Andırın

According to the first legend, Andirin's original name was Andurana. The name when broken down means ‘Great Mother Goddess Yurdu’. It has also been stated that other names for this place were Artirin, Endirin and Enderon. Evliya Çelebi in his travels called this city Andoron. According to the second legend, Yavuz Sultan Selim visited in 1514 on his return to the palace from the Çaldiran campaign. One the Dulkadir Beys, Alaüddevle Bey, who did not participate in the Ottoman army, reported that when the Sultan had reached the Akkale Fortress in Andırın, he pointed to a group of young students from Mekteb-i Enderun saying "Enderun is a mecca for visitors and students". Later, it was said that the name the Sultan expressed was either Andıran or Andırın.

Andırın and its surroundings were respectively ruled over the centuries by the Hittites (Etiler), Phrygians, Kimmer, Scythian (Saka), Medes, Persians, Macedonians, Cappadocia Kingdom, Romans, Byzantines, Arab Muslims and Seljuks. Andirin, was admitted to the Dulkadiroğulları Beylik administration under Sultan Selim until 1915, when it became part of the Ottoman Empire. Today about 70% of the Andirin population are Caucasian immigrant Turks (Türkmen).

Andirin is located in the north east of the Eastern Mediterranean region, with Göksun and Saimbeyli in the north, and Feke in the west. It is surrounded by Kadirli in the southwest, Bahçe and Düziçi in the south, Turkoglu in the south, and Onikişubat in the east. It has a very rough terrain. The 970-kilometer section of the district is mountainous and unstable, while the remaining 208 kilometers is flat. A large part of the town, particularly in the southern part, have summers that are warm and dry, winters that are warm and rainy.

Population in 2015: 34,038