Sivas

Understand

In the first century BC, the Romans called this place Sebaste for their emperor. There are scant remnants of those times as a series of conquerors came, smashed the place and marched on. However in 1174 it fell to the Seljuks, the Turkic people who supplanted Byzantine Rome in this region, and their fine medreses remain. The Ottomans arose in the 13th century and captured Sivas, but in 1400 Tamerlane stormed all the way from Kabul, occupied much of present day Turkey, and almost crushed the Ottoman dynasty. They regained the town in 1408 and held it until the modern republican era. It was here at the congress of 1919 that Atatürk cemented his position of leadership and launched the War of Independence.

Sivas stands on a high-altitude plain with hot, dry summers and bitterly cold, snowy winters. Summer nights can still be chilly, especially if the breeze picks up, so bring along at least some cold-weather clothing regardless of season. This climate suits hardy varieties of wheat, so the main industry is based on agriculture, such as manufacture of cereals.

Get around

Town bus routes are:

1-A, 1-B, 1-D, 2-A and 2-B passes Sivas Train Station. Except 6-A, 6-B, 6-C, 11-B and 11-C, all bus lines go to the Coach Station. 6-B, 6-C and 11-B passes Sivas Police Headquarter. 6-C and 11-B passes the "Eğriköprü" which is a historical bridge. 2-A and 2-B passes the "Kesikköprü" which is a historical bridge. 5-A and 5-B passes the Tomb of Abdulvahhabi Gazi. 11-B and 11-C go to the Cumhuriyet University.

Taxi fares in 2022 average 6 TL flagfall then 11 TL per km. So to city centre reckon 30 TL from the railway station, 40 TL from the bus station and 250 TL from the airport.

See

thumb | 300px | Hittite sculpture in the Archaeology Museum Sivas is famous for its three madrasas - Islamic schools - built by rival patrons in the late 13th century and vying with each other for splendour.

or Meydan is the main square, dead centre of town. Sivas Castle is somewhere beneath the shrubs of the hilltop park south of town centre. Behram Paşa Han the ancient caravanserai and market is now a hotel, see Sleep. 10 km west of town is a children's amusement park. Within it is an exhibition of war horses, admission 10 TL.

Do

thumb | 300px | Atatürk Congress & Ethnography Museum Football: Sivasspor were relegated in 2025 and now play soccer in TFF First League, the second tier. Their home ground is New Sivas 4 Eylül Stadium (capacity 27,500), opened in 2016. It's 3 km west of city centre near the junction with D200 - that's one km beyond the former stadium.

Buy

handcrafted silver, handcrafted cigarette holder and pen, famous carpets and rugs

Eat

Local specialties: Sivas Köfte somewhat resembles pork sausage. Others are pezük pickle, Sivas döner, Sivas kebap, sübüra, hurma and yumurta erişte. Around Meydan are Lezzetçi (below), Serkan Bey, Komagene Çiğ Köfte Salonu, Serender, Pizza Point and 3N Sofra.

Drink

Just east of Meydan are Rain Pub, Merkez Türkü Bar, Sis Pub and Kervan Biranesi.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Çifte Minareli Medrese Buruciye Otel is next to Beyaz Inci, cleanliness varies. Kosk Hotel is at Atatürk Blv 7, 200 m east of Meydan. Malia Hotel is next to Keykavus, similar prices.

Connect

As of Nov 2022, Sivas and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

Yıldız Dağı is a mountain resort 50 km north, with ski lifts. Soğuk Çermik is a spa 20 km east on D200, near a lake. Kangal on the road to Divriği is the source of the Kangal breed of sheepdogs. Divriği, with its impressive UNESCO World Heritage listed mosque, is 180 km southeast, reached by bus or train from Sivas. Kayseri also has Seljuk heritage and serves as an entry point into Cappadocia.