Kahramanmaras, also Maras, city in southern Turkey, capital of Kahraman Maras Province, in the Taurus Mountains, near the Seyhan River. Kahramanmaras is a regional trade center with food-processing and textile industries. A medieval fortress, built on Hittite foundations dating from the 12th century BC, is a major landmark. Called Markasi by Assyrians in the 8th century BC and Germanicia Caesarea by the Romans, the city was conquered by the Arabs in the late 7th century AD and by the Seljuk Turks in the 12th century. It became part of the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Population (1996 estimate) 245,221.
