Belen, Hatay

Infobox Settlement
settlement_type = District
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = TUR
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
map_caption =Location of PAGENAME within Turkey.
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
official_name = Belen


image_caption =
image_blank_emblem =
blank_emblem_type =

---

subdivision_type1=Region
subdivision_name1 = Mediterranean
subdivision_type2=Province
subdivision_name2 = Hatay
population_total = 28339
population_footnotes=
population_urban =
population_as_of = 2000
population_density_km2 =
area_total_km2 =
elevation_m = 507
postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code = 31
blank_info = 31
blank_name=Licence plate
area_code = (0)326
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name = Mustafa Seydi Evren
leader_title1=Governor
leader_name1 = Mehmet Öz
website = [http://www.belen.gov.tr/ www.belen.gov.tr]

Belen is a town and district of Hatay Province in the Mediterranean region of of south-central Turkey.

Geography

The district of Belen consists of a small town of the same name and the surrounding villages in the forested slopes of the Nur Mountains. The Belen Pass is the main route across the mountains and joins the coastal city of İskenderun with Antakya. The pass is a key route between Anatolia and the Middle East. The Belen district is known for its cool clean air (especially when compared with the heat of the Mediterranean coast below) and its mountain spring water.

The roadside restaurants in the pass have long been a stopping place for travellers, serving the typical dishes of Hatay, and especially "Belen tava", meats fried in tomatoes, garlic, spices and peppers.

Belen itself is a small market town with a post office and other basics. The people of Belen are conservative; the municipality is currently (early 2007) controlled by the Islamist-leaning AKP, with the other seats held by the Turkish nationalist MHP.

History

Known in earlier times as "Maziku Bagras" and "Bab-ı İskenderun" the pass was brought into the Ottoman Empire in 1516 after the battle of Mercidabık . The Ottomans posted a guard on the pass, the main route from Syria to Anatolia, and gave the area the name "Belen". In 1535 following a visit by Suleyman the Magnificent a wall was built to secure the pass along with a caravanserai, a mosque and a bathhouse, and with these facilities Turkish families were settled on the mountainside, partly acting as watchkeepers on the pass, along with the military garrison. This early Ottoman architecture is still in place.

The town grew, acquiring the typical Ottoman mix of Muslim and non-Muslim traders and villagers. the 16th century traveller Evliya Çelebi noted the harsh climate, the narrow streets and the forest on the steep hillsides. Belen was key to the defence of the Ottoman Empire during the struggle against the breakaway Egyptian army in 1827. 13,000 lives were lost during the Egyptian struggle to take the pass, they eventually succeeded but during their retreat from Anatolia were harried by bandits at Belen again.

Along with the rest of Hatay Belen became part of Turkey in 1939.

External links