Sivas City Guide

Sivas City Guide

Located at the east of Central Anatolia Region, Sivas is, considering its area, the second biggest city of Turkey (Konya is the first). Rising at the spot bonding the Silk Road routes in Anatolia, the city is settled on a field starting from the high plateaus of Central Anatolia and extending as far as the mountainous and steep areas at the east. Sivas is famous with its Kangal Dog, a kind of dog peculiar to the city.

Tourist Attractions

Having historic artifacts, museums, scenic beauties, caves, madrasahes, hamams (Turkish bathes), plateaus, cupolas and tombs, Sivas has a great potential for tourism.

Sifaiye Madrasah, Cifte Minareli (two minarets) Madrasah, Gok Madrasah and Buruciye Madrasah all are historical significances at the center of the city. You will be amazed at these structures of 13th century.

Divrigi Ulu Mosque at Divrigi district is a beyond example masterpiece in the city. Cited in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the mosque was constructed in 1228. Do not leave the city without experiencing the artifact. Sivas Ulu Mosque, Sivas Kale (Castle) Mosque and Divrigi Kale Mosque are the examples among the other expressive mosques.

Sarissa City at Altinyayla District is one of the important settlement areas of the Hitit Empire. You can enter the city through 4 doors of the ramparts enclosing it.

Asik Veysel Museum is placed at Sarikisla district. Asik Veysel, one of the famous Turkish troubadours, was born at Sarikisla. The Museum was the home of the troubadour before his death. Also, Ataturk Congress and Ethnography Museum is the other important museum that you should not miss.

There are more than 50 caves at the Zara District. You should see this craftsman made structures.

The city is too generously behaved toward by the nature. Kangal Balikli Hot Spring, Kizilirmak River, Yesilirmak River Basin, Kelkit Stream, Tozanli Stream, Todorge Lake, Gurun Gokpınar Lake, Hafik Lake and more are the natural beauties of the city. Especially, Kangal Balikli Hot is famous with its fishes. Many tourists come and camp here.

Culture & Entertainment

Sivas has a pretty rich culture. Handicrafts, local dances and authentic music are well developed in the city.

Handloom (carpet, kilim, rug), knitting, making rawhide sandal, making silvery goods, making knife are important cultural reflections in Sivas. The city is famous, especially, with its carpets.

Endemic dances are diversified and beyond the measure of you.

Hunting, hill climbing, trekking, camping, water skiing, rafting, angling and skiing is pervasive at the city as a consequence of the climatic and geographic conditions.

There are lots of natural beauties harboring different kinds of birds and fishes. Kizilirmak delta, Todorge Lake, Palas Lake, Sultansazligi, Seyfe Lake and more a lot are examples from this kind of species. You should experience these areas.

Food & Drink

Sivas has fairly a rich culinary culture. The cuisine is mainly based on agricultural products. While you can find vegetables all time during the year vegetable foods present more alternatives in autumn. Soup stands in the first rank concerned with the popularity of the city dishes. Also, pastries and sweets of the city are rather popular.

Soups; Perkutan (flour, yogurt), pancar, kesme, tarhana, turnip, potato, noodle, lentil, wheat, dugulcek soups...

Meat Foods: Meat with vegetable, Sivas kebab, pehli, cirli meat, yaprak sarma (wrapping grape leaf around a bit of stuffing), cabbage sarma (wrapping cabbage leaf around a bit of stuffing), dolmas, meatballs (kadin budu kofte, sulu kofte, mirik kofte without meat, yahni, mihlama)...

Vegetables: Cabbage foods, potato tiritli, madimak (a kind of plant) foods...

Pastries: Water borek, koylu borek, yufka borek, tel borek, yarimca borek, dible...

Sweets: Baklava, date, tava date (pan date), sarigi burma, kadayif, hasude, paluze, karas, fig dolma, balli borek (honey pastry)...

Shopping

Carpets peculiar to the city, famous Sivas kilims, bric a bracs, handmade sockes, combes, knives, and silver goods all are the authentic commodities.

Ataturk Street is the main shopping place in the city. Most of the shopping centers are centralized here. Sifaiye Madrasah, Municipality Bazaar, Goldsmiths Market and Pasa Mosque are the other main shopping locations in Sivas.