Malatya

Lore & Background

During the Roman period, the settlement was re-established as Melitene in 72 AD as the base camp of Legio XII Fulminata, controlling access to southern Armenia and the upper Tigris. It was probably granted city status by Trajan in the early 2nd century AD and was a prolific source of imperial coins from the 3rd to early 5th centuries. Under Justinian I, the province was renamed Third Armenia, with Melitene still the capital. The city walls were constructed in the 6th century by emperors Anastasius and Justinian. It was captured by Rashidun forces, retaken by Byzantines, and later became an Abbasid outpost.

Reader's Guide

Malatya's significance lies in its dual role as a modern economic powerhouse and a site of deep historical continuity. As the global hub for apricot production and export, it drives a substantial portion of Turkey's dried apricot industry, earning the nickname 'Land of Apricots.' Historically, the city's ancient predecessor Arslantepe provides a nearly unbroken record of settlement from the dawn of agriculture through the Hittite, Neo-Hittite, Assyrian, Urartian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab periods. The site's archaeological excavations, ongoing since the 1930s, have revealed palaces, statues, and reliefs that illuminate the political and cultural life of ancient Anatolia. The city's strategic location made it a key military and administrative center for successive empires, from the Hittites to the Romans and Byzantines. Its legacy includes being the capital of Roman Second Armenia and later Third Armenia, and a major Christian center with many martyrs' shrines. The medieval period saw Melitene as a wealthy commercial city, whose merchants could even loan gold to the Byzantine emperor.

Did You Know?

• The name Malatya is thought to derive from the Hittite word melid or milit, meaning 'honey.'
• Arslantepe has been inhabited for nearly 6,000 years, since the development of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent.
• The Roman legion Legio XII Fulminata was based at Melitene from 72 AD until at least the early 5th century.
• In the 10th century, three sons of a Syriac Christian named Abu Imran reportedly loaned Emperor Basil II 100 centenaria of gold.