Gökçedam Explained

Type:village
Province:Osmaniye
District:Osmaniye
Gökçedam
Population Total:586
Population As Of:2022
Coordinates:37.1903°N 36.0919°W
Other Name:Hemite

Gökçedam (also known as Hemite) is a village in the Osmaniye District in Osmaniye Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 586 (2022).[2] The village is inhabited by Turkmens.[3] It was the birthplace of the famous Turkish novelist of Kurdish origin Yaşar Kemal.[4]

Its most conspicuous feature is a plug of rock in the centre of the village with a ruined castle perched on its summit. The Ceyhan river passes the outskirts of the village and there is a waterside park with a small museum to Yaşar Kemal (not always open).

Etymology

Originally a Roman castle, the settlement was listed as Al-ˁAmûdayn, meaning "two pillars" in Arabic, by Ibn Khordadbeh in 870. In 12th century, Matthew of Edessa referred to the place as Amuda or Amudan. According to Sevan Nişanyan, the original Turkish name of the village was borrowed from its Armenian form of Amuta.[5]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx Köy
  2. Web site: Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports. 22 May 2023. TÜİK. en. XLS.
  3. Web site: Yaşar Kemal hayatını kaybetti . CNN Türk . 7 February 2023.
  4. Web site: 2015-03-01 . Yasar Kemal obituary . 2022-06-18 . the Guardian . en.
  5. Web site: Nişanyan . Sevan . Gökçedam . NişanyanYerAdları . 1 February 2023.