its financing was from the Sabanci family, originally from the area and now the second richest in the country.

Yag Camii With one bay originally used as the Church of St James, until incorporated into the main body, the Yag Camii was built in 1501 and has an impressive portal.

The unique highland beauty of Tekir, Burucek, Aladaglar, Horzum Findikli, Hamidiye, Asar, Asmacik, Armutoluk, Belemedik, Meydan, Camliyayla and Kizildag will appeal to tourists wanting to get back to nature.

Adana Highlands (Highland Tourism)

Aladaglar, Tuzla Lake, Akyatan Lake, Agyatan Lake, Yumurtalik Lagoons and Gaver Lake are all Bird Protection Areas, and are in the vicinity of Adana province.

Seyhan and Ceyhan Basins Ornithology Areas

The Haruniye Thermal Tourism Centre in Bahce, Acisu Springs near Aladag, Tahtalikoy, Kokarpinar and Kurttepe springs in Ceyhan are known to be beneficial for those suffering from certain illnesses.

Haruniye Thermal Tourism Center (Health Tourism)

Surfing is possible in the dam lake of Adana. There are excellent trekking, cycling, and horse-riding trails in the highlands. Fishing is popular around the Seyhan and Ceyhan rivers, and the mountain streams have a good supply of trout. Adana also offers many possibilities for hunting, as well as various wildlife preserves breeding mountain goats, fallow and roe deer at the slopes of Toros Mountains.

With high mountains and low-lying plains, Adana’s climate varies depending on the geography. The climate of the plains is typical of the Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild wet winters. The coldest month is January (average temperature 9ºC) and the hottest is August (average 28ºC).

Adana, founded on the the Seyhan delta and by the Ceyhan rivers, dates back to 6000 BC. The area has had a long string of rulers, starting with the Luvi Kingdom from 1900 BC (a branch of the Hittites), through a succession of Hittites, Phrygians, Assyrians, Persians, Seluicuds and Byzantines. There was an on-off struggle between the Greeks and Persians, which lasted 1000 years, and ended once the Romans came in the 1st century BC.

The city first became an important trade centre under the Romans. Following the age of Islam, which began in 638 AD, there were then the Egyptian Mamelukes, the Ramazanogullari (Turks), and the Ottomans who captured the city in the 16th century.