Kilis

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Kilis is a Turkish city in Southeastern Anatolia and has 84 184 inhabitants ( 2011 census ). Kilis is the provincial capital of the province of Kilis. The city lies on the Syrian border in a same level, at the foot of Kefiz around 650 meters above sea level.

History

In the immediate vicinity of the city there are numerous Höyüks, showing that the region has been inhabited for a very long time. The best known and most researched is the Oylum Höyük, which was inhabited since the Neolithic Age to the Byzantine period.

The name was first used in Kilis Arabic writings in the 10th century and is derived from the term for "church." End of the 11th century Kilis was conquered by the Crusaders, fell into the hands of the Ayyubids and the Egyptian Mamluks later. When the region was conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Selim the stern, Kilis was still a village. 1519 Kilis was then a small town with four Mahalles and approximately 1,500 residents. End of the 19th century belonged to the province of Kilis and Aleppo had 20,000 inhabitants. The Geographer Vital Cuinet reported, inter alia, of 47 Friday mosques, 12 small mosques, dervish convents 4, 24 madrasas and 3 churches.

Education

The University of Kilis is located in the center of the city. It includes faculties of engineering, arts, sciences and management sciences as well as several vocational schools.