Natural Beauty and Agriculture: Cumra

Cumra is a district known for its natural beauty that is hidden in the middle of the steppe, with its fertile agricultural lands and friendly people. It is said that two important factors played a role in Cumra being recognized as Turkey's first modern urban example when it gained district status in 1926. Today, the center of Cumra has a larger settlement area than some mid-sized provincial centers.

Over time, settlers from different regions brought their own cultures with them. Although their clothing, belongings, traditions, and customs were different, their cultural values came together to create a synthesis and turned into an exemplary social structure with strong solidarity.

The coming together of different cultures has enriched the cuisine of Cumra as well. In addition to dishes such as Bulgur pilaf with boiled meat and black pepper typical of the dağlılar (mountain people) and ovalılar (lowlanders), arabaşı especially made from rabbit meat, mıkla, gaygana, papara, sarma (stuffed vine leaves), sütlü çorba (soup with milk), övme, topalak, sacarası, mantı, höşmerim, dishes such as Turkmens' şirli, Yoruks' kakaç, göçe (keşkek), tutmaç, bükme, which are specific to the Turkmen and Yörük cultures. Additionally, a sweet called taptapı, made with molasses, butter, and flour, is also quite famous in mountain villages.

Since around 7000 BC, Cumra and its surroundings have been home to various settlements. The most important center in the region that reflects the prehistoric period is the world-renowned Catalhöyük. There are many mounds in the region that date back to the Neolithic and later periods, such as Abditolu, Alibeyhüyüğü, Dedemoğlu, Içeri Cumra, Karahüyük, Karkın, Küçükköy, Seyithan, Sırçalı, and Uçhüyük. Although there are no historical artifacts from the Seljuk period in the region, there are mosques and bridges from the Karamanid period.