Geben, Kahramanmaraş

Geben
Neighbourhood
Geben Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 37°47′N 36°27′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Kahramanmaraş
District	Andırın
Elevation	1,360 m (4,460 ft)
Population  (2022)	1,448
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	46400
Area code	0344

Geben (from Armenian: Կապան, romanized: Kapan) is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Andırın, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 1,448 (2022).[2] Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde).[3][4]

It is a mountain town, the distance to Andırın being about 30 kilometres (19 mi). Near the settlement of Geben is a large baronial castle primarily of Armenian construction (late 11th to 13th c.) with probable late antique/Byzantine remains and a period of Crusader occupation. The two baileys are well-protected with rounded towers. This site was the guardian of the strategic road at the Meryemçil Pass, connecting Cappadocia to the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The remains of a late antique/medieval settlement are in the valley below to the southeast.[5] An extensive photographic survey, description and plan of Geben Castle / Kahramanmaraş was made between 1973 and 1979.[6] This road now used only by Geben residents was an important caravan route in history which connected East Mediterranean cities to Central Anatolia.

References

1. Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
2. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
3. "Law No. 6360". Official Gazette (in Turkish). 6 December 2012.
4. "Classification tables of municipalities and their affiliates and local administrative units" (DOC). Official Gazette (in Turkish). 12 September 2010.
5. Edwards, Robert W. (1987). The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Dumbarton Oaks Studies XXIII. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University. pp. 124–131. ISBN 0-88402-163-7.
6. The survey was conducted under the auspices of the University of California at Berkeley.[1]