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Anavarza(in Turkish) | |
 The triumphal arch of Anazarbus was later converted to the city's South Gate. | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Caesarea, Justinopolis |
|---|---|
| Location | Adana Province, Turkey |
| Region | Cilicia |
| Coordinates | 37°15′50″N35°54′20″E / 37.26389°N 35.90556°E /37.26389; 35.90556 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Abandoned | 1374 |
Anazarbus, also known asJustinopolis(Ancient Greek:Ἀναζαρβός / Ίουστινούπολις, medievalAin Zarba; modernAnavarza;Arabic:عَيْنُ زَرْبَة), was an ancientCilician city. Under thelate Roman Empire, it was the capital ofCilicia Secunda.Roman emperorJustinian I rebuilt the city in 527 after a strong earthquake hit it. It was destroyed in 1374 by the forces of theMamluk Empire, after their conquest ofCilician Armenia.
It was situated inAnatolia in modern Turkey, in the presentÇukurova (or classicalAleian plain) about 15 km west of the main stream of the presentCeyhan River (or classicalPyramus river) and near its tributary theSempas Su.
A lofty isolated ridge formed itsacropolis. Though some of the masonry in the ruins is certainly pre-Roman, theSuda's identification of it withCyinda, famous as a treasure city in the wars ofEumenes of Cardia, cannot be accepted in the face ofStrabo's express location of Cyinda in western Cilicia.[1]
According to theSuda, the original name of the place wasCyinda orKyinda orQuinda (Greek:Κύϊνδα); and that it was next calledDiocaesarea (Διοκαισάρεια).[2] A city in Cilicia calledKundu rebelled against the Assyrian kingEsarhaddon in 7th century BC, but it's unclear if there is a connection. At least it's known a city calledAnazarbus (Ἀνάζαρβος) andAnazarba (Ἀνάζαρβα) andAnazarbon (Ἀνάζαρβον),[3] situated on the riverPyramus, existed in the first century BC and was a part of the small client-kingdom ofTarcondimotus I until it was annexed by Rome.[4] How the city obtained the name is a matter of conjecture. According toStephanus of Byzantium, after the city was destroyed by an earthquake, the emperorNerva sent thither one Anazarbus, a man of senatorial rank, who rebuilt the city, and gave to it his name.[5] This account cannot be accurate, asValesius remarks,[6] for it was called Anazarbus inPliny's time.[7] There are three writers of antiquity from this city.Pedanius Dioscorides is called a native of Anazarbus; but the period of Dioscorides is not certain. It was also the home of the poetOppian and the historianAsclepiades of Anazarba. Its later name wasCaesarea ad Anazarbum, and there are many medals of the place in which it is both named Anazarbus and Caesarea at or under Anazarbus. On the division of Cilicia it became the chief place of theRoman province ofCilicia Secunda, with the title of Metropolis. Early in the sixth century, in the reign ofEastern Roman emperorJustin I, it was namedJustinopolis orIoustinoupolis (Ἰουστινούπολις). The city suffered from an earthquake in 526 and was rebuilt byJustinian I and renamedJustinianopolis orIoustinianoupolis (Ἰουστινιανούπολις);[8] but the old name persisted, and whenThoros I, king ofLesser Armenia, made it his capital early in the 12th century, it was known asAnazarva.
Its great natural strength and situation, not far from the mouth of the Sis pass, and near the great road whichdebouched from theCilician Gates, made Anazarbus play a considerable part in the struggles between theEastern Roman Empire and the early Muslim invaders. It had been rebuilt byHarun al-Rashid in 796, refortified at great expense by theHamdanidSayf al-Dawla[1] (mid-10th century) and again destroyed in 962 byNikephoros II Phokas. In the 11th century it was again a major fortress, comparable to Tarsos and Marash, and belonged to the realm ofPhilaretos Brachamios before it was captured around 1084 by theSeljuk Turks.[9] In late 1097 or early 1098 it was captured by the armies of theFirst Crusade and after theconquest of Antioch it was incorporated intoBohemond of Taranto'sPrincipality of Antioch. The site briefly exchanged hands between theByzantine Empire and Armenians, until it was formally part of theArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Anazarbus was one of a chain of Armenian fortifications stretching through Cilicia. Thecastle of Sis (modernKozan, Adana) lies to the north while Tumlu Castle andYilankale are to the south, and the fortresses ofAmouda andSarvandikar are to the east. TheMamluk Empire of Egypt finally destroyed the city in 1374.
The Crusaders are probably responsible for the construction of an impressive donjon atop the center of the outcrop. Most of the remaining fortifications, including the curtain walls, massive horseshoe-shaped towers, undercrofts, cisterns, and free-standing structures date from the Armenian periods of occupation, which began with the arrival of theRubenid Baron T‛oros I,c. 1111.[10] Within the fortress are two Armenian chapels and the magnificent (but severely damaged) three-aisle church built by T‛oros I to celebrate his conquests.[11][12] The church was once surrounded by a continuous, well-executed dedicatory inscription in Armenian.
The present wall of the lower city is of late construction. It encloses a mass of ruins conspicuous in which are a finetriumphal arch, the colonnades of two streets, agymnasium, etc. A stadium and a theatre lie outside the walls to the south. The remains of the acropolis fortifications are very interesting, including roads and ditches hewn in the rock. There are no notable structures in the upper town. For picturesqueness the site is not equaled in Cilicia, and it is worthwhile to trace the three fineaqueducts to their sources.[1] A necropolis on the escarpment to the south of the curtain wall can also be seen complete with signs of illegal modern excavations.
A modest Turkish farming village (Dilekkaya) lies to the southwest of the ancient city. A small outdoor museum with some of the artifacts collected in the area can be viewed for a small fee. Also nearby are some beautiful mosaics discovered in a farmers field.
A visit in December 2002 showed that the three aqueducts mentioned above have been nearly completely destroyed. Only small, isolated sections are left standing with the largest portion lying in a pile of rubble that stretches the length of where the aqueducts once stood. A powerful earthquake that struck the area in 1945 is thought to be responsible for the destruction.
In 2013, excavations uncovered the first known colonnaded double-lane road of the ancient world, 34 meters wide and 2700 meters long, also uncovered the ruins of a church and a bathhouse.[13]
In 2017, archaeologists discovered a limestone statue of the goddessHygieia and the godEros. The statue is thought to date to the third or fourth century B.C.[13]
Anazarbus was the capital and so also from 553 (the date of theSecond Council of Constantinople) themetropolitan see of the LateRoman province ofCilicia Secunda.[14][15]
In the 4th century, one of the bishops of Anazarbus was Athanasius, a "consistent expounder of the theology of Arius." His theological opponent, Athanasius of Alexandria, inDe Synodis 17, 1 refers to Anazarbus as Ναζαρβῶν.[16]
Maximin of Anazarbus attended theCouncil of Chalcedon.[17][18]
A 6th centuryNotitia Episcopatuum indicates that it had assuffragan seesEpiphania,Alexandria Minor,Irenopolis,Flavias,Castabala andAegeae.Rhosus was also subject to Anazarbus, but after the 6th century was made exempt, andMopsuestia was raised to the rank ofautocephalousmetropolitan see, though without suffragans.[19][20][21][22]
Thetitular archbishopric was revived in the 18th century as asee of theLatin Catholic church, Anazarbus.[23]
It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, generally of the highest (Metropolitan) rank,with an episcopal (lowest rank) exception:
In the 19th century, anArmenian Catholictitular bishopric ofAnazarbus (of the Armenians) (Anazarbus degli Armeni in Curiate Italian) was established.
It was a suppressed in 1933,[24] having had a single incumbent, of the intermediary (archiepiscopal) rank :
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hogarth, David George (1911). "Anazarbus". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 944.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Anazarbus".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
