Yıldızeli

Yıldızeli is a town in Sivas Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Yıldızeli District. Its population is 6,420. Since March 2024, the mayor has been Yaşar Göktaş, Nationalist Movement Party.

Name

Yıldızeli has been identified as the site of the ancient town of Phiara, which according to Ptolemy was located in the district of Sargarausena in Cappadocia.
The town was known as Нап-ı Cedid or Yenihan in Ottoman times.

History

Yıldızeli has a broad and colorful history and culture.
In Hittite times, Yıldızeli was on the road that connected Hattusa and Sivas.
In the early 20th century, the kaza of Yıldızeli had 63 primary schools and 1 non-Muslim school, the non-Muslim school being an Armenian school with around 70 students.

Geography

Yıldızeli is located approximately 50 km from the city center of Sivas and 60 km from the city center of Tokat, at the intersection of the Sivas-Yozgat-Ankara highway and the Sivas-Tokat-Amasya highway. Yıldızeli also has railway access, and, via the Sivas Nuri Demirağ Airport, airport access.

Demography

Various social communities reside in Yıldızeli, such as Alevis, Turkmens, Circassians, etc.

Tourism

The district has a lot of touristic places as well as hot springs which are claimed to be curative for some diseases.