| Type: | metro district |
| Mut | |
| Coordinates: | 36.6458°N 33.4375°W |
| Province: | Mersin |
| Leader Party: | İYİ |
| Leader Name: | Murat Orhan |
| Area Total Km2: | 2718 |
| Population Total: | 62874 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Postal Code: | 33600 |
| Area Code: | 0324 |
Mut is a municipality and district of Mersin Province, Turkey.[1] Its area is 2,718 km2,[2] and its population is 62,874 (2022).[3]
Mut is a rural district at the foot of the Sertavul Pass on the road over the Taurus Mountains from Ankara and Konya to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur or Silifke. Mut is known for its special apricot variety, Mut şekerparesi, and a statue of a girl carrying a basket of them stands at the entrance to the town. The summer is hot and the people of Mut retreat to high meadows (so called yayla) even further up the mountainside. The forests up here are home to wild boar, and the Gezende reservoir on the Ermenek River is a welcome patch of blue in this dry district. The dam has a hydro-electric power station built in Romania.
The area has probably been inhabited since the time of the Hittites (2000 BC), and was later part of ancient Cilicia. Under the Roman Empire, the town was called Claudiopolis.[4] Alahan Monastery, north of Claudiopolis, was started in the second half of the fifth century by the Emperor Leo I and later finish by Emperor Zeno.[5]
The Romans were succeeded by the Kingdom of Armenia. In the 13th century the Armenians were replaced by the Karamanid clan who founded the state of the same name. The mosque of Lal Pasha, and the Red Minaret (Kızılminare) are among the buildings from the Karamanids that still stand in Mut today.
Small cattle breeding is one of the important livelihoods of the region.[6]
There are 102 neighbourhoods in Mut District:[7]
Mut has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), with very hot, dry summers, and cool, somewhat rainy winters.[8]
One of the last sightings of the Anatolian leopard was near Mut, in the locality called "Dandi" in 2001.