View source for Kayseri

{{for|other locations with similar names|Caesarea (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
| settlement_type    = [[Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey|Metropolitan municipality]]
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Turkey
| timezone           = [[Time in Turkey|TRT]]
| utc_offset         = +3
| map_caption        = Location within Turkey
| official_name      = Kayseri
<!-- | image_skyline          = City of Kayseri.png -->| image_skyline      = {{multiple image|total_width = 280px|perrow = 1/2/2/2|border = infobox
| image1 = Mount Erciyes (Argaeus), Turkey (31870998063).jpg
| alt1   =
| image2 = Kayseri Kadir Has Stadium 12.jpg
| alt2   =
| image3 = 2013 - panoramio (200).jpg
| alt3   =
| image4 = Kayseray.JPG
| alt4   =
| image5 = Sivas Caddesi Kayseri.JPG
| alt5   =
| image6 = Fortress of Kayseri 01.jpg
| alt6   =
| image7 = Hunat Hatun Külliyesi 02.jpg
| alt7   =
}}
| imagesize          = 270
| image_alt          = See caption
| image_caption      = '''Clockwise from top:''' [[Mount Erciyes]], Bürüngüz Mosque in Cumhuriyet Square, Sivas Street, [[Hunat Hatun Complex]], [[Kayseri Castle]], Kayseri Tram, [[Kadir Has Stadium]]
| image_blank_emblem = Kayseri City Logo.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Emblem of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Turkey|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Central Anatolia Region|Central Anatolia]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Provinces of Turkey|Province]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Kayseri Province|Kayseri]]
| area_total_km2     = 17043
| area_urban_km2     = 3620
| area_metro_km2     = 2810
| population_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation.de">{{cite web| url = https://www.citypopulation.de/en/turkey/admin/| title = Turkey: Administrative Division (Provinces and Districts) – Population Statistics, Charts and Map|website=Citypopulation.de}}</ref>
| population_as_of   = 2024
| population_total   = 1452458
| population_urban   = 1210983
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics by Theme > National Accounts > Regional Accounts |url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/ilgosterge/?locale=tr |access-date=11 May 2023 |website=www.turkstat.gov.tr}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = [[Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey|Metropolitan municipality]]
| demographics2_info1 = [[Turkish lira|TRY]] 107.378 billion<br />[[US$]] 11.956 billion (2021)
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = [[Turkish lira|TRY]] 75,200<br />[[US$]] 8,373 (2021)
| elevation_m        = 1050
| pushpin_map        = Turkey#Asia
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Kayseri, Turkey
| pushpin_mapsize    = 255px
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|43|21|N|35|29|15|E|type:city_region:TR|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 38x xx
| blank_info         = 38
| blank_name         = [[Turkish car number plates|Licence&nbsp;plate]]
| area_code          = (+90) 352
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Memduh Büyükkılıç ([[AK Party]])
| website            = {{URL|http://kayseri.bel.tr}}
| name               = 
}}

'''Kayseri''' ({{IPA|tr|ˈkajseɾi}}) is a large [[List of cities in Turkey|city]] in [[Central Anatolia]], Turkey, and the capital of [[Kayseri Province|Kayseri province]]. Historically known as [[Caesarea (Mazaca)|Caesarea]], it has been the historical capital of [[Cappadocia]] since ancient times. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is composed of five districts: the two central districts of [[Kocasinan]] and [[Melikgazi]], and since 2004, also outlying [[Hacılar]], [[İncesu, Kayseri|İncesu]], and [[Talas, Turkey|Talas]].

As of 31 December 2024, the province had a population of 1 452 458 of whom 1 210 983 lived in the four urban districts (Melikgazi, Kocasinan, Talas, Incesu), excluding [[İncesu, Kayseri|İncesu]] which is not conurbated, meaning it is not contiguous and has a largely non-protected [[buffer zone]].

Kayseri sits at the foot of [[Mount Erciyes]] ([[Turkish language|Turkish:]] ''Erciyes Dağı''), a dormant volcano that reaches an altitude of {{convert|3,917|m|abbr=off}}, more than 1,500 metres above the city's mean altitude. It contains a number of historic monuments, particularly from the [[Seljuk dynasty|Seljuk]] period. Tourists often pass through Kayseri en route to the attractions of [[Cappadocia]] to the west. Kayseri is known for local dishes such as [[Sujuk|''sucuk'']], [[Pastirma|''pastırma'']], and [[Manti (food)|''mantı'']], which are commonly associated with the region.

Kayseri is served by [[Erkilet International Airport]] and is home to [[Erciyes University]].

== Etymology ==
Kayseri has been equated with the early [[Hittites|Hittite]] kingdom of [[Kussara]],<ref>Wedderburn, A. (1980). "Towards Ideomatic Reconstruction in the Nilo-Saharan Complex." Nilo-Saharan Proceedings: Proceedings of the First Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Conference, Leiden, The Netherlands, September 8–10, 1980. (2019). Germany: De Gruyter.</ref> referenced sporadically in early Assyrian trading records.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Barjamovic|first=Gojko|author-link=Gojko Barjamovic|title=A Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period|year=2011|location=Copenhagen|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press|isbn=978-87-635-3645-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hB9feN_sbx4C}}</ref> It was called ''Mazaka'' or ''Mazaca'' ({{Langx|hy|Մաժաք|translit=Mažak'}}; according to [[Armenian People|Armenian]] tradition, it was founded by and named after Mishak)<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/4236961|title=Two Stone Idols from Asia Minor at the University of Illinois|author=Olmstead, A. T.|year=1929|journal=Syria|volume=10|issue=4|pages=311–313|doi=10.3406/syria.1929.3413 |jstor=4236961 |access-date=30 June 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and was known as such to the geographer [[Strabo]], during whose time it was the capital of the Roman province of [[Cappadocia]], known also as ''Eusebia at the Argaeus'' ({{Lang|grc|Εὐσέβεια ἡ πρὸς τῷ Ἀργαίῳ}} in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]]), after [[Ariarathes V of Cappadocia|Ariarathes V Eusebes]], King of [[Kingdom of Cappadocia|Cappadocia]] (r. 163–130 BC).

In 14 AD its name was changed by [[Archelaus of Cappadocia|Archelaus]] (d. 17 AD), the last King of Cappadocia (r. 36 BC–14 AD) and a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] vassal, to "[[Caesarea (Mazaca)|Caesarea]] in [[Cappadocia]]" (to distinguish it from other cities with the name ''Caesarea'' in the Roman Empire) in honour of [[Augustus|Caesar Augustus]] upon his death. This name was rendered as {{Lang|grc|Καισάρεια}} (''Kaisáreia'') in [[Koine Greek]], the dialect of the later [[Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire]], and it remained in use by the natives (nowadays known as [[Cappadocian Greek]]s, due to their spoken language, but then referred to as [[Rûm|Rum]] due to their previous Roman citizenship) until their [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|expulsion]] from Turkey in 1924. (Note that letter ''C'' in classical [[Latin]] was pronounced ''K.'' This pronunciation was adapted by the Arabs, who called the city ''Kaisariyah'' ({{lang|ar|قيصرية}}), and the Turks, who gave the city its current name ''Kayseri'' ({{lang|fa|قیصری}})).<ref name = "place-names">{{cite book |url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t209.e3530 |chapter= Kayseri |access-date =2007-12-11 |last = Everett-Heath |first = John |year = 2005 |title= Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names |publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Hittite fruit cup detail.JPG|left|thumb|Decorated ceramic bowl from the [[Hittites|Hittite]] period found in [[Kültepe]].]]
[[File:The Hercules Sarcophagus depicting the Twelve Labors of Hercules, 150-160 AD, Kayseri Archaeological Museum, Turkey (25682295994).jpg|thumb|left|The Hercules Sarcophagus depicting the Twelve [[Labours of Hercules]], 150–160 AD, [[Kayseri Archaeology Museum|Kayseri Archaeological Museum]].]]
Kayseri experienced three golden ages. The first, dating to 2000 BC, was when the city formed a trade post between the [[ancient Assyrians|Assyrians]] and the [[Hittites]]. The second came under Roman rule from the 1st to the 11th centuries. The third golden age was during the reign of the [[Seljuks]] (1178–1243), when the city was the second capital of the [[Seljuk Sultanate of Rum]].

===Ancient history===
{{main|Caesarea (Mazaca)}}
As '''Mazaca''' ({{langx|grc|Μάζακα}}),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc1:12.2.7|title=Strabo, Geography, Book 12, chapter 2, section 7|website=Perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=30 June 2022}}</ref> the city served as the residence of the kings of [[Cappadocia]]. In ancient times, it was on the crossroads of the trade routes from [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinop]]e to the [[Euphrates]] and from the [[Persian Royal Road]] that extended from [[Sardis]] to [[Susa]] during the 200+ years of [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Persian]] rule. In [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times, a similar route from [[Ephesus]] to the East also crossed the city.

In Late Antiquity, the city may have contained a population of around 50,000 inhabitants and it was the highest ranked diocese up to the [[council of Chalcedon]].<ref name="CooperDecker1">{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Eric |last2=Decker |first2=Michael J. |title=Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia |date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-02964-5 |page=16;47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZRZTZ5OZC8C |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> Nothing remains of it today. 
[[Basil of Caesarea]], one of the [[Cappadocian Fathers]], established a large complex containing charitable institutions, a monastery and churches, the [[Basiliad]], in Caesarea Mazaca in the fourth century.<ref name="CooperDecker2">{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Eric |last2=Decker |first2=Michael J. |title=Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia |date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-02964-5 |pages=30;166;168–169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZRZTZ5OZC8C |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> Nothing remains of it today.

The city was also situated on the [[Pilgrim's Road|main pilgrimage route]] from Constantinople to the Holy Land and had several shrines dedicated to local saints, such as [[St Mamas]], [[Saint Mercurius|St Merkourious]] and Basil of Caesarea, which continued to be venerated by the local population into the 17th century.<ref name="CooperDecker2" /> The city was occupied by the Sassanids in 611/12 in the [[Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628|last war between the Byzantines and the Sassanids]] and became the headquarter of emperor [[Heraclius]].<ref name="CooperDecker1" />

The city stood on a low spur on the north side of [[Mount Erciyes]] (''Mount Argaeus'' in antiquity). Very few traces of the ancient site now survive.

===Medieval history===
From the mid-seventh century onwards, [[Arab–Byzantine wars|Arab attacks]] on Cappadocia and Caesarea became common and the city was besieged several times, diminishing in population and resources consequently.<ref name="CooperDecker3">{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Eric |last2=Decker |first2=Michael J. |title=Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia |date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-02964-5 |pages=22–23;226;239 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZRZTZ5OZC8C |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> The [[Arab]] general, and later the first [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] [[Caliph]], [[Muawiyah I|Muawiyah]] invaded [[Cappadocia]] and took Caesarea from the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] temporarily in 647.<ref>Ostrogorsky, George. History of the Byzantine State. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1969. Pg 116.</ref> By the mid-eight century, the area between Caesarea and Melitene was a no-mans land.<ref name="CooperDecker3" />
[[File:Kayseri-Huant-Hatun-Mosque2-Verity-Cridland.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Detail from the [[Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate|Seljuk]]-era Hunat Hatun [[Mosque]], built in 1238 for [[Sultana (title)|Sultana]] Hunat Hatun, wife of [[Sultanate of Rûm|Seljuk]] [[Sultan]] [[Kayqubad I|Alaeddin Keykubad I]] and mother of Sultan [[Kaykhusraw II|Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev II]].]]
[[File:Sahabiye medresesi (gece).JPG|thumb|Walls of the [[Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate|Seljuk]] era Sahabiye [[Madrasah|Medresesi]], built in 1267 by the Seljuk [[vizier]] [[Sâhib Ata|Sahip Ata Fahreddin Ali]].]]

Though the city lost most of its importance by the tenth century, it probably still housed around 50,000 people.<ref name="CooperDecker4">{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Eric |last2=Decker |first2=Michael J. |title=Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia |date=24 July 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-02964-5 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZRZTZ5OZC8C |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> [[Alp Arslan]]'s forces demolished the city and massacred its population in 1067.<ref name=Ash>{{cite book |last=Ash |first=John |title=A Byzantine journey |year=2006 |publisher=Tauris Parke Paperbacks |location=London |isbn=9781845113070 |page=167 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQCKEk1GXlYC&q=%22In+that+year+the+Turks+captured+Caesarea%2C+the+chief+city+of+eastern+Cappadocia%2C+burnt+it+to+the+ground%2C+massacred+its%22&pg=PA267 |edition=[2. ed.] |quote=In that year the [[Turkish people|Turks]] captured Caesarea, the chief city of eastern Cappadocia, burnt it to the ground, massacred its inhabitants and descrated the great shrine of Saint Basil.}}</ref>  The shrine of [[Saint Basil]] was also sacked after the fall of the city.<ref>{{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Louis Bréhier; translated by Margaret |title=The life and death of Byzantium |year=1977 |publisher=North-Holland Pub. Co .|location=Amsterdam |isbn=9780720490084 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mAbAAAAYAAJ&q=%22In+the+spring+of+1067+he+invaded+the+Pontus+and+penetrated+as+far+as+Caesarea+in+Cappadocia+which+he+demolished%22 |quote=In the spring of 1067 he invaded the Pontus and penetrated as far as Caesarea in Cappadocia which he demolished}}</ref> As a result, the city remained uninhabited for the next half century.<ref name=Ash/>

From 1074 to 1178 the area was under the control of the [[Danishmendids]] who rebuilt the city in 1134.<ref name="Vryonis">[[Speros Vryonis]], [https://www.scribd.com/doc/39065646/Vryonis-Decline-of-Medieval-Hellinism-in-Asia-Minor Vryonis Decline of Medieval Hellinism in Asia Minor | PDF | Anatolia | Byzantine Empire] ''The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamization from the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Century''. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025320/https://www.scribd.com/doc/39065646/Vryonis-Decline-of-Medieval-Hellinism-in-Asia-Minor |date=2017-02-02}} ([[University of California]] Press, 1971), p. 155</ref> The [[Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate]] controlled the city from 1178 to 1243 and it was one of their most important centres until it fell to the [[Mongols]] in 1243. The relatively short Seljuk period left a large number of historic landmarks including the [[Hunat Hatun Complex]], the [[Kilij Arslan II|Kiliç Arslan]] Mosque, the ''Ulu Camii'' (Grand Mosque) and the ''[[Gevher Nesibe]] Hastanesi'' (Hospital). Within the walls lies the greater part of Kayseri, rebuilt between the 13th and 16th centuries. The city then fell to the [[Eretnids]] before finally becoming [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] in 1515. It was the centre of a sanjak called initially the [[Rum Eyalet]] (1515–1521) and then the [[Angora vilayet]] (founded as Bozok Eyalet, 1839–1923).

===Modern era===
[[File:Kayseri Milli Mücadele Müzesi 4991.jpg|thumb|Kayseri National War Museum (Formerly Kayseri High School)]]
The Grand [[Bazaar]] dates from the latter part of the 1800s, but the adjacent [[caravanserai]], where merchant traders gathered before forming a caravan, dates from around 1500. The town's older districts which were filled with ornate mansion-houses mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries were subjected to wholesale demolition starting in the 1970s.<ref name="virtualani">{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualani.org/kayseri-houses/index.htm |title=Armenian Architecture – VirtualANI – The Traditional Houses of Kayseri |website=Virtualani.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523214837/http://www.virtualani.org/kayseri-houses/index.htm |archive-date=2007-05-23}}</ref>

The building that hosted the Kayseri Lyceum was rearranged to host the [[Turkish Grand National Assembly]] during the [[Turkish War of Independence]] when the [[Greek army]] was advancing on [[Ankara]], the base of the Turkish National Movement.

== Geography ==
=== Climate ===
Kayseri has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dsa'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: ''Dc''). It experiences cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers with cool nights. Precipitation occurs throughout the year, albeit with a marked decrease in late summer and early fall.

{{Weather box
|metric first= Yes
|single line= Yes
|location= Kayseri (1991–2020, extremes 1931–2023)
|Jan record high C = 19.3
|Feb record high C = 22.6
|Mar record high C = 28.6
|Apr record high C = 31.2
|May record high C = 34.2
|Jun record high C = 37.6
|Jul record high C = 40.7
|Aug record high C = 40.6
|Sep record high C = 38.4
|Oct record high C = 33.6
|Nov record high C = 26.0
|Dec record high C = 21.0
|year record high C = 40.7
|Jan high C = 4.6
|Feb high C = 6.6
|Mar high C = 12.2
|Apr high C = 17.9
|May high C = 22.7
|Jun high C = 27.4
|Jul high C = 31.3
|Aug high C = 31.4
|Sep high C = 27.1
|Oct high C = 20.8
|Nov high C = 12.9
|Dec high C = 6.5
|year high C = 18.4
|Jan mean C = -1.0
|Feb mean C = 0.5
|Mar mean C = 5.6
|Apr mean C = 10.7
|May mean C = 15.1
|Jun mean C = 19.3
|Jul mean C = 22.7
|Aug mean C = 22.6
|Sep mean C = 18.0
|Oct mean C = 12.4
|Nov mean C = 5.4
|Dec mean C = 0.8
|year mean C = 11.0
|Jan low C = -5.4
|Feb low C = -4.5
|Mar low C = -0.1
|Apr low C = 3.9
|May low C = 7.6
|Jun low C = 11.0
|Jul low C = 13.5
|Aug low C = 13.3
|Sep low C = 9.0
|Oct low C = 4.9
|Nov low C = -0.5
|Dec low C = -3.6
|year low C = 4.1
|Jan record low C = -32.5
|Feb record low C = -31.2
|Mar record low C = -28.1
|Apr record low C = -11.6
|May record low C = -6.9
|Jun record low C = -0.6
|Jul record low C = 2.9
|Aug record low C = 1.4
|Sep record low C = -3.8
|Oct record low C = -12.2
|Nov record low C = -20.7
|Dec record low C = -28.4
|year record low C = -32.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 38.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 38.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 49.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 46.9
|May precipitation mm = 57.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 40.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 11.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 9.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 14.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 32.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 29.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 39.3
|year precipitation mm = 408.2
|Jan precipitation days = 11.6
|Feb precipitation days = 11.5
|Mar precipitation days = 12.67
|Apr precipitation days = 12.13
|May precipitation days = 13.27
|Jun precipitation days = 9.43
|Jul precipitation days = 2.17
|Aug precipitation days = 1.77
|Sep precipitation days = 3.87
|Oct precipitation days = 7.67
|Nov precipitation days = 7.73
|Dec precipitation days = 11.17
|year precipitation days =
|Jan humidity = 75.9
|Feb humidity = 71.5
|Mar humidity = 64.3
|Apr humidity = 58.9
|May humidity = 58.9
|Jun humidity = 54.5
|Jul humidity = 46.6
|Aug humidity = 46.7
|Sep humidity = 50.5
|Oct humidity = 61.6
|Nov humidity = 68.1
|Dec humidity = 75.3
|year humidity = 61.0
|Jan sun = 89.9
|Feb sun = 113.0
|Mar sun = 145.7
|Apr sun = 183.0
|May sun = 248.0
|Jun sun = 300.0
|Jul sun = 356.5
|Aug sun = 341.0
|Sep sun = 255.0
|Oct sun = 195.3
|Nov sun = 141.0
|Dec sun = 83.7
|Jand sun = 2.9
|Febd sun = 4.0
|Mard sun = 4.7
|Aprd sun = 6.1
|Mayd sun = 8.0
|Jund sun = 10.0
|Juld sun = 11.5
|Augd sun = 11.0
|Sepd sun = 8.5
|Octd sun = 6.3
|Novd sun = 4.7
|Decd sun = 2.7
|source 1 = [[Turkish State Meteorological Service]]<ref name = TSMS>{{cite web
| url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=KAYSERI
| title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)
| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service
| language = tr
| access-date = 6 July 2021}}</ref>
|date= March 2011
| source 2 = [[NOAA]] (humidity, 1991–2020)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web
| format = CSV
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Turkiye/CSV/Kayseri_Bolge_17196.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020: Kayseri Bolge-17196
| publisher = [[NCEI|National Centers for Environmental Information]]
| access-date = 2 August 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Districts==
{{Unsourced section|date=June 2025}}
[[File:Kayseri districts.png|thumb|300px|right|Metropolitan districts of Kayseri]]

The city of Kayseri consists of sixteen metropolitan districts: Akkışla, Bünyan, Develi, Felâhiye, Hacılar, İncesu, Kocasinan, Melikgâzi, Özvatan, Pınarbaşı, Sarıoğlan, Sarız, Talas, Tomarza, Yahyâlı, and Yeşilhisar.

== Notable sites ==

=== In Kayseri ===
[[File:Gevher Nesibe Medrese (Cifte Medrese) DSCF0762.jpg|thumb|Gevher Nesibe Medrese (Çifte Medrese) is a historical twin-medrese complex located in Kayseri.]]

'''Cumhuriyet Square''' is a central public space in Kayseri, surrounded by notable buildings. Inside the centre of Kayseri the most unmissable reminder of the past are the huge basalt walls that once enclosed the old city. Dating back to the sixth century and the reign of the [[Justinian I|Emperor Justinian]], they have been repeatedly repaired, by the [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuks]], by the Ottomans and by the Turkish government.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=KAYSERİ |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/165-kayser-sp-1010179573.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222210552/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/165-kayser-sp-1010179573.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2019 [[Kayseri Archaeology Museum]] moved from an outlying location to a new site inside the walls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kvmgm.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/91447,kayseri-archaeology-museumpdf.pdf?0|title=Kayseri Archaeology Museum}}</ref> 

The '''Grand Mosque''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Ulu Cami'') was started by the [[Danishmendids|Danişmend]] emir [[Melik Mehmed Gazi]] who is buried beside it; it was completed by the Seljuks after his death.<ref name="auto" /> The oldest surviving Seljuk place of worship and the oldest Seljuk mosque built in Turkey is the [[Hunat Hatun Complex|Hunat Hatun Mosque Complex]] which includes a functioning [[hamam]] with separate sections for men and women dating back to 1238.<ref name="auto" />

Near the mosque is the '''Sahabiye Medresesi''', a theological school dating back to 1267 with a portal typical of Seljuk architecture.<ref name="auto" /> In Mimar Sinan Park stands the '''Çifte Medresesi''', a pair of Seljuk-era theological schools that eventually served as a hospital for those with psychiatric disorders. They were commissioned by the Seljuk sultan [[Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I|Giyasettin I Keyhüsrev]] and his sister, [[Gevher Nesibe|Gevher Nesibe Sultan]], who is buried inside. The buildings house the '''Museum of Seljuk Civilisations.'''<ref name="auto" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Museum of Seljuk Civilisation {{!}} Kayseri, Turkey {{!}} Attractions – Lonely Planet |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/cappadocia-kapadokya/kayseri/attractions/museum-of-seljuk-civilisation/a/poi-sig/1082092/360876 |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.lonelyplanet.com}}</ref>

The Seljuk '''Halikılıç Mosque''' complex has two entrance portals. It dates back to 1249 and was extensively restored three centuries later.<ref name="auto" /> The '''Güpgüpoğlu Mansion''' which dates back to the early 15th century is a museum with the furnishings it would have had in the late 19th century when it was home to the poet and politician Ahmed Midhad Güpgüpoğlu.<ref name="auto" />

Close to the walls is Kayseri's own '''Kapalı Çarşı''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Kapalı Çarşı''), a commercial centre. Inside it is the older '''Vezir Han''' which was commissioned in the early 18th century [[Damat Ibrahim Pasha|Damad İbrahim Paşa]] who was a grand vizier to [[Ahmed III|Sultan Ahmed III]] before being assassinated in 1730.<ref name="auto" />

=== Around Kayseri ===
The Kayseri suburb of [[Talas, Turkey|Talas]] was the ancestral home of [[Calouste Gulbenkian]], [[Aristotle Onassis]] and [[Elia Kazan]]. Once ruinous following the expulsion of its Armenian population in 1915 and then of its Greek population in 1923, it was largely reconstructed in the early 21st century. The Greek Orthodox Church of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Saint Mary]], built in 1888, has been converted into the Yaman Dede Mosque.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TALAS |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/649-talas.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225041234/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/649-talas.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Similarly attractive is the suburb of '''Germir''', home to three 19th-century churches and many fine old stone houses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GERMİR |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/g/650-germr.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222231219/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/g/650-germr.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

'''[[Mount Erciyes]]''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Erciyes Dağı'') looms over Kayseri and serves as a [[Backpacking (wilderness)|trekking]] and [[alpinism]] centre. During the 2010s an erstwhile small, local ski resort was developed into more of an international attraction with big-name hotels and facilities suitable for all sorts of winter pastimes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Erciyes Ski Resort |url=https://www.kayserierciyes.com.tr/ |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.kayserierciyes.com.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ERCİYES DAĞI (MT ERCIYES) |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/284-ercyes-dai-mt-erciyes.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222202545/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/284-ercyes-dai-mt-erciyes.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The archaeological site of [[Kültepe|'''Kanesh-Kültepe''']], one of the oldest cities in [[Asia Minor]], is 20&nbsp;km northeast of Kayseri.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KÜLTEPE |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/646-kueltepe.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326025515/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/646-kueltepe.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

'''[[Ağırnas]]''', a small town with many lovely old houses, was the birthplace in 1490 of the great [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] architect [[Mimar Sinan]], and a house traditionally associated with him is open to the public as a museum. Beneath it there is one of the 'underground cities' so typical of '''[[Cappadocia]]'''. The restored Church of [[Procopius of Scythopolis|Saint Procopius]] dates back to 1857 and serves as a cultural centre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AĞIRNAS |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/627-airnas.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222194042/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/k/42-places-to-go/627-airnas.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The small town of [[Develi]] also contains some attractive old houses. The 19th-century Armenian Church of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Saint Mary]] has been turned into the Lower Everek Mosque ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Aşağı Everek Cami'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=DEVELİ |url=https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/d/1107-develi.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.turkeyfromtheinside.com |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222203249/https://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/places-to-go/d/1107-develi.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| align             = left
| perrow            = 2
| image1            = Mount_Erciyes_(Argaeus),_Turkey_(31871002313).jpg
| caption1          = Nearby [[Mount Erciyes]] is a popular destination for [[winter sports]].
| image2            = Hilton_-_panoramio.jpg
| caption2          = [[Wyndham Hotels & Resorts]] Kayseri in the city centre.
}}

Kayseri received notable public investments in the 1920s and 1930s. Sümer Fabric Factory and ''Kayseri Tayyare Fabrikası'' ([[English language|English]]: Kayseri Aeroplane Factory) were set up here in the [[Republic of Turkey|Republican Era]] with the help of German and particularly Russian experts. The latter manufactured the first aircraft ''made in Turkey'' in the 1940s. After the 1950s, the city suffered from a decrease in the amount of public investment. It was, however, during the same years that Kayseri businessmen and merchants transformed themselves into rural capitalists. Members of Turkish business families such as [[Sabancı Holding|Sabancı]], [[:tr:Kadir Has|Has]], [[Dedeman Hotels|Dedeman]], [[Hattat Holding|Hattat]], [[:tr:Hakkı Kurmel|Kurmel]], [[Hüsnü Özyeğin|Özyeğin]] and [[Tuncay Özilhan|Özilhan]] started out as small-scale merchants in Kayseri before becoming prominent actors in the Turkish economy. Despite setting up their headquarters in cities such as [[Istanbul]] and [[Adana]], they often returned to Kayseri to invest.

Thanks to the economic liberalisation policies introduced in the 1980s, a new wave of merchants and industrialists from Kayseri joined their predecessors. Most of these new industrialists choose Kayseri as a base of their operations. As a consequence of better infrastructure, the city has achieved remarkable industrial growth since 2000, causing it to be described as one of Turkey's [[Anatolian Tigers]].<ref>{{cite web |author=ESI |title=Islamic Calvinists: Change and Conservatism in Central Anatolia |url=http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_69.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210131230/http://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_69.pdf |archive-date=2005-12-10 |access-date=2005-09-19 |publisher=European Stability Initiative, [[Berlin]]}}</ref>

The pace of growth of the city was so fast that in 2004 the city applied to the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] for the most new manufacturing industries started in a single day: 139 factories. Kayseri also has emerged as one of the most successful furniture-making hub in Turkey earned more than a billion dollars in export revenues in 2007. Its environment is regarded as especially favourable for [[small and medium enterprises]].

[[List of free zones of Turkey|Kayseri Free Zone]] established in 1998 now has more than 43 companies with an investment of 140 million dollars. The Zone's main business activities include production, trading, warehouse management, mounting and demounting, assembly-disassembly, merchandising, maintenance and repair, engineering workshops, office and workplace rental, packing-repacking, banking and insurance, leasing, labelling and exhibition facilities. Kayseri FTZ is one of the cheapest land free zones in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kayser.com.tr/en/nasil-yararlanilir.php |title=KAYSER -Kayseri Serbest Bölgesi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131205060848/http://www.kayser.com.tr/en/nasil-yararlanilir.php |archive-date=2013-12-05}}</ref>

A group of social scientists have examined the economic development of Kayseri, through the framework of a modernist Islamic outlook often referred to as “Islamic Calvinism.”<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=156&document_ID=69 |title=Chronology of all ESI publications – Reports – ESI |publisher=Esiweb.org |date=2005-09-19 |access-date=2012-08-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603224142/http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=en&id=156&document_ID=69 |archive-date=2012-06-03}}</ref> The term draws on [[Max Weber]]’s 1905 essay ''[[The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism]]'', which argued that the “this-worldly asceticism” of Calvinist ethics contributed to the emergence of modern capitalism. In a similar conceptual approach, scholars studying Kayseri have suggested that certain religious and cultural practices in the city encourage values such as disciplined work habits, thrift, and entrepreneurship, which they associate with local economic growth.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Islamic Calvinists: Change and Conservatism in Central Anatolia |url=https://www.esiweb.org/pdf/esi_document_id_69.pdf |journal=European Stability Initiative}}</ref>

An op-ed in ''[[The Irish Times]]'' reported that luxury consumption appears relatively restrained and that financial resources are often directed toward long-term investment rather than visible expenditure. The piece described Kayseri’s more affluent areas as comparatively modest by European standards and noted that reinvestment in the local community is common.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=Islamic Calvinism and Turkish trade |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/islamic-calvinism-and-turkish-trade-1.1002908 |access-date=2024-11-17 |newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> Philanthropy constitutes another important component of local civic life. The city is known for privately funded schools, clinics, sports facilities, and community centers, which observers associate with longstanding traditions of charitable giving in Islamic practice and with broader patterns of community-based development.<ref name=":0" />

==Transport==
{{multiple image
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| align             = left
| perrow            = 3
| image1            = Kayseri_tren_garı.JPG
| caption1          = Kayseri Train Station
| image2            = Kayseray.JPG
| caption2          = [[Kayseray]] [[light rail|LRT]]
| image3            = Kayseri Erkilet Airport 1.jpg
| caption3          = [[Erkilet International Airport]]
}}

The city is served by [[Erkilet International Airport]] (ASR) which is a short distance from the centre of Kayseri. It offers several flights a day to Istanbul.

Kayseri is connected to the rest of country by [[railway|rail]] services. There are four trains a day to [[Ankara]]. To the east there are two train routes, one to [[Kars]] and the other to [[Tatvan]] at the western end of [[Lake Van]].

As the city is located in central Turkey, road transportation is very efficient. It takes approximately three hours to reach Ankara, the same to the Mediterranean coast and 45 minutes to [[Cappadocia]]. A notable [[skiing|ski]] resort in winter and accessible for trekking in summer, Mt Erciyes is 30 minutes from the city centre.

Within the city transportation largely relies on buses and private vehicles although there is also a [[light rail transit|light rail transit (LRT)]] system called [[Kayseray]]  which runs to the inter-city bus terminal and to Talas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kayseri Ulaşım A.Ş. |url=https://www.kayseriulasim.com/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=Kayseri Ulaşım A.Ş. |language=tr}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:Kadir Has Kongre ve Spor Merkezi Kayseri.jpg|220px|thumb|right|[[Kadir Has Spor Salonu|Kadir Has Sports Arena]]]]

The city had two professional [[football (soccer)|football]] teams competing in top-flight [[Turkey|Turkish]] football. [[Kayserispor]] and [[Kayseri Erciyesspor]] simultaneously play in the [[Süper Lig]], making Kayseri one of only two cities having more than one team in [[2013–14 Süper Lig|Spor Toto Süper Lig 2013–14]] (the other being [[Istanbul]]). In 2006 Kayserispor became the only Turkish team to have won the [[UEFA Intertoto Cup]]. Kayserispor is the remaining professional team in the city, playing in the top flight as of 2023.

The [[Erciyes Ski Resort]] on [[Mount Erciyes]] is one of the largest [[ski resort]]s in Turkey.

The women's football club [[Kayseri Gençler Birliği]] was promoted to the [[Turkish Women's Football Super League|Women's First League]] for the [[2020-21 Turkish Women's First Football League|2020–21 League]] season.<ref name="tff1"/>

===Sports venues===
* '''[[Kayseri Kadir Has Stadyumu|Kadir Has Stadium]]''' is a new generation stadium located in the outskirts of the city. Completed in early 2009, the [[all-seater stadium]] has a capacity of 33,000 spectators and is totally covered. It is shared by the two Kayseri football clubs. The stadium and surrounding sports complex are served by the light-rail system, [[Kayseray]]. The stadium was inaugurated with a [[Kayserispor]] – [[Fenerbahçe S.K. (football team)|Fenerbahce]] league match. Kadir Has Stadium was one of eight host stadiums for the [[2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup]]. It hosted the opening ceremony and the opening match between [[Cuba]] and the [[Republic of Korea]]. The stadium is named after Kayseri-native [[:tr:Kadir_Has|Kadir Has]], a Turkish industrialist and the founder of Has Holding and [[Kadir Has University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kayseri Kadir Has Stadı Oturma Planı |url=https://www.kayserispor.org/genel/kadir-has-stadi-oturma-plani-2 |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=KAYSERİSPOR.ORG |language=tr}}</ref>
* '''[[Kadir Has Spor Salonu|Kadir Has Sports Arena]]''' is an indoor arena opened in 2008. It has [[seating capacity]] for 7,200 people. Together with [[Kadir Has Stadium]], it is a part of the Kayseri Kadir Has Sports Complex, one of Turkey's most modern sports complexes. It was one of the venues for the [[2010 FIBA World Championship]].

[[File:Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri.jpg|thumb|800px|center|upright=2.5|{{center|[[Kadir Has Stadium]] in Kayseri}}]]

==Education==
[[File:ErciyesUniversity Genkok.png|alt=Erciyes University Betül-Ziya Eren Genome and Stem Cell Research Center|thumb|[[Erciyes University]] Betül-Ziya Eren [[Genomics|Genome]] and [[Stem cell|Stem Cell]] Research Center]]
Kayseri High School ([[Ottoman Turkish]]: ''Kayseri Mekteb-i Sultanisi'') was founded in 1893 and is among the oldest secondary schools in Turkey.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=TBMM Zabıt Ceridesi |url=https://www5.tbmm.gov.tr/tutanaklar/TUTANAK/TBMM/d01/c018/tbmm01018010.pdf |journal=TBMM Tutanakları}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Milli Mücadele Müzesi |url=http://www.kayseri.gov.tr/milli-mucadele-muzesi |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.kayseri.gov.tr}}</ref> Nuh Mehmet Küçükçalık Anatolian High School, established in 1984, provides instruction in [[English language|English]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=T.C. MİLLÎ EĞİTİM BAKANLIĞI KAYSERİ / KOCASİNAN / Nuh Mehmet Küçükçalık Anadolu Lisesi |url=https://nmkanadolulisesi.meb.k12.tr/tema/okulumuz_hakkinda.html |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=nmkanadolulisesi.meb.k12.tr |language=tr}}</ref> [[TED Kayseri College]], founded in 1966, is a private school located in the [[Kocasinan]] district and serves students from kindergarten to high school.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarihçemiz – TED KAYSERİ KOLEJİ |url=https://www.tedkayseri.k12.tr/kurumsal/tarihcemiz/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.tedkayseri.k12.tr}}</ref> [[Middle East Technical University]] Development Foundation Kayseri College was established in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ODTÜ Geliştirme Vakfı Okulları |url=https://www.odtugvo.k12.tr/en |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.odtugvo.k12.tr}}</ref> [[Talas American College]], established in 1889, operated as an American boarding school for many decades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AMERİKAN KOLEJİ VE HASTANESİ BİNASI |url=https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/kayseri/gezilecekyer/amerikan-koleji-ve-hastanesi |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Kültür Portalı}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=TALAS AMERİKAN KOLEJİ – TALAS'TA OKUYANLAR |url=http://talasamerikankoleji.com/talasta-okuyanlar/i |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Talas Amerikan Koleji}}</ref>

Kayseri is home to four [[Public university|public universities]] and one [[private university]]. [[Abdullah Gül University]], established in 2010, is the first public university in Turkey with legal provisions enabling support from a philanthropic foundation dedicated to its activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abdullah Gul University – 3rd Generation State University |url=http://www.agu.edu.tr/history |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.agu.edu.tr}}</ref> [[Erciyes University]], founded in 1978, is the city’s largest higher education institution, comprising 13 faculties, six colleges, and seven vocational schools, with more than 3,100 staff members and 41,225 students.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.erciyes.edu.tr/tr/i/18-1/tarihce#:~:text=Erciyes%20%C3%9Cniversitesi%201978%20y%C4%B1l%C4%B1nda%20Kayseri,Erciyes%20%C3%9Cniversitesi'nin%20n%C3%BCvesini%20olu%C5%9Fturmu%C5%9Ftur |title=Tarihçe |access-date=2021-07-28 |archive-date=2021-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728072557/https://www.erciyes.edu.tr/tr/i/18-1/tarihce#:~:text=Erciyes%20%C3%9Cniversitesi%201978%20y%C4%B1l%C4%B1nda%20Kayseri,Erciyes%20%C3%9Cniversitesi'nin%20n%C3%BCvesini%20olu%C5%9Fturmu%C5%9Ftur |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nuh Naci Yazgan University]], founded in 2009, is the region’s only private university. [[Kayseri University]], established after the separation of certain academic units from Erciyes University. [[University of Health Sciences (Turkey)|University of Health Sciences]] Kayseri Medical School provides medical training and conducts research in the health sciences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarihçe – Kayseri Tıp Fakültesi |url=https://kayseritip.sbu.edu.tr/genel-bilgiler/hakkimizda/tarihce/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=kayseritip.sbu.edu.tr}}</ref>

==Image gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:Döner Kümbet.jpg|Döner Kümbet, a 13th-century [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk]] tomb, notable for its octagonal shape and intricate stone carvings.
File:Kadir Has Stadion.JPG|[[Kadir Has Stadium]], a football stadium in Kayseri.
File:Kayseri Kadir Has Stadium 12.jpg|[[Kadir Has Stadium]], a football stadium in Kayseri.
File:Kayseri Kadir Has Stadium 13.jpg|[[Kadir Has Stadium]], a football stadium in Kayseri.
File:Kayseri Kadir Has Stadium 9.jpg|An interior view of [[Kadir Has Stadium]].
File:2013 - panoramio (207).jpg|Forum Kayseri, a shopping center featuring retail stores, dining options, and entertainment facilities.
File:Kayseri Bürüngüz Camii ve Erciyes Dağı.jpg|A panoramic view of Kayseri.
File:Kayseri Saat Kulesi 02.jpg|Kayseri Clock Tower, a historic [[clock tower]] located in the city center.
File:Yaman Dede Konağı - Talas Kayseri.jpg|A historic house in Kayseri, showcasing the region's traditional architecture.
File:Erciyes Universität (2).JPG|[[Erciyes University]], a major research university in Kayseri.
File:Hunat Hatun Külliyesi 02.jpg|Hunat Hatun Medresesi, a 13th-century Islamic school and complex.
File:Asur Ticaret Tableti, Kiçikapı - panoramio.jpg|Statue of an [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] Tablet, a replica of an ancient Assyrian tablet displayed in Kayseri.
File:Panaghia Kirche.JPG|A historic building in [[Talas, Turkey|Talas]] that was originally a [[Greek people|Greek]] church and has been converted into a mosque.
File:Wild horses1.jpg|[[Mount Erciyes]], a prominent volcanic mountain near Kayseri, known for its ski resort and hiking trails.
File:Kayseri Ethnography Museum 2481.jpg|Kayseri Ethnography Museum, a museum focuses the region's cultural heritage.
</gallery>

== Notable people ==<!-- <!-- Please keep this list alphabetically sorted by last name. --&gt; -->
* [[Konstantinos Adosidis]], (1818–1895), [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]-appointed [[Prince of Samos]] from 1873 to 1874
* [[Hulusi Akar]] (1952–...), former chief of [[General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces]], former [[Ministry of National Defense (Turkey)|Minister of National Defense]] and current [[Member of parliament|MP]] for Kayseri
* [[Nikolaos Alektoridis]] (1874–1909), Greek painter and a member of the [[Munich School]]
* [[Arandzar|Missak Kouyumjian]] (1877–1913), [[Armenians in the Ottoman Empire|Armenian]] poet
* [[Paisios of Mount Athos]] (1924–1996), well-known [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] ascetic and [[Monastic community of Mount Athos|Athonite monk]]
* [[Kadir Bal]] (1966–...), Turkish bureaucrat, diplomat and engineer
* [[Krikor Balyan]] (1764–1831), Patriarch of the Armenian [[Balyan family|Balyan Family]] of Ottoman court architects
* [[Mehmet Nâzım Bey]] (1886-1921), officer of the [[Ottoman Army (1861–1922)|Ottoman Army]] and the [[Turkish Army]]
* [[Mehmet Bozdağ]] (1983-...), Turkish screenwriter, film producer, and director
* [[Arthur H. Bulbulian]] (1900–1996), [[Armenian-American]] physician and inventor
* [[Basil of Caesarea]] (330–378), early [[Christianity as the Roman state religion|Roman Christian]] prelate, one of the [[Cappadocian Fathers]] and [[Doctor of the Church]]
* [[Vahan Cardashian]] (1882–1934), [[Armenian-American]] political activist and lawyer
* [[Paisius II of Constantinople]] (?-1756),  [[List of Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]] for four times in the 18th century
* [[Halit Cıngıllıoglu|Halit Cıngıllıoğlu]] (1954–...), Turkish banker, industrialist and [[contemporary art]] collector
* [[Nuri Demirağ]] (1883–1957), Turkish engineer, businessman and politician of founder in [[National Development Party (Turkey)|Millî Kalkınma Partisi]]
* [[Emmanouil Emmanouilidis]] (1867–1943), [[Ottoman Greek]] MP for the [[Committee of Union and Progress]]
* [[Atilla Engin]] (1946–2019), [[Turkish Americans|Turkish-American]] [[fusion jazz]] drummer
* [[Mehmet Burak Erdoğan]] (1972–...), Turkish mathematician at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]]
* [[Ahmed Cemal Eringen|Ahmet Cemal Eringen]] (1921–2009), engineering scientist, professor at [[Princeton University]] 
* [[Turhan Feyzioğlu]] (1922–1988), [[Turkish people|Turkish]] [[constitutional law]] professor, politician and first Turkish rector of [[Middle East Technical University|METU]]
* [[Carrie Farnsworth Fowle]] (1854–1917), American missionary
* [[Michail Grigoriadis]] (1841-?), Ottoman-appointed [[Prince of Samos]] from 1900 to 1902
* [[Haig Gudenian]] (1885-1972),  [[Armenian Americans|Armenian-American]] violinist, composer, and author
* [[Calouste Gulbenkian]] (1869–1955), [[Armenians in the United Kingdom|British-Armenian]] businessman and philanthropist, shareholder of [[Shell plc|Royal Dutch Shell]]
* [[Nubar Gulbenkian]] (1896–1972), British-Armenian business magnate and [[Playboy (lifestyle)|socialite]]
* [[Berna Gözbaşı]] (1974–...), Turkish businesswoman and the former president of [[Kayserispor]]
* [[Hayrünnisa Gül]] (1965–...), 11th [[First ladies of Turkey|First Lady of Turkey]]
* [[Abdullah Gül]] (1950–...), 11th [[President of Turkey]]
* [[Ferruh Güpgüp]] (1891–1951), Turkish politician, one of the first [[Women in Turkish politics|women parliament members of Turkey]]
* [[Sarkis Jebejian]] (1864–1920), Armenian military leader, the head of the self-defense of [[Saimbeyli|Hadjin(1920)]] 
* [[Pavlos Karolidis]] (1849–1930), Greek historian
* [[Theodoros Kasapis|Teodor Kasap]] (1835–1897), [[Ottoman Greeks|Ottoman-Greek]] newspaper editor and educator
* [[Elia Kazan]] (1909–2003), [[Americans|American]] film director, producer and co-founder of [[Actors Studio]]
* [[Metin Kaçan]] (1961–2013), Turkish writer of [[Cholera Street|Ağır Roman]]
* [[İhsan Ketin]] (1914–1995), Turkish geologist
* [[Hagop Kevorkian]] (1872–1962), Armenian-American archeologist, connoisseur of art, and collector
* [[Muhammad Khashoggi]] (1889–1978), Saudi medical doctor, King [[Abdulaziz Al Saud]]'s personal physician, father of [[Adnan Khashoggi]]
* [[Edgar Manas]] (1875–1964), Turkish-Armenian composer of the [[İstiklal Marşı|Turkish National Anthem]], member of the [[Manas family]]
* [[Ziya Müezzinoğlu]] (1919–2020), diplomat and former Turkish Minister of Finance, Minister of Commerce
* [[Aristotle Onassis]] (1906–1975), [[Greeks|Greek]] [[business magnate]]<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Aristotle Onassis |url=https://www.izmirlife.com.tr//haber/7133 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=İzmir Life}}</ref>
* [[Nahapet Rusinian]] (1819-1876), Armenian poet, publicist, physician, orator, writer, political activist, translator, and contributor to the [[Armenian National Constitution]]
* [[Hacı Ömer Sabancı]] (1906–1966), Turkish businessperson and founder of [[Sabancı Holding]]
* [[Sakıp Sabancı]] (1933–2004), Turkish industrialist in former CEO of [[Sabancı Holding]] and founder of [[Sabancı University]]
* [[Güler Sabancı]] (1955–...), Turkish businesswoman and CEO of [[Sabancı Holding]]
* [[Mimar Sinan]] (1488–1588), the chief Ottoman architect for [[Suleiman the Magnificent]], [[Selim II]] and [[Murad III]]
* [[Nazım Terzioglu]] (1912–1976), Turkish mathematician
* [[Tosun Terzioğlu]] (1942–2016), Turkish mathematician and former president of [[Sabancı University]]
* [[Mehmet Topuz]] (1983-..., Turkish footballer
* [[Mehmet Tüm]] (1957-...), Turkish politician from the [[Republican People's Party]] (CHP) who currently serves as a [[Member of Parliament#Turkey|Member of Parliament]] for [[Balıkesir (electoral district)|Balıkesir]]
* [[Alparslan Türkeş]] (1917–1997), Turkish soldier and politician in founder of [[Nationalist Movement Party]] in ideology [[Idealism (Turkey)|Idealism]]
* [[Tuğrul Türkeş]] (1954–...), Turkish economist, academic and politician in founder of [[Bright Turkey Party]]
* [[Kadi Burhan al-Din]] (1345–1398), Vizier to the [[Eretnid]] rulers of Anatolia
* [[Hüsamettin Özkan]] (1950–...), Turkish politician, former [[Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey]]
* [[Hüsnü Özyeğin]] (1944–...), Turkish businessman, founder of [[QNB Turkey|Finansbank]] and [[Özyeğin University]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hüsnü Özyeğin'in En Zor Söyleşisi - Capital |url=http://localhost:3816/fotogaleri/tum-foto-galeriler/husnu-ozyeginin-en-zor-soylesisi |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=Capital Online |language=tr}}</ref>
* [[Murat Ünalmış]] (1981-...), Turkish actor
* [[Şule Yüksel Şenler]] (1938–2019), Turkish [[Islamist]] women writer, poet, senarist and [[Islamic democracy]] activist

== Kayseri metropolitan municipality mayors ==
* [[1984 Turkish local elections|1984]] – [[1989 Turkish local elections|1989]] Hüsamettin Çetinbulut ([[Motherland Party (Turkey)|ANAP]])
* [[1989 Turkish local elections|1989]] – [[1994 Turkish local elections|1994]] [[:tr:Niyazi Bahçecioğlu|Niyazi Bahçecioğlu]] ([[Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey)|SHP]])
* [[1994 Turkish local elections|1994]] – [[1997 Turkish military memorandum|1998]] [[:tr:Şükrü Karatepe|Şükrü Karatepe]] ([[Welfare Party]], [[Virtue Party]])
* [[1997 Turkish military memorandum|1998]] – [[2014 Turkish local elections|2014]] [[Mehmet Özhaseki]] ([[Virtue Party]], [[AK Party]])
* [[2014 Turkish local elections|2014]] – [[2019 Turkish local elections|2019]] [[:tr:Mustafa Çelik|Mustafa Çelik]] ([[AK Party]])
* [[:tr:Memduh Büyükkılıç|2019]] – [[:tr:Memduh Büyükkılıç|Memduh Büyükkılıç]] ([[AK Party]])

==Twin towns==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey}}
Kayseri is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Kayseri'nin Kardeş Şehirleri|url=https://www.kayseriyerelhaber.com/yasam/kayserinin-kardes-sehirleri-h12509.html|website=kayseriyerelhaber.com|publisher=Kayseri Yerel Haber|language=tr|date=2014-11-07|access-date=2022-10-31}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Krefeld]], Germany
* {{flagicon|CMR}} [[Maroua]], Cameroon
* {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Miskolc]], Hungary
* {{flagicon|SYR}} [[Homs]], Syria<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kayseri.bel.tr/web2/index.php?page=humus-suriye|title=Humus Kayseri|date=2015-04-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227045257/http://www.kayseri.bel.tr/web2/index.php?page=humus-suriye|archive-date=2016-12-27}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|BIH}} [[Mostar]], Bosnia and Herzegovina
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Nalchik]], Russia
* {{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Pavlodar]], Kazakhstan
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Saarbrücken (district)]], Germany
* {{flagicon|AZE}} [[Shusha]], Azerbaijan<ref>{{cite web|title=Шуша и Кайсери станут городами–побратимами|url=http://interfax.az/view/831983|website=interfax.az|publisher=Interfax Azerbaijan|language=ru|date=2021-04-13|access-date=2021-07-29|archive-date=2021-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413123233/http://interfax.az/view/831983|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Yongin]], South Korea
<!--Nabeul - twinning ended, Strasbourg - not twinning-->
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{portal|Turkey}}
* [[Anatolian Tigers]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="tff1">{{cite web |url=https://www.tff.org/default.aspx?pageID=687&ftxtID=33450 |publisher=Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu |title=2019–2020 Sezonu Kadın Ligleri Yönetim Kurulu Kararı – 2- Kadınlar 2. Ligi |date=13 July 2020 |language=tr |access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Kayseri}}
{{Commons category|Kayseri}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Kaisarieh}}
{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.kayseri.gov.tr Kayseri Governorship (Official Website)]
* [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/kayseri Kayseri and Its Key Sights in Images]
{{refend}}

{{Largest cities in Turkey}}
{{Districts of Turkey|provname = Kayseri}}
{{Metropolitan centers in Turkey}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kayseri| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Archaeological sites in the Central Anatolia region]]
[[Category:Cappadocia]]
[[Category:Cities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Roman sites in Turkey]]
[[Category:Former Armenian communities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Former Greek communities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]