Sivas being at the junction point of the Persia and Baghdad caravan routes, was once a busy commercial center. During the interval between 1142 and 1171, it was the capital of the Turkish Danismend Emirs. Later, under the rule of the Seljuks, it became a cultural center, with importance given to learning and scholarship; and many related buildings were constructed by the remains of some, can still be seen today.

Today it’s also a center of Turkish Alevi (Alawite) Islamic culture.

If you come to Sivas, it will be to see the Seljuk monuments such as the cifte Minare Madrasah (Seminary of the Twin Minarets, 1271), the Ulu Mosque (Great Mosque, 1197), the Buruciye and Sifaiye Madrasah s, and the splendid GOk Madrasah (Celestial or Sky-Blue Seminary, 1271). There are also a number of Seljuk turbes (cylindrical tombs) scattered about the town.

A more recent historic building is the site of the Sivas Congress, convened by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) on September 4, 1919, to rally the country to the cause of independence.