Adiyaman is a province in south-central Turkey. The province was created in 1954 out of part of Malatya Province. Area 7,614 km². Population 677,518 (2006 est, 623,811 (2000 census)) up from 513,131 in 1990. The capital is Adiyaman.

The area has been inhabited since the earliest times and many civilisations have settled here. There are therefore a number of places of historical interest which attract visitors. Nemrud Dağı is a major site of interest here, noted for its sanctuary of statues built by Antiochus Theos, king of Commagene. It is accessed through the town of Kahta.

A branch of the large Atatürk reservoir lies between Adiyaman and the town of Samsat, and with more investment the irrigation this coud become a rich agricultural zone. Currently it does feel impoverished and people travelling by mule or donkey are a common sight.

Adiyaman today

The city of Adiyaman provides shops and infrastructure to an agricultural region watered by the River Euphrates. It is not an industrial city, people riding mules and donkeys are still a common sight. The Ataturk reservoir is near the city and with more investment the irrigation this could become a richer agricultural zone. The people are religious and conservative; it is hard to find a beer in Adiyaman, or other social amenities like cafes, cinemas, and theatre. The cuisine is typical of south-east Turkey, including dishes like çiğ köfte and Maraş-style ice-cream.

The Türkmen identity persisted into the 20th century although today Adiyaman is inhabited by a cosmpolitan mixture of people from other parts of Turkey. There is a small town feel to the place far warmer than the rambling mess that has become of bigger cities like nearby Urfa.

History

The area has been inhabited as far back as it's possible to discover. Research in the cave of Palanlı 10km north of Adiyaman show occupation in 40,000 BC and other digs in Samsat reveal continuous occupation through the stone and Bronze Ages.

From 900BC onwards came waves of invasions from Assyrians, Persians, and Macedonians until the Commagene kingdom was founded in 69BC. This was the civilisation that built the statues on top of nearby Mount Nemrut. The capital was in Samsat (Samosota) but the town of Adiyaman was a walled city of the Commagenes. The city walls of Adiyaman have been restored and replaced many times since.

The Commagene kingdom lasted until the Romans came in 72AD. Yet more campaigns and invasions followed and Adiyaman was controlled by Byzantines 395-670, Ummayads from 670 and then Abbasids 758-926. Then the area returned to Byzantine control during the period of the Crusades 859-1114. The Arabs returned from 1114 to 1204 and finally came the arrival of the Turks. The Arabic name for the castle and town was Hısn-ı Mansur.

Turks moved into the area from 1114 onwards and for most of the 1200s was settled by the Selçuk Turks often disrupted by Mongol invasions. From 1298 to 1516 the town was under the control of the Mameluks. Adiyaman was brought into the Ottoman Empire by Selim I in 1516, but local power often rested with the Dulkadiroğulları tribe of Türkmen people that settled here.