Blood libel, Jews were able to prove their innocence. There are two Jewish cemeteries and an old synagogue. As a result of this, the Jewish community scattered. Capital of Sivas prov., central Turkey, on the Kizil Irmak. An important trade and manufacturing center.
Iron ore is mined nearby.
Known as Sebaste, Sebastia, or Cabira in ancient times, it was an important city of Asia Minor under the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Seljuk Turks. Part of the Seljuk empire of Rum in the late 12th cent. In 1919, Kemal Atat rk held an important nationalist congress there. Amida, capital of Diyarbakir prov. It is the trade center for a region producing grains, melons, cotton, copper ore, and petroleum.