Sivas is a historic city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, renowned for its magnificent Seljuk-era architecture and its pivotal role in Turkish national history. Home to the Sivas Congress of 1919 — a critical event in the founding of the Turkish Republic — the city preserves some of the finest medieval Islamic monuments in Anatolia. The Buruciye, Çifte Minareli, Gök, and Şifaiye madrasas cluster in the city centre, while Divriği's UNESCO-listed Great Mosque lies within the province. At 1,285 metres elevation on the Central Anatolian plateau, Sivas offers an authentic, crowd-free alternative to Turkey's tourist-heavy western cities.
Sivas stands at one of Central Anatolia's oldest crossroads. The site was inhabited in Chalcolithic times (~5000 BCE) and later became the Hittite city of Sipyle. It was known as Sebasteia under Roman and Byzantine rule, serving as the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Lesser Armenia in the 11th century. The Danishmend dynasty captured it in 1071 CE following the Battle of Manzikert, and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum made it a major administrative and cultural centre in the 12th–13th centuries — the golden age that produced the magnificent madrasas still standing today. The Mongol Ilkhanate disrupted Seljuk rule after 1243, but the city continued to flourish, with the Buruciye Medresesi built under Ilkhanid patronage in 1271. The Ottomans took Sivas in 1398 under Bayezid I. In 1919, the city hosted the Sivas Congress, a pivotal event in the Turkish War of Independence where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk consolidated the national resistance movement that led to the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Sivas.
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1
Earliest known settlement in the Sivas region
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2
Hittite city of Sipyle
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3
Roman conquest; city named Sebasteia
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4
Martyrdom of St Blaise (Bishop of Sebasteia)
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5
Battle of Manzikert; Seljuk Turks take Sivas from Byzantines
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6
Şifaiye Medresesi built by Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus — one of Anatolia's first hospitals
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7
Mongol-Ilkhanate victory at Köse Dağ ends Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
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8
Çifte Minareli and Gök Madrasas built; Buruciye Medresesi constructed under Ilkhanid patronage
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9
Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I captures Sivas
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10
Divriği Great Mosque inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed 1985; built 1229 CE)
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11
Sivas Congress (4–11 September): Mustafa Kemal Atatürk leads pivotal national resistance congress
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12
Turkish Republic founded; Sivas becomes a provincial capital
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13
Sivas massacre at the Madımak Hotel during an Alevi cultural festival — 33 intellectuals and 2 hotel workers killed in an arson attack
Historical eras
The chapters of Sivas's past.
Historical sites
Places where Sivas's past comes alive.
Museums
Curated collections that tell Sivas's story.
Sivas Congress Museum
Admission: Free
Sivas Archaeological Museum
Admission: 50 TRY (~$1.50 USD)
Sivas Ethnography Museum
Admission: 25 TRY (~$0.75 USD)
Buruciye Medresesi Museum
Admission: 25 TRY (~$0.75 USD)
Historical tours
Guided experiences that bring history to life.