Haymana

Haymana
District
Location of Haymana within Turkey.
Country	Turkey
Province	Ankara
Government
• Governor	Süleyman Erdoğan
Area
• District	2,976 km2 (1,149 sq mi)
Elevation	1,259 m (4,131 ft)
Population  (2000)
• District	54,087
• Density	18.17/km2 (47.1/sq mi)
• Urban	11,313
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	06xxx
Area code	0312
Licence plate	06
Website	www.haymana.gov.tr

Haymana is a town and district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, 72 km south of the capital, Ankara. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 54,087 of which 11,313 live in the town of Haymana. The district covers an area of 2,976 km², and the average elevation is 1259 m.

Etymology

Haymana is named after Hayme Ana the mother of Osman I the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

History

Archaeological excavations were launched in Gavur Kalesi, a castle situated in the village of Dereköy, in the years 1930 and 1998. The results showed that it was an important Phrygian settlement. Besides, the tumuli located in Türkhöyük and Oyaca villages prove that the area was also inhabited during the Hittite period.

After the periods of the Roman and Byzantine rule, the area was captured by the Seljuk Turks in 1127. After the Battle of Köse Dağ it came under Ilkhanate control for a while. In the mid 14th century the area was annexed by the Ottomans. After a brief period of Timurid rule in the wake of the Battle of Ankara in 1402, it was re-captured by the Ottomans.

Haymana today

Once this was a thriving country market town, but in recent decades the middle classes have continuously migrated to Ankara in search of jobs and careers and Haymana has become populated by villagers from the surrounding countryside, an area with a substantial Kurdish population.

Haymana has an unsavoury reputation; this was brought to light in 2006 when a TV quiz show (the Turkish edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?) asked the question "Which of these is an old word for a herd of donkeys?" and had "Haymana" as one of the options. (the other options were a word for shoehorn which is a metaphor for pimp in Turkish; "haylaz" a rebuke for a badly behaved child; and the correct answer "hergele"). The people of Haymana were furious and the local MP made demands for an apology reminding the country that the people of Haymana had played a part in the Turkish War of Independence and had supported the Republic of Turkey at the very beginning.

Haymana is famous for its Turkish Baths, the waters are volcanically heated and are said to contain many healing properties, particularly for those suffering from arthritic ailments. There are hotels for weekend vistors to the springs. haymanam güzeldir birlik beraberlilikle öndedir

Prominent residents

• Kurd Ahmet (Ahmet Turgut) - businessman; bookmaker, nightclub owner and leader of the Ankara underworld.
• Haymana prison has had a fair share of politicians as inmates over the years including historian Fikret Başkaya; professor of foreign relations Haluk Gerger; Workers' Party (Turkey) leader, Doğu Perinçek; political scientist Yalçın Küçük and playwright Bilgesu Erenus (these last two jointly published their Haymana memoirs).

References

• Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Haymana, Turkey". Retrieved 2008-03-27.
• Governorship of Ankara, Turkey. "General information on Haymana district of Ankara" (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-03-27.

External links

• District governor's official website Template:Tr icon
• District municipality's official website Template:Tr icon

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