Adana: Turkey

Adana: Turkey
Adana is the fourth largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Adana Province. It has a population of 1 130 710 (2000). NATO’s Incirlik Air Base is located 12 km east of Adana.
One of the large towns of Asia Minor, about nineteen miles from the sea, Adana derives its importance from its situation as the gateway to the Cilician plain, that great flat stretch of fertile land, possibly the most productive in this part of the world, (on east side of Taurus Mountains). In Adana all the houses are flat-topped and the roofs serve as the bedrooms for the inhabitants during the hot summers. Adana was more important for its agriculture while Tarsus was the metropolis of the area. Several types of fruit are native to this area, the apricot being an example.
From Adana, crossing the Cilician plain going west, the road from Tarsus enters the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. With every foot of ascent the coolness increases, reaching an altitude of nearly 4000 feet. Then through the famous Cilician Gates, that rocky pass through which armies have coursed since history’s dawn, and the caravan has arrived on the Anatolian plain.
Adana is the marketing and distribution center for an agricultural region in which cotton, wheat, barley, grapes, citrus fruits, olives, and tobacco are produced. The chief industries in the city are textile manufacturing, tanning, and the processing of wool and various foods. It is also famous for its kebab and turnip juice.
Places to visit
Local points of interest include a great stone bridge, built in part during the reign (6th century) of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and the ruins of a castle dating from 782.