Adana
[key], city, capital of Adana prov., S Turkey, on the Seyhan River. The fourth largest city
in Turkey, it is the commercial center of a farm region where cotton, grains, and fruits are
grown. Manufactures include processed food, tobacco, cotton textiles, machinery, cement, and
soap. The city is a road and rail center. An ancient city probably founded by the Hittites,
Adana was colonized (66 b.c.) by the Romans. It prospered under the Romans and then
declined. The city was revived (c.a.d. 782) by Harun ar-Rashid. In the 16th cent. the
city passed to the Ottoman Turks. Nearby is Karatepe, a Hittite archaeological site.
Çukurova Univ. is in Adana.
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