The district, which
generally runs in a north-south direction, is located in the southwest of the
Cihanbeyli plateau. The district has a simple topography in terms of landforms.
While the inner parts of the district show lowland features, the north and
south are more rugged and mountainous. The most important of these mountains,
which also draw the northern and southern borders of the district, are the
Sultan and Ladik mountains.
The history of our
district is very old. The lands of our district passed into the hands of the
Hittites, Phrygians, Persians, Alexander Empire, Romans and Byzantines. During
the time of the Great Seljuk Empire, the Seljuk State of Anatolia (Turkey) and
the Ottomans, it became a completely Turkish homeland.
The first people of
Sarayönü made a living by caravanning. The salt taken from the Salt Lake basin
by passing through the Cihanbeyli plateau was transported along the road to
İzmir with rent.6 It shows that this road continued in centers such as
Sarayönü-Başhöyük, Sarayönü-Karatepe, İbrahim Dede in the Iron Age. When we
examine today's road routes, it is understood that the roads have been
continuous since prehistoric times. The Mayken ceramics found in the
Sarayönü-Başhöyük and Sarayönü İbrahim Dede settlements show that the Maykens
did not reach Central Anatolia only from Cilicia by sea; It shows that they
reached by Burdur, Akşehir, Sarayönü in the west.
According to the
historical information about the establishment of our district, the two
townspeople known as Saiteli (Kadınhanı) in the west of the city and Bozok province
(öziçi) at the foot of the Lâdik mountains in the south wanted to get rid of
the plunder of these armies because they were on the passage road of the
crusader armies. For this reason, they migrated to the place called the upper
quarter (Tolobası) where the lairs are located. Because there were safety and
hiding opportunities in the lairs. That is why those who migrated from their
towns became pioneers in the establishment of Sarayönü.
It is estimated that
these lairs, known as "Tolobası", were used as both shelters and
dwellings at that time. The name of our district is also connected to these
lairs. Because of these lairs, which are likened to the palace in terms of its
size, comfort and usefulness, it was also called "Sarayini". Over time,
this name became "SARAYÖNÜ". According to a rumor, the name of the
district is connected to the palace next to the lairs. Since the territory and
settlement center of the district were in front of this palace, it was called
"FRONT OF THE PALACE". This has become "SARAYÖNÜ" over
time. The above two views give plausible information about the name of our
district. Today, the lairs are closed.