LARANDA
LARANDA (
τὰ Λάρανδα: Eth.
Λαρανδεύς,
f. Λαρανδίς; Larenda or
Karaman), one of the most important towns of Lycaonia, 400 stadia to the south-east of Iconium. Strabo (
xii. p.569) states that the town belonged to Antipater of Derbe, which shows that for a time it was governed by native princes. Respecting its history in antiquity scarcely anything is known beyond the fact that it was taken by storm, and destroyed by Perdiccas (
Diod. 18.22) ; that it was afterwards rebuilt, and on account of the fertility of its neighbourhood became one of the chief seats of the Isaurian pirates. (
Amm. Marc. 14.2; comp.
Steph. B. sub voce Ptol. 5.6.17; Hierocl. p. 675; Euseb.
Hist. Eccl. 6.19.) Suidas (s. v.) says that Laranda was the birthplace of Nestor, an epic poet, and father of Pisander, a poet of still greater celebrity; but when he calls the former
Λαρανδεὺς ἐκ Λυκίας, he probably mistook Lycia for Lycaonia. Leake (
As. Min. p. 100) states that he found no Greek remains at Laranda nor are there any coins belonging to the place.
The ancient name,
Larenda, is still in common use among the Christians, and is even retained in the firmans of the Porte; but its more general name,
Karaman, is derived from a Turkish chief of the same name; for it was at one time the capital of a Turkish kingdom, which lasted from the time of the partition of the dominion of the Seljukian monarchs of Iconium until 1486, when it was conquered by the emperor Bayazid II.
At present the town is but a poor place, with some manufactures of coarse cotton and woollen stuffs. Respecting a town in Cappadocia, called by some Laranda, see the article
LEANDIS [
L.S]
