Pozantı

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Pozantı is a town and a district of Adana Province in Turkey. The town lies on the river Cakit. The ancient name of the city was Podandus, Podando in the Antonine Itinerary ( if Padyandus, Padaton, the Paduando in the Tabula Peutingeriana, can be equated with Pozantı is disputed ). The itinerary has Burdigalense mansio Opodando. The Arabs called the city of El Bedendum, from which eventually developed the Turkish name Bozantı / Pozantı.

Podandus lay on the Roman road to the Cilician Gate ( Via Tauri ), as evidenced by numerous finds of milestones. From the city itself has no finds are known, Richard P. Harper assumes that the ancient settlement was at the confluence of the Cakit with the Kamışlı Dere, where today orchards. From here comes a milestone of Caracalla, which describes how this emperor who extended the Cilician Gate: " Viam Tauri vetustate conlapsam conplanatis montibus et caesis rupibus ac dilatatis itineribus cum pontibus institutis restituit ".

The city is mentioned by Konstantinos Porphyrogenitus, who also mentions the fortress of Rodentos. You lie, as well Loulon, in the extreme south of the Cappadocian topic. As Valens 372 Cappadocia, the province announced, Caesareia capital of Cappadocia Prima remained in the north, Podandos became the capital of Cappadocia Secunda in the south. Basil of Caesarea describes the settlement disparaged as a "hole" ( Barathrum ) in Taurus and compared it to the pit Oeadas the Spartans or one of the natural fissures, from which rises a poisonous smoke, and called charonisch. Podandus was soon replaced by Tyana.

The city is known today mainly because of the source Sekerpinar. At the entrance to the pass through the Taurus the castles of Anahşa are from the Byzantine period ( Rodentos ), which the Crusaders called Butrentum, probably a contraction with the place name. The Arabic name was Hisn Assakaliba, after the Slavic garrison. On the rocks around the castle, the soldiers of the First Crusade are numerous crosses have carved into the rock, already Ramsay she could not find, however.