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Sivas (Greek: Σεβάστεια) is the provincial capital of Sivas Province in Turkey. According to the 2000 Turkish census, its population was 251,776.
History
Ancient and medieval
Sivas first appears in history as Sebaste: the name derives from Greek Σεβαστή, a translation of Latin Augusta in honor of the emperor Augustus. It was an ancient town of Lesser Armenia important in the early history of the Christian Church. It was the home of St. Blaise and St. Peter of Sebaste, who were bishops of the town, and of Eustathius, one of the early founders of monasticism in Asia Minor — all in the 4th century; the place of martyrdom of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, also 4th century; the birthplace (1676) of Mekhitar, the founder of the Mekhitarist Order. Several patriarchs were born in Sebaste, among them Atticus, 5th‑century Patriarch of Constantinople, and Michael, a 16th‑century Patriarch of Echmiadzin. Part of Historic Armenia. At one time this was home to the headquarters of the Armeniasn church. Senekerim, king of Van transferred here and became vassal to Byzantines in 1021 A.D.Modern
The Sivas Congress, which laid the foundations of the modern Turkish Republic, was held in this city on 4 September, 1919.On 2 July, 1993, a hotel with mostly left-wing Alevi intellectuals and artists attending an Alevi cultural conference was burnt down by Sunni locals. The crowd was enraged by the presence of Aziz Nesin, a well-known Turkish writer, who had a personal meeting with Salman Rushdie (the writer of Satanic Verses). 36 Alevis and a Dutch anthropologist were killed in the fire. Nesin managed to escape the burning building.
Sights
The city contains several important buildings from the Seljuk period, with particularly fine stonework in ornate fronts.
External links
- Pictures of the city and its monuments
- The Armenian History and Presence in Sivas
- Sivas, Turkish Folk Music
"Sivas, Turkey"