Göksun
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UnclaimedA municipality and administrative district in Kahramanmaraş Province, southern Turkey.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Göksun is a municipality and district in Kahramanmaraş Province in southern Turkey. The district lies in a mountainous area near one of the sources of the Ceyhan River, known in antiquity as the Pyramos, and occupies part of the historical region of Cataonia. The modern district covers approximately 1,942 square kilometres and had a population of 50,676 in 2022. Its administrative territory is divided into 76 neighbourhoods. The settlement has a long and layered history. In antiquity, the area was associated first with Cataonia and later with Cappadocia. Under Roman administration it became part of the province of Armenia Secunda. The settlement was known in Greek and Latin sources by forms including Kykysos, Koukousós, Cucusus and Coxon. Its remote position nevertheless gave it ecclesiastical importance during late antiquity and the Byzantine period. Several prominent Christian figures were exiled to, or died at, Cucusus, including Paul the Confessor, John Chrysostom and the emperor Basiliscus. Bishops associated with the town participated in a number of major church councils and ecclesiastical correspondence, although Cucusus is no longer a residential diocese and survives in the Catholic Church as a titular see. During the medieval period, Göksun became an important refuge and settlement area for Armenians. In the mid-tenth century, Armenian migrants fleeing Seljuk expansion arrived in the region. By the time the First Crusade passed through the area in 1097, contemporary historical accounts described Cucusus as a large and prosperous Armenian-populated town, probably protected by defensive walls. The settlement was subsequently connected with the Armenian princes of Cilicia. Türkmen raids around 1375 led to the abandonment of the older town, with residents seeking refuge in Hadjin and Zeitun. The territory then became part of the Dulkadir principality before being incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1515. The district's modern history also includes the deportation of its remaining Armenian population in April 1915 during the Armenian Genocide. This episode forms part of the wider history of population displacement and violence affecting eastern and southern Anatolia during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. A major modern event associated with Göksun occurred on 25 March 2009, when a chartered helicopter carrying Great Union Party leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, three local party officials, a pilot and a journalist crashed on Mount Keş. The pilot, Yazıcıoğlu and the three party officials died. Journalist İsmail Güneş initially survived and made an emergency call, but later died. A large search operation involving local residents, aircraft and helicopters located the wreckage and five bodies after approximately 47 hours; Güneş's body was recovered five days after the crash, at a location away from the main wreckage. Today Göksun functions as a local administrative centre within Kahramanmaraş Province. Its climate is classified as dry-summer humid continental, with warm, dry summers, cool nights, and cold, snowy winters. The district's identity reflects its combination of highland geography, river-source landscapes, ancient and Byzantine heritage, Armenian and Ottoman history, and contemporary municipal administration.
History
Göksun, known in historical sources as Cucusus, Kykysos, Koukousós or Coxon, occupies a strategic highland area near the sources of the Ceyhan River in what was historically called Cataonia. The settlement was incorporated into successive political and administrative structures of antiquity, including Cataonia, Cappadocia and the Roman province of Armenia Secunda. The town acquired particular significance in late Roman and Byzantine ecclesiastical history. Its remoteness made it a place of exile for important Christian leaders, including Paul the Confessor and John Chrysostom, and it was associated with the emperor Basiliscus. Cucusus also had an established episcopal tradition. Its bishops participated in major church councils and communicated with imperial authorities on religious affairs. Although the historical bishopric no longer functions as a residential diocese, Cucusus remains listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. In the tenth century, Armenian migrants fleeing the Seljuk advance settled in the area. By 1097, when armies of the First Crusade passed through the region, Cucusus was described as a substantial and prosperous town with a large Armenian population. It was probably fortified and remained connected to the Armenian princes of Cilicia. Türkmen raids around 1375 caused the old settlement to be abandoned, and many inhabitants moved toward Hadjin and Zeitun. Göksun subsequently came under the Dulkadir principality and was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1515. The Armenian history of the district continued into the final Ottoman period. In April 1915, the remaining Armenian population of Cucusus was deported during the Armenian Genocide, forming part of the broader mass deportations and persecution of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The modern district is administered as part of Kahramanmaraş Province. Its present territory covers about 1,942 square kilometres and comprises 76 neighbourhoods. Göksun's environment is shaped by mountainous terrain and its position near the Ceyhan headwaters. The climate has dry summers and cold, snowy winters, corresponding to a dry-summer humid continental classification. On 25 March 2009, Göksun became the location of a major helicopter disaster. A chartered aircraft carrying Great Union Party leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, three local party leaders, a pilot and a journalist crashed on Mount Keş. Five people, including Yazıcıoğlu and the pilot, died in the initial accident. Journalist İsmail Güneş survived long enough to make an emergency call but later died. Search teams, supported by thousands of people and air assets, found the wreckage and five bodies approximately 47 hours after the crash. Güneş's body was recovered five days after the accident at a separate location. Göksun today combines the functions of a Turkish district municipality and a regional administrative centre. Its historical layers—from ancient Cataonia and Roman Armenia Secunda to Byzantine Christianity, Armenian settlement, Dulkadir rule and Ottoman administration—remain central to the way the locality is documented and understood.
- 2022
Recorded population reaches 50,676
[1]The district's population was reported as 50,676, with an area of approximately 1,942 square kilometres.
- 2009
Mount Keş helicopter crash
[1]A helicopter crash near Göksun killed Great Union Party leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, the pilot and three other passengers. Journalist İsmail Güneş died after initially surviving the accident.
- 1915
Deportation of the remaining Armenian population
[1]The remaining Armenian population of Cucusus was deported in April during the Armenian Genocide.
- 1515
Incorporation into the Ottoman Empire
[1]After a period under the Dulkadir principality, the area was conquered and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.
Bishop Domnus participates in the Council of Chalcedon
[1]Domnus, one of the bishops associated with Cucusus, took part in the Council of Chalcedon, reflecting the settlement's established place in late antique ecclesiastical administration.
First Crusade armies reach Cucusus
[1]Crusading forces passing through the region encountered a large, prosperous town with a substantial Armenian population, probably protected by its own walls.
Old settlement abandoned after Türkmen raids
[1]Raids attributed to Türkmen groups led to the abandonment of the older town, with residents taking refuge in Hadjin and Zeitun.
Products and positioning
A highland administrative district and municipality of Kahramanmaraş Province, distinguished by its historical importance, mountainous environment, proximity to the Ceyhan River headwaters, and connections to ancient, Byzantine, Armenian and Ottoman history.
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