It is widely accepted that the city name originates from the Luwian language meaning on the river. In Indo-European languages 'a(n)' is a prefix that means on and 'danu' means river. Many river names in Europe were derived from the same root: Danube,Don, Dnieper and Donets. The earliest time Adana was mentioned was around 2000 BC at the Hittite tablets. With at least 4-millennium of history, Adana is one of the oldest continuously used place names and had only pronunciation changes under different rules.
Birçok kaynağa göre Adana ismi Hitit İmparatorluğu egemenliğindeki Kizzuvatna krallığının Adanya URU adlı şehrinin isminden türemiştir.[2] Başka iddialar ise ismin; Mısır'dan gelip Yunan şehri Argos'a yerleşen mitolojik Yunan kabilesi Danaoi ya da efsanevi karakter Danaus'la ilgili olduğu şeklindedir. Danaja adındaki bir ülkeyle bağlantılı olan erken Mısır metinleri Thutmosis II (MÖ 1437) ve Amenophis III (MÖ 1390-1352)'dan kalan yazıtlardır.[3] Miken Uygarlığı'nın çöküşünden (MÖ 1200) sonra Ege'deki bazı mülteciler Kilikya sahillerine gitmişlerdir. Dananayim ya da Danuna sakinleri; Ramesses III hükümdarlığı sırasında MÖ 1191 yılında Mısır'a saldıran bir grup denizci olarak tanımlanır.[4] Denyen ise Adana şehrinin sakinleri olarak bilinir. Ayrıca söz konusu ismin PIE dilinde da-nu (nehir) Dana-na-vo (nehir kenarında yaşayan insanlar) (İskitli göçmenler) ve Rigveda (Danavas)'da yaşayan iblisler ile bir bağlantısı olması mümkündür.[5]
In Homer's Illiad the name of the city is mentioned as Adana. For a short while during the Hellenistic era, the city was known as Ἀντιόχεια τῆς Κιλικίας (English: Antioch in Cilicia) and as Ἀντιόχεια ἡ πρὸς Σάρον (English: Antioch on Sarus). On some cuneiforms, the city name was mentioned as Quwê, and as Coa in some other sources which could be the place Solomon had obtained his horses as per Bible (I Kings 10:28; II Chronicles 1:16). Under the Armenian rule, the city was known as Ատանա (Atana) or Ադանա (Adana).
An ancient Greco-roman legend mentions that Adana name originates from Adanus, the son of the Greek God Uranus, who founded the city with his brother, next to the river.[1] His brother's name, Sarus, was given to the river. An older legend in Accadian, Sumer, Babylonian, Assyrian and Hittite mythologies originates the city's name to storm and rain god Hadad who was also known Tesup or Ishkur and lived in the forestry around. There are Hittite manuscripts that were founded in the region regarding this legend. The legend had survived as the Storm and Rain God continued to create rain and abundance. The locals had great admiration towards the God and called the region Uru Adaniyya (English: Adana region) in his honour.
According to Ali Cevad's Memalik-i Osmaniye Coğrafya Lügatı (English: Ottoman Geography Dictionary) Muslims of Adana originated the city's name to Ebu Süleym Ezene, who was appointed as Wali by Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid.[2] Other than Ezene, Ottoman and Islamic resources also mention the city as Edene, Azana and Batana.
- ^ Anton, Charles (1841). Classical Dictionary: Containing an account of the principal proper names mentioned in ancient authors... New York: Harper & Brothers.
- ^ "Memalik-i Osmaniye Tarih ve Coğrafya Lügatı" (in Turkish). archive.org. Retrieved 12 June 2020.