Sis (ancient city): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Ancient Armenian city}} |
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[[File:Siscapital.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The ruins of the old Armenian Capital Sis.]] |
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{{Infobox ancient site |
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'''Sis''' ({{lang-hy|Սիս}}) was the capital of the [[Armenian kingdom of Cilicia]].<ref>Ecclesiastical Architecture in the Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia - Robert W. Edwards, Page [155] of 155-176 </ref> |
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| name = Sis |
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| image = Siscapital.jpg |
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| alt = |
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| caption = The fortress in the old Armenian Capital Sis |
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| map_type = Turkey |
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| map_size = 275 |
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| relief = |
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| coordinates = {{coord|37|26|40|N|35|48|37|E|display=inline,title}} |
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| location = Near the modern town of [[Kozan, Adana|Kozan]], [[Adana Province]], [[Turkey]] |
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| builder = [[Hittites]] And [[Armenians]] |
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| material = |
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| built = 3rd millennium BC |
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| abandoned = 1921 |
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| epochs = <!-- actually displays as "Periods" --> |
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}} |
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'''Sis''' ({{langx|hy|Սիս}}) was the capital of the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]].<ref name="edwards">{{cite book|last1=Edwards| first1=Robert W.| title=The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Dumbarton Oaks Studies XXIII| date=1987|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-88402-163-7|pages=233–237, 285, pls.211a-221a}}</ref> The massive fortified complex is just to the southwest of the modern Turkish town of [[Kozan, Adana|Kozan]] in [[Adana Province]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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In the 3rd millennium B.C. Sis was one of the [[Hittites|Hittite]] settlements on the [[Cilician plain]] between the mountains and the [[Mediterranean]] coast. |
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From 3000 BC onwards there were [[Hittites|Hittite]] settlements on the plains beyond the [[Mediterranean]] coast, living of farming and grazing animals. The area then changed hands many times, eventually becoming known as Flavias or Flaviopolis in the former [[Roman province]] of [[Cilicia]] Secunda. The city was known by the names of Issos, Pindenissos. The names Sisan or Sisia are first mentioned in the fifth and sixth centuries in [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] sources. In 703 AD the city was conquered by [[Arabs]]. According to [[Arabic]] sources from the eighth century, Sis' population was mainly [[Armenians|Armenian]]. |
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During the 1st century B.C. Sis appears to have been an unfortified village in the Roman province of [[Cilicia (Roman province)|Cilicia]] Secunda. The names Sisan or Sisia are first mentioned in the 5th and 6th centuries in Greek and Latin sources. In 703–04 A.D., the [[Byzantine]] settlers repulsed an [[Arab]] attack, but were soon forced to abandon the town, which became a frontier post for the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. The [[Caliph]] [[Al-Mutawakkil]] reconstructed the [[Byzantine]] defenses in the mid-9th century. The Byzantine Emperor [[Nikephoros II Phokas]] recaptured Sis in 962 from the [[Abbasid]]s, only to have it become an [[Armenians|Armenian]] possession in 1113, when it was occupied by Rubenid Baron [[Thoros I, Prince of Armenia|T‛oros I]] and repaired.<ref name=edwards /> |
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During [[Thoros I, Prince of Armenia]]'s reign, [[Armenia|Armenian]] forces with the help of native [[Armenians]] conquered Sis. Thoros also established the Drazark monastery, which later became the Rubenid dynasty's mausoleum. In 1173 AD [[Mleh, Prince of Armenia|Mleh]] made Sis Cilician Armenia's capital. During the reigns of [[Leo II, King of Armenia|Leo II]] and [[Hethum II]] Sis was rebuilt and beautified with palaces, civilian and religious buildings, and gardens. Sis is well presented in the works of Villebrand, an [[Archduchy of Austria|Austrian]] ambassador to Sis from 1211 to 1212. After [[Hromkla]] was conquered by [[Mamluks]], Sis became the [[Catholicos]]' residence. In 1266 [[Mamluks]] looted and burnt the city. In 1275 [[Mamluks]] again surrounded the city, but were defeated by Armenian forces. A century later, in 1369 [[Mamluks]] again conquered the city, but were forced to leave. Finally, in 1375 [[Mamluks]] took the city, looted and burnt it, and captured the king and many lords. With Sis fallen also fell the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]]. |
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From the late 12th through the 13th centuries, the castle was significantly enlarged during the reigns of King [[Leo I, King of Armenia|Levon I]] and King [[Het‛um I]] with a "palace," residential buildings, churches, and gardens. [[Wilbrand von Oldenburg]], a Teutonic monk who visited Sis in 1212, found a complete and well-established capital. Het‛um's wife, Zapēl, is credited with building a hospital there in 1241. A fragment of a dedicatory inscription still in situ within the castle mentions "Het‛um".<ref name=edwards /> |
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[[Siege of Rumkale|After Hromkla was conquered]] by the [[Egypt]]ian [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]], Sis became the Catholicos' residence. In 1266 the Mamluks looted and burnt the city. In 1275 the Mamluks again surrounded the city, but were defeated by Armenian forces. A century later, in 1369 the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]] again conquered the city, but were forced to leave. Finally, in 1375 the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]] [[Fall of Sis|took the city]], looted and burnt it, and captured the king and many lords.<ref name="sanjian">{{cite book|last1=Sanjian|first1=Avedis| title=Colophons of Armenian Manuscripts, 1301-1408: A Source for Middle Eastern History| date=1969|publisher=Harvard U.P.|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=92, 95, 99, 111, 294}}</ref> With Sis fallen, the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]] also fell and its territory was annexed into the [[Mamluk Sultanate]]. |
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| ⚫ | {{blockquote|They burned the town of Sis, which was the seat of the Armenian kings. They cast wood into the fire and great church which was the center of Sis and they burned it. They demolished the tombs of the kings.<ref>{{cite book|title=Byzantine studies: Études byzantines: Volumes 3-4|year=1976|publisher=University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh|pages=44}}</ref> }} |
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Into the early [[History of Armenia|20th century Armenians]] continued to inhabit the town where several late medieval residential structures were preserved.<ref>Robert W. Edwards, "Settlements and Toponymy in Armenian Cilicia," ''Revue des Études Arméniennes'' 24, 1993, pp.201-03.</ref> |
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The castle at Sis is one of the largest fortified sites in the [[Levant]]. If laid from end to end, the circuit walls would measure almost 3 kilometers in length.<ref name=edwards /> The walls, towers, vaulted [[undercroft]]s, cisterns, and residential buildings are carefully adapted into the folds of the lofty outcrop of limestone. The vast majority of these constructions are built with well-cut rusticated ashlar, a masonry typical of Armenian fortifications. There are fragments of [[Walls of Constantinople|Byzantine walls]] as well as an entrance corridor at the southeast which was built during the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] occupation and has an inscription in [[Arabic]]. Because of its strategic location, Sis has indivisibility with the castles at Andıl, [[Anazarbus]], and [[Tumlu Castle|Tumlu]]. |
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Directly below the castle outcrop at the southeast is a large terrace which has the remains of several important churches and chapels in the Compound of the Patriarchs, including the basilica of St. Sophia, built by [[Hethum I, King of Armenia|King Het‛um I]], and the 18th-century church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. One of the chapels, Kara Kilise, still preserves the apse and the pointed vault over the nave.<ref>Robert W. Edwards, "Ecclesiastical Architecture in the Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: First Report," ''Dumbarton Oaks Papers'' 36, 1982, pp.168-170, pls.24-30.</ref><ref>Robert W. Edwards, "Ecclesiastical Architecture in the Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Second Report," ''Dumbarton Oaks Papers'' 37, 1983, pp.134-141, pls.47-67.</ref> |
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==See also== |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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* [https://charlvarchive.org/Site/14 Carefully documented photographic survey and plan of Sis Castle / Kozan] |
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{{Historic capitals of Armenia}} |
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[[Category:Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]] |
[[Category:Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]] |
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[[Category:6th century BC in Greece]] |
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[[Category:Former capitals of Armenia]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:43, 2 November 2024
 The fortress in the old Armenian Capital Sis | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Near the modern town of Kozan, Adana Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°26′40″N 35°48′37″E / 37.44444°N 35.81028°E |
| History | |
| Builder | Hittites And Armenians |
| Founded | 3rd millennium BC |
| Abandoned | 1921 |
Sis (Armenian: Սիս) was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.[1] The massive fortified complex is just to the southwest of the modern Turkish town of Kozan in Adana Province.
History
[edit]In the 3rd millennium B.C. Sis was one of the Hittite settlements on the Cilician plain between the mountains and the Mediterranean coast.
During the 1st century B.C. Sis appears to have been an unfortified village in the Roman province of Cilicia Secunda. The names Sisan or Sisia are first mentioned in the 5th and 6th centuries in Greek and Latin sources. In 703–04 A.D., the Byzantine settlers repulsed an Arab attack, but were soon forced to abandon the town, which became a frontier post for the Abbasid Caliphate. The Caliph Al-Mutawakkil reconstructed the Byzantine defenses in the mid-9th century. The Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas recaptured Sis in 962 from the Abbasids, only to have it become an Armenian possession in 1113, when it was occupied by Rubenid Baron T‛oros I and repaired.[1]
From the late 12th through the 13th centuries, the castle was significantly enlarged during the reigns of King Levon I and King Het‛um I with a "palace," residential buildings, churches, and gardens. Wilbrand von Oldenburg, a Teutonic monk who visited Sis in 1212, found a complete and well-established capital. Het‛um's wife, Zapēl, is credited with building a hospital there in 1241. A fragment of a dedicatory inscription still in situ within the castle mentions "Het‛um".[1]
After Hromkla was conquered by the Egyptian Mamluks, Sis became the Catholicos' residence. In 1266 the Mamluks looted and burnt the city. In 1275 the Mamluks again surrounded the city, but were defeated by Armenian forces. A century later, in 1369 the Mamluks again conquered the city, but were forced to leave. Finally, in 1375 the Mamluks took the city, looted and burnt it, and captured the king and many lords.[2] With Sis fallen, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia also fell and its territory was annexed into the Mamluk Sultanate.
According to Gregory of Akner,
They burned the town of Sis, which was the seat of the Armenian kings. They cast wood into the fire and great church which was the center of Sis and they burned it. They demolished the tombs of the kings.[3]
Into the early 20th century Armenians continued to inhabit the town where several late medieval residential structures were preserved.[4]
The castle at Sis is one of the largest fortified sites in the Levant. If laid from end to end, the circuit walls would measure almost 3 kilometers in length.[1] The walls, towers, vaulted undercrofts, cisterns, and residential buildings are carefully adapted into the folds of the lofty outcrop of limestone. The vast majority of these constructions are built with well-cut rusticated ashlar, a masonry typical of Armenian fortifications. There are fragments of Byzantine walls as well as an entrance corridor at the southeast which was built during the Mamluk occupation and has an inscription in Arabic. Because of its strategic location, Sis has indivisibility with the castles at Andıl, Anazarbus, and Tumlu.
Directly below the castle outcrop at the southeast is a large terrace which has the remains of several important churches and chapels in the Compound of the Patriarchs, including the basilica of St. Sophia, built by King Het‛um I, and the 18th-century church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. One of the chapels, Kara Kilise, still preserves the apse and the pointed vault over the nave.[5][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Edwards, Robert W. (1987). The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Dumbarton Oaks Studies XXIII. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University. pp. 233–237, 285, pls.211a-221a. ISBN 0-88402-163-7.
- ^ Sanjian, Avedis (1969). Colophons of Armenian Manuscripts, 1301-1408: A Source for Middle Eastern History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard U.P. pp. 92, 95, 99, 111, 294.
- ^ Byzantine studies: Études byzantines: Volumes 3-4. University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 1976. p. 44.
- ^ Robert W. Edwards, "Settlements and Toponymy in Armenian Cilicia," Revue des Études Arméniennes 24, 1993, pp.201-03.
- ^ Robert W. Edwards, "Ecclesiastical Architecture in the Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: First Report," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 36, 1982, pp.168-170, pls.24-30.
- ^ Robert W. Edwards, "Ecclesiastical Architecture in the Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Second Report," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 37, 1983, pp.134-141, pls.47-67.