Adana

Adana ä´dənä [key], city (1990 pop. 931,555), capital of Adana prov., S Turkey, on the Seyhan River. The fourth largest city in Turkey, it is the commercial center of a farm region where cotton, grains, and fruits are grown. Manufactures include processed food, tobacco, cotton textiles, machinery, cement, and soap. The city is a road and rail center. An ancient city probably founded by the Hittites, Adana was colonized (66 BC) by the Romans. It prospered under the Romans and then declined. The city was revived (c.AD 782) by Harun ar-Rashid. In the 16th cent. the city passed to the Ottoman Turks. Nearby is Karatepe, a Hittite archaeological site. Çukurova Univ. is in Adana.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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