Özer dynasty

Özer was a Turkmen dynasty that ruled a state in the southern part of the Cilician Plain from 1374 the latest to 1516. The state included Payas, Iskenderun, Derbsak, Erzin, and Dörtyol. The village of Özerli, currently a neighbourhood of Dörtyol, was its capital.

Formation

The early history of Özer is wrapped in obscurity. It is thought that its eponymous founder arrived in the Cilician Plain together with the leaders of the Yüregir, Kosun Varsak, Kara Isa, and Koshtemur tribes. Ramadan Beg from the Yüregir tribe formed the Ramadanid Emirate around Adana, to the northwest, while Özer was centred around the area spanning Payas, Iskenderun, Derbsak, Erzin, and Dörtyol. The clan of Gündüz established themselves to the east of Özer, on the eastern side of the Amanos Mountains.