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MARASH (anc. Germanicia-Marasion)

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 669 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

MARASH (anc. Germanicia-Marasion) , the See also:chief See also:town of a sanjak of the same name in the See also:Aleppo vilayet, See also:altitude 2600 ft. situated E. of the Jihan See also:river, at the See also:foot of Mt See also:Taurus. The sanjak lies almost wholly in Mt Taurus, and includes the Armenian town of Zeitun. Nlarash is prosperous, and has a large See also:trade in Kurd carpets and embroideries. The See also:climate is See also:good, except in summer. Of the See also:population (5o,000) about See also:half are See also:Turkish-speaking Armenians. There are a See also:college, See also:church and See also:schools belonging to the See also:American See also:mission, a native See also:Protestant church and a Jesuit See also:establishment. The site, which lies near the mouths of the three See also:main passes over the eastern Taurus—viz. those descending from Geuksun (Cocysus), Albistan-Yarpuz (Arabissus), and See also:Malatia (Melitene)—is shown to have had See also:early importance, not only by the occurrence of Marasi in See also:Assyrian See also:inscriptions, but by the See also:discovery of several " Hittite " monuments on the spot. These, said to have been unearthed, for the most See also:part, near the See also:Kirk Geuz See also:spring above the See also:modern town, are now in See also:Constantinople and See also:America, and include an inscribed See also:lion, once built into the See also:wall of the citadel known .in the See also:middle ages as al-Marwani, and several stelae. No more is known of the See also:place until it appears as Germanicia-Caesarea, striking imperial coins with the See also:head of L. Verus (middle of 2nd cent. A.D.).

The See also:

identification of Marash with Germanicia has been disputed, but successfully defended by See also:Sir W. M. See also:Ramsay; and it is See also:borne out by the Armenian name Kermanig, which has been given to the place since at least the 12th See also:century. Before the See also:Roman See also:period Marash doubtless shared the fortunes of the Seleucid See also:kingdom of Commagene. Germanicia-Marasion played a See also:great part in See also:Byzantine border warfare: See also:Heraclius was there in A.D. 640; but before 700 it had passed into Saracen hands and been rebuilt by the See also:caliph Moawiya. During the 8th and 9th centuries, when the See also:direct pass from Cocysus came into military use, Marasion (the older name had returned into See also:general use) was often the Byzantine See also:objective and was more than once retaken; but after 770, when Mansur incorporated it in " See also:Palestine " it remained definitely in Moslem See also:power and was refortified by See also:Harun-al-Rashid. It was seized by the crusaders after their See also:march across Mt Taurus, A.D. 1097, became an important town of Lesser See also:Armenia and was taken by the See also:Seljuks in 1147. In the 16th century it was added to the Osmanli See also:Empire by See also:Selim I. Marash passed with the See also:rest of See also:Syria into See also:Egyptian hands in 1832, and in 1839 received fugitives from the defeat of Nizib, among whom was See also:Moltke. See also:Ibrahim See also:Pasha was encamped near it when directed by his See also:father, at the bidding of the See also:powers, to stay his further advance.

Since its reversion to See also:

Ottoman power (1840) the See also:history of Marash has been varied only by Armenian troubles, largely connected with the fortunes of Zeitun, for the reduction of which place it has more than once been used as a See also:base. There was less disturbance there in 1895–1896 than in other See also:north Syrian towns. (D. G.

End of Article: MARASH (anc. Germanicia-Marasion)

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