Malatya in Byzantine period

Although Malatya and its surroundings have been inhabited since prehistoric times, the first settlement of the city is different from today's Malatya. Arslantepe is the site where the city of Malatya showed city characteristics for the first time. In the light of the information obtained from the available data, it is understood that this settlement belongs to the Hittite period. As soon as the city came under Roman rule, it was moved 4 km north of Arslantepe, which we know today as Battalgazi (Eski Malatya). After the Roman Empire placed the XIIth Fulminata Legion in the city, the city revitalized over time and became a permanent settlement. Malatya was the scene of many important political and military events during the period from Roman rule to Turkish rule. It was constantly subjected to looting and destruction. The geopolitical location of the city and the military and commercial routes passing through the city are the most important reasons for this. Under Roman-Byzantine rule, the city was first administratively attached to the province of Cappadocia. During the reign of Emperor Diocletian, this province was divided into two, the provinces of Armenia II and Cappadocia were formed, and Malatya was attached to Armenia II. With the changes during the reign of Justinian, Malatya was included in the province of Armenia III as the central city of the province. During the reign of Emperor Mavrikios, the Malatya region began to be known as Armenia I. During the reign of Emperor Heraclius, when the eastern border shifted westward, the border changed from Malatya to Kaesareia and Malatya was located in the no-man's land between the Byzantine and Islamic armies. Later, the Islamic armies began to use the city as a sugur city. Until the period that Seljuk Empire captured Malatya, the city which had been a battlefield of Byzantium and the other factors and had frequently changed hands had been taken into the domination field of Turks since this date.