Sivas - The Congress Heyet-i Temilye

Sivas is a town in Central Anatolia, about 250 kilometres east of Ankara in the province of the same name. It's old Greek name was Sebasteia. The number of inhabitants was 278.000 in 1997.

In 1914 there were just 45.000 inhabitants registered in Sivas, more then one third of them have been Armenian people, all others were of Greek origin or Muslim. The Armenians had six churches, one orphanage, one hospital and a couple of schools. The catholic inhabitants had one church, the protestants had two churches and eight schools.

About 90 years later in 2005 there were no more Greek, no more Armenians (Christian people), but 100% Muslim.

Sivas Congress

The Congress Heyet-i Temilye of Sivas between the 4th and 12th of September 1919 was a quite historical one because it was the event to plan and create strategies fort he independance of Turkey after the lost war (please visit Sivas Museum).

Attempt onto Madimak-Hotel

At the 2nd of July 1993 groups of Islamic fundamentalists assembled in front of Madimak-Hotel directly after their Friday prayers were Alevitian musicians, authors, poets and editors had a meeting. The hotel was set under fire. By this fire 37 people were killed, within this group was the author Azis Nesin, which this attack was sentenced for, but he survived. Because of enraged crowds of fundamentalists in front of the hotel, the people inside the hotel couldn?t get out and escape from the fire until they were surrounded by fire and died. 

Even so police and fire brigade were called early enough they started doing something against the crowds eight hours later. The National Security Court later decided, that the crowds had cumbered the fire brigade doing their job.

The Alevitians call this attack the "Sivas Massacre". The result of this event plays an important role in their tradition and consciousness.

Before Christ (B.C.)

* 7000-5000 First settlements
* 1600-884 Hethitians
* 800-695 Phrygians
* 700-546 Lydians
* 550-332 Persian settlements
* 333 Makedonians (Diadochen)

After Christ (A.C.)

* 17-395 Roman Empire
* 395-1075 Byzantinians
* 1059 First Turkish tribes appear
* 1142-1171 Danischmenden Dynasty
* 1175 Sivas was coquered by Seldjuk
* 1197 construction of Ulu Cami in Sivas
* 1332 attack of Mongolian hordes
* 1400 Timur Lenk
* 1919 Sivas Congress of Atatürk
* 1920 Kocgiri-Uprising
* 1993 Attack onto Madimak-Hotel

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