The Ayhan family originates from Develi, Kayseri. Yağmurbey village near Kayseri is mentioned in the foundation charter of Cafer Bey (1354-1355), one of the Eratna lords. Develi Develi (Everek – the Armenian name ) It is known that the Develi tribe of the Karakeçili tribe of the Kınık tribe of the Oghuzs came and settled here.

Historically, our Ayhan family roots can be found in Develi. This thriving community would later be decimated by the departure of the Armenians and Greeks from Anatolia. The Armenians left in 1915, followed by the Greeks in 1922. Following this there would also be an exodus of locals leaving the town and finding better opportunities in places such as Ankara, especially in the 1950’s.

The family carries the name of Develioglu. They would have originally been tribal nomads of the Anatolia region. There origins can also be traced to the Kozan region near Adana. Around the vicinity of Develi there are the remains of Hitite, Roman, Byzantine and Selcuk civilizations. This small city of Develi nestles in the foothills of Erciyes Dagi (Mountain). This also explains why our family descendents have the surname Erciyes since it was common at the time to use place names as surnames.

In the 1950’s, Haci Mehmet Ayhan and his brother Sukru and their families moved to Ankara to set up a business. Other members of the family would later move to Ankara as they became settled. They lived in Yenimahalle, Ankara. His younger brother, Mustafa Ayhan would join them in the early 1960’s. The rest of the Ayhan family would remain in Kayseri where they were farmers. Descendents of our family still live in Develi.

Our family story in Ankara begins with Zekiye Ayhan and Metin Erol. They were introduced to each other through a family friend. They married in 1961 and were living in Diskapi, Ulus in Ankara. They lived here for 5 years before moving to Yenimalle. In the late 1960’s the family moved to their own house in Yesil Evler, Karsiyaka.

You can see the full family tree here on geneanet. Family members can also view the family photo album on line at Forever.com