During the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, education based in Istanbul was spread to Rumelia, Anatolia and the Middle East through education reform. The aim was to provide better education for Muslim children and to train loyal civil servants for the Sublime State. Schooling began in many cities of the empire. One of these cities was Kayseri. Kayseri Idadi was opened in 1893, experienced the troubles of the late Ottoman period, and witnessed the effects of the Balkan Wars and the First World War firsthand. During the First World War, Kayseri Idadi, like many of its contemporaries, turned into a Sultani. Kayseri Sultani, due to its proximity to Ankara, was a firsthand witness of the War of Independence, and its students participated in the Battle of Sakarya. Kayseri Sultani, which Atatürk personally visited, took the name of Kayseri High School in the Republican era.