Mut is a municipality and district of Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,718 km2, and its population is 62,874 (2022).
Mut is a rural district at the foot of the Sertavul Pass on the road over the Taurus Mountains from Ankara and Konya to the Mediterranean coast at Anamur or Silifke. Mut is known for its special apricot variety, Mut şekerparesi, and a statue of a girl carrying a basket of them stands at the entrance to the town. The summer is hot and the people of Mut retreat to high meadows (so called yayla) even further up the mountainside. The forests up here are home to wild boar, and the Gezende reservoir on the Ermenek River is a welcome patch of blue in this dry district. The dam has a hydro-electric power station built in Romania.
History
The area has probably been inhabited since the time of the Hittites (2000 BC), and was later part of ancient Cilicia. Under the Roman Empire, the town was called Claudiopolis. Alahan Monastery, north of Claudiopolis, was started in the second half of the fifth century by the Emperor Leo I and later finish by Emperor Zeno.
The Romans were succeeded by the Kingdom of Armenia. In the 13th century the Armenians were replaced by the Karamanid clan who founded the state of the same name. The mosque of Lal Pasha, and the Red Minaret (Kızılminare) are among the buildings from the Karamanids that still stand in Mut today.
Economy
Small cattle breeding is one of the important livelihoods of the region.
Composition
There are 102 neighbourhoods in Mut District:
Alaçam
Aşağıköselerli
Aydınoğlu
Bağcağız
Ballı
Barabanlı
Bozdoğan
Burunköy
Çağlayangedik
Çaltılı
Çamlıca
Çampınar
Çatakbağ
Çatalharman
Ceritler
Çınarlı
Çivi
Çömelek
Çortak
Çukurbağ
Cumhuriyet
Dağpazarı
Demirkapı
Dereköy
Derinçay
Deveci
Diştaş
Doğancı
Elbeyli
Elmapınar
Esençay
Evren
Fakırca
Geçimli
Gençali
Göcekler
Gökçetaş
Göksu
Güllük
Güme
Güzelköy
Güzelyurt
Hacıahmetli
Hacıilyaslı
Hacınuhlu
Hacısait
Hamamköy
Haydarköy
Hisarköy
Hocalı
İbrahimli
Ilıca
Irmaklı
Işıklar
Kadıköy
Kale
Karacaoğlan
Karadiken
Karşıyaka
Kavaklı
Kavaközü
Kayabaşı
Kayaönü
Kelceköy
Kemenli
Kırkkavak
Kışlaköy
Kızılalan
Köselerli
Kültür
Kumaçukuru
Kürkçü
Kurtsuyu
Kurtuluş
Meydan
Mirahor
Mucuk
Narlı
Narlıdere
Ortaköy
Özköy
Özlü
Palantepe
Pamuklu
Pınarbaşı
Sakız
Sarıveliler
Selamlı
Suçatı
Tekeli
Topkaya
Topluca
Tuğrul
Yalnızcabağ
Yapıntı
Yatırtaş
Yazalanı
Yeşilköy
Yeşilyurt
Yıldızköy
Yukarıköselerli
Zeytinçukuru
Notable natives
Durmuş Yalçın (politician) Mut is one of the places in the area that claims to be the burial place of the folk poet Karacaoğlan. Musa Eroğlu (musician, bağlama player) was born in Mut. Hüseyin Gezer (sculptor) Seyhan Kurt (poet, writer) Fikri Sağlar (politician)
The Anatolian leopard was last sighted near Mut, in the locality called "Dandi" in 2001.