The religious geography of Adıyaman

This study focuses on the religious geography of Adıyaman city center and districts. This study largely based on field research consists of an introduction, two chapters and a conclusion The origin of the name of Adıyaman city and an outline aspect of it are pointed out in the first part. The establishment of the city of Adıyaman,initially called as Hısnımansur, encounters as of the last period of the Umayyad State. The city has been located close to the main routes. The venue of the city is on an ancient settlement dating back to prehistoric times. Archaeological research proves that there are traces of life in the region since the Paleolithic period. The written sources that emerged in the region show that the geography has hosted for many states. It is known that this region is within the sovereignty area of all the powerful states that ruled Anatolia. Hittite, Urartu, Hurri, Mitanni, Assyria, Persia, Part, Alexander the Great, Seleucus, Roman Byzantine, Commagene, Sassanid, Seljuks, Artukids, Dulkadirli, Mamluks, Eyyubids, Mongols, Timurians and the Ottomans repeatedly destroyed the region as a result of long wars. Besides, During the Byzantine rule, the region was kept in the foreground as a strategic area for a long time. With the shift of the borders away from the region during the time of the Ottomans, the city gained a calmness away from wars. Over the years, The region has lost its strategic importance and lost its commercial status as well. In the second part of this study, the short history of Adıyaman city center and its districts and the religious geography of the city and its districts are examined. In particular, reliable information was tried to be obtained by applying interview and observation method. As a result of the study, it was found that the Muslim population in Adıyaman and its districts had even more than the non-Muslim population. Key Words: Hısnımansur, Adıyaman, Demographic, Religious Geography, Alevi, Sunni, Non-Muslim.