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Sivas, called Sebastea in Roman times, was an important Seljuk
Turkish city, and has the
grand old buildings to prove it.
Today it's also a center of Turkish Alevi (Alawite) Islamic culture.
If you come to Sivas, it will be to
see the Seljuk
monuments such as the Çifte
Minare Medrese (Seminary of the
Twin Minarets, 1271), the Ulu Cami (Great
Mosque, 1197), the Bürüciye and Sifaiye
Medreses, and the splendid Gök
Medrese (Celestial or Sky-Blue
Seminary, 1271). There are also a number
of Seljuk türbes
(cylindrical tombs) scattered about
the town.
A more recent historic building is
the site of the Sivas Congress,
convened by Mustafa
Kemal (Atatürk) on September
4, 1919, to rally the country to the
cause of independence.
Seljuk
architecture buffs (I'm
one) may make a special trip to
the city, but most people find
themselves passing through on
their way to somewhere else, such
as Amasya, Kayseri, Malatya (and Nemrut
Dagi) or Erzincan and Erzurum.
That's fine. You can break your
trip here, stay overnight,
see all there is to see in a half-day,
and continue refreshed the next
morning.
Sivas is a major transport nexus with
good, frequent bus service,
useful train service,
and occasional flights by Turkish
Airlines.
Distances & Travel Times
Adiyaman: 414
km (257 miles) SE, 7 hours
Ankara: 441
km (274 miles) W, 7 hours
Amasya: 221
km (137 miles) NW, 4 hours
Erzincan: 247 km (154 miles)
E, 3.75 hours
Erzurum: 439
km (273 miles) E, 7.5 hours
Kayseri: 194
km (121 miles) SW, 3.75 hours
Malatya: 247
km (154 miles) SE, 4 hours
Tokat: 107 km (67 miles) NW,
2 hours
Ürgüp (Cappadocia): 274
km (170 miles) W, 4.5 hours
Yozgat (near Bogazkale): 224
km (139 miles) W, 3.5 hours
Eastern
Turkey
Central
Anatolia
Where
to Go
Turkey
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