Karamania (region)


In the 18th and 19th centuries, Caramania was an exonym used by Europeans for the southern coast of Anatolia, then part of the Ottoman Empire. It can also refer to the general south central Anatolian region, whose name is reflected on the modern town of Karaman. It is also the namesake of the larger Karaman Province of Turkey, the historical Karaman Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire, the medieval Turkish Karamanids dynasty and state from the region, and the Karamanlides, a Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christian group originally from the area.

The book

In 1811–12, Francis Beaufort, then the captain of in the British Navy, was tasked with mapping the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia. In 1817, he published a book about his services, named
Brief description of the south coast of Asia-Minor and of the remains of antiquity. With plans, views, & collected during a survey of that coast, under the orders of the Lords commissioners of the Admiralty, in the years 1811-1812.
In the preface of the book he called the southern coasts of Anatolia as Karamania but he added that although the name was a common name among the Europeans, neither the people nor the government of the Ottoman Empire used this name.

History

The Karamanids was a historical dynasty that ruled a state in the region between late 13th and late 15th centuries. The state was founded by a Turkmen tribe, led by Karaman Bey, and it was finally incorporated into Ottoman realm during the reign of Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire. The Karamanid state was founded in the southern half of the Central Anatolia. At the zenith of its power it also controlled the central portion of the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia After its territory was annexed by the Ottomans two names from the Karamanid era survived; present city of Karaman which was the capital city of Karamanids and the minority people named Karamanlides..

Geography

In his book, Sir Francis Beaufort referred to all of the southern coast of Anatolia as Caramania or Karamania. This name referred to a wide region from Yediburun to Ayas where Beaufort was wounded during a clash. This region is from in the west to in the east, almost lying at the same latitude but spanning a longitude difference of more than 6 degrees which corresponds to about bird's flight. Presently it corresponds to the coast line of three Turkish provinces: Antalya, Mersin and Adana. Even at the zenith of their power, however, the Karamanids controlled only one third of this coast.