Yavuzlu

Yavuzlu is a town in the central district (Kilis) of Kilis Province. At 36°42′N 37°16′E it is only 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Syrian border and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Kilis. The population of Yavuzlu is 1827 [1] as of 2010.

During the Roman Empire, a station called Regia was established on the road just outside of Yavuzlu.[2]

The earliest name of the settlement was Tilhabeş undoubtedly a corrupt form of an Arabic name most probably referring to Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi. In the early 16th century the town was a part of Mamluk regime (a clan of Turks and Circassians ruling in Egypt.) In 1517 Ottoman sultan Selim I (also called Yavuz) defeated a Mamluk army in the Battle of Mercidabık and conquered Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Another milestone in town history is during the Turkish War of Independence. The French army captured the town and burnt it. After the war, the town was renamed as Yananköy meaning “Burnt village”. However the town people changed the name to Yavuzlu on behalf of Selim I on 24 August 1960, during the observance of the victory.[3]