Dörtyol
Encyclopedia
Dörtyol is a port city and oil terminus at the head of the Gulf of İskenderun
, near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean coast. Dörtyol is located 26 km north of the city of Iskenderun
in the province of Hatay
in southeastern Turkey
.
, and indeed the town sits on a crossing of highways, especially the O-53 from Anatolia
south into Hatay
and on to Syria
. The road is channelled along the narrow coastal strip with the Nur Mountains
(the ancient Amanos) behind. Dörtyol is at the edge of the Çukurova
Plain and being near the coast, is humid and the countryside is fairly green and fertile. Therefore as well as oil-handling, the economic activities of the district include forestry
, cotton
, and the cultivation of citrus fruits, especially a local variety of tangerine
.
. The fighting with the occupying forces was ignited in
Karakese which is located on the skirt of the Nur mountains village. In 1918 Dörtyol was occupied by French troops supported by Armenian
collaborators. Turks in the area retreated to the hills and began their resistance under the leadership of Kara Hasan Pasha. Dörtyol was thus not part of the Republic of Hatay
but was a Turkish district added to Hatay when the province was brought into the Turkish republic in 1939.
Gulf of Iskenderun
The Gulf of İskenderun is a gulf or inlet of the Levantine Sea, the easternmost part of Mediterranean Sea, of which it forms the easternmost tip, on the southern coast of Turkey near its border with Syria. It also contains the northernmost point of the Levantine Sea...
, near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean coast. Dörtyol is located 26 km north of the city of Iskenderun
Iskenderun
İskenderun is a city and urban district in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The current mayor is Yusuf Hamit Civelek .-Names:...
in the province of Hatay
Hatay Province
Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana and Osmaniye to the north. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of...
in southeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Geography
The name Dörtyol means "crossroads" (literally "four roads") in TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, and indeed the town sits on a crossing of highways, especially the O-53 from Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
south into Hatay
Hatay Province
Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana and Osmaniye to the north. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of...
and on to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The road is channelled along the narrow coastal strip with the Nur Mountains
Nur Mountains
The Nur Mountains , also known as Gâvur Mountains , the ancient Amanus , is a mountain range in the Hatay Province of south-central Turkey, which runs roughly parallel to the Gulf of İskenderun....
(the ancient Amanos) behind. Dörtyol is at the edge of the Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
Plain and being near the coast, is humid and the countryside is fairly green and fertile. Therefore as well as oil-handling, the economic activities of the district include forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and the cultivation of citrus fruits, especially a local variety of tangerine
Tangerine
__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...
.
History
This crossroads has seen the passage of numerous armies and some of the biggest military campaigns in history, including the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius in 333 BC. More recently Dörtyol is remembered in Turkey as the scene of the first fighting in the Turkish War of IndependenceTurkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
. The fighting with the occupying forces was ignited in
Karakese which is located on the skirt of the Nur mountains village. In 1918 Dörtyol was occupied by French troops supported by Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
collaborators. Turks in the area retreated to the hills and began their resistance under the leadership of Kara Hasan Pasha. Dörtyol was thus not part of the Republic of Hatay
Republic of Hatay
Hatay State , also known informally as the Republic of Hatay, was a transitional political entity that formally existed from September 7, 1938 to June 29, 1939 in the territory of the Sanjak of Alexandretta of the French Mandate of Syria. The State was transformed de jure into the Hatay Province on...
but was a Turkish district added to Hatay when the province was brought into the Turkish republic in 1939.