During the Bronze Age, the area was part of the kingdom of
Kizzuwatna. In classical antiquity, the region of Tufanbeyli was in the southwestern corner of
Cappadocia (while the parts of the Adana region south of Tufanbeyli were in
Cilicia). The city of
Comana was situated near Şarköy, some kilometers north of Tufanbeyli. The area is now settled by descendants of Turks from the
Caucasus and the Avşar (
Afshar tribe; the former having come to
Anatolia as a result of the Russian influx into the Caucasus in the 18th and 19th centuries. The latter being one of the group of Turkish migrants from Asia that have preserved their clan identity in Anatolia. The Avşar played a key role in the Turkish conquest of the
Çukurova region and remained a local authority right up until the 19th century, especially in mountain strongholds like Tufanbeyli. Its former names were Höketçe before 1923 and Mağara between 1923 and 1967. It became a district in 1958 by separating from Saimbeyli. ==Composition==