Karaisalı

Karaisalı is a district of Adana Province, Turkey.^[2] Its area is 1,165 km²,^[3] and its population is 22,042 (2022).^[1]

Karaisalı
District and municipality
Map showing Karaisalı District in Adana Province
Karaisalı Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 37°15′40″N 35°03′36″E
Country	Turkey
Province	Adana
Government
• Mayor	Bekir Şimşek (MHP)
Area	1,165 km2 (450 sq mi)
Elevation	230 m (750 ft)
Population  (2022)[1]	22,042
• Density	19/km2 (49/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	01770
Area code	0322
Website	www.karaisali.bel.tr

The area contains the reservoirs of Çatalan and Nergizlik. There is a wrestling tournament in late-April to early-May at Salbaş and a countryside festival in the last week of August at Kızıldağ.

History

In Greek and Roman times there was a town here named Midelle. Throughout history, the town was controlled by several kingdoms, such as the Seljuk Turks and Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Following the arrival of the Turks in the area the name was changed to Çeceli and inhabited by the Yüreğir and Menemencioğulları and Ramazanoğulları tribes.

Between 1481 and 1496 the town was controlled by the Mamluk Sultanate and once it was defeated by the Ottoman sultan Selim I, he left the control of the town to the Ramazanoğulları dynasty as a vassal state. The current name Karaisalı was later given in memory of a Ramazanoğulları lord. Right before his death in 1520 however, Selim I decided to formally annex the town and the surrounding region into the Ottoman Empire.

The town was not occupied by the Allies during the Turkish War of Independence in the early 1920s and became a centre of Turkish resistance against the Allies for the Çukurova area.

Composition

There are 62 neighbourhoods in Karaisalı District:^[4]

• Akçalı
• Aktaş
• Altınova
• Aşağıbelemedik
• Aşağıyörükler
• Ayakkıf
• Barakdağı
• Başkıf
• Bekirli
• Beydemir
• Bolacalı
• Boztahta
• Bucak
• Çakallı
• Çatalan
• Çeceli
• Çevlik
• Çocuklar
• Çorlu
• Çukur
• Demirçit
• Döşekevi
• Durak
• Eğlence
• Emelcik
• Etekli
• Fettahlı
• Filikli
• Gildirli
• Gökhasanlı
• Gülüşlü
• Güvenç
• Hacılı
• Hacımusalı
• Kaledağı
• Kapıkaya
• Karahasanlı
• Karakılıç
• Karakuyu
• Karapınar
• Kıralan
• Kırıklı
• Kocaveliler
• Körüklü
• Kuşcusofulu
• Kuyucu
• Kuzgun
• Maraşlı
• Murtçukuru
• Nergizlik
• Nuhlu
• Ömerli
• Sadıkali
• Sarımehmetli
• Saypınar
• Selampınar
• Tatık
• Topaktaş
• Topkaralı
• Torunsolaklı
• Tümenli
• Yazıbaşı

Climate

Karaisalı has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa)^[5] with mild, rainy winters and very hot, dry, yet muggy summers.

Climate data for Karaisalı (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	13.5 (56.3)	14.8 (58.6)	18.1 (64.6)	22.3 (72.1)	26.9 (80.4)	31.2 (88.2)	34.0 (93.2)	34.9 (94.8)	32.3 (90.1)	28.1 (82.6)	21.2 (70.2)	15.3 (59.5)	24.4 (75.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	9.2 (48.6)	10.2 (50.4)	13.2 (55.8)	16.8 (62.2)	21.0 (69.8)	25.0 (77.0)	28.0 (82.4)	28.5 (83.3)	25.8 (78.4)	22.0 (71.6)	15.9 (60.6)	10.9 (51.6)	18.9 (66.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	5.7 (42.3)	6.2 (43.2)	8.7 (47.7)	11.9 (53.4)	15.7 (60.3)	19.4 (66.9)	22.7 (72.9)	23.1 (73.6)	20.1 (68.2)	16.8 (62.2)	11.5 (52.7)	7.4 (45.3)	14.1 (57.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	132.82 (5.23)	97.17 (3.83)	76.85 (3.03)	81.37 (3.20)	72.72 (2.86)	47.88 (1.89)	16.89 (0.66)	15.43 (0.61)	36.0 (1.42)	43.28 (1.70)	80.79 (3.18)	169.13 (6.66)	870.33 (34.26)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	7.5	7.8	7.5	7.3	6.7	4.2	2.2	2.2	3.3	3.8	5.0	8.7	66.2
Average relative humidity (%)	59.2	59.3	60.8	64.3	65.7	65.9	67.6	66.5	60.0	53.4	51.8	59.6	61.2
Source: NOAA[6]

Places of interest

• The Roman built Milvan Castle in the village of Karakılıç.
• The silk road caravanserai Kesiri Han in the village of Altınova.
• Another Roman castle Keçi Kalesi 40 km north-east of Karaisalı in the village of Etekli. has commanding views from its hill-top position.
• The wooded hillside picnic areas of Yerköprü and Kızıldağ in particular Kapıkaya Canyon.
• The attractive remote village of Kalayçılar. 7 km from the village of Hacılı on a dirt road.
• Turkey's highest bridge, the 172 m (564 ft) long and 93 m (305 ft) high German built railway viaduct Varda Bridge in the village of Hacıkırı (Kıralan).
• The Fish restaurant in Demirçit or otherwise known as Bolagat.

Notable people

Long-term mayor of Adana, Aytaç Durak is from Karaisalı and during his term the district was included in the Metropolitan Municipality of Adana.

References

1. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
2. Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
3. "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
4. Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
5. "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data.
6. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Karaisalı". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2024.