Samsun
Encyclopedia
Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of 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...

. It is the provincial capital of Samsun
Samsun Province
Samsun Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast with a population of 1,252,693 . Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasya on the south, Tokat on the southeast, and Ordu on the east...

 Province
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....

 and a major Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 port.

Name

The present name of the city may come from its former Greek name of Amisos by a shortening of Eis Amisos (meaning to Amisos) + ounta (Greek suffix for place names) to Sampsunda (Σαμψούντα) and then Samsun (sɑmsun).

The early Greek historian Hecataeus wrote that Amisos was formerly called Enete
Eneti
Eneti or Heneti or Enete is the name of an ancient region close to Paphlagonia mentioned by Strabo whose original inhabitants had disappeared by his time....

, the place mentioned in Homer's Iliad.

During the Ottoman Empire the present name was written in

History

Paleolithic artifacts found in the Tekkeköy
Tekkeköy
Tekkeköy is a district of Samsun Province of Turkey. The mayor is Hayati Tekin ....

 Caves can be seen in Samsun Archaeology Museum.

The earliest layer excavated of the höyük
Tell
A tell or tel, is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides.-Archaeology:A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and...

 of Dündartepe revealed a Chalcolithic settlement. Early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 and Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...

 settlements were also found there and at Tekkeköy.

Samsun (then known as Amisos, alternative spelling Amisus) was settled between the years of 760 - 750 BC by people from Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...

, who established a flourishing trade relationship with the ancient peoples of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

. Samsun's ideal combination of fertile ground and shallow waters attracted numerous traders.

In the 3rd century BC, Samsun came under the expanded rule of the Kingdom of Pontus
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...

. The Kingdom of Pontus had been part of the empire of Alexander the Great. However, the empire was fractured soon after Alexander's death in the 4th century BC. At its height, the kingdom controlled the north of central Anatolia and mercantile towns on the northern Black Sea shores.

The Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 took over in 47 BC, and were replaced by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 after the fall of Rome.

In 1200 Samsun was captured by the Seljuks, to be later taken over by the İlhanlılar
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...

.

Samsun was incorporated into the network of Genoese trading posts and was taken by the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 in the beginning of the 15th century. Before leaving, the Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

 razed the town.

In the later Ottoman period the land around the town mainly produced tobacco. The town was connected to the railway system in the second half of the 19th century, and tobacco trade boomed.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....

 established the Turkish liberation movement
Turkish National Movement
The Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I....

 in Samsun on May 19, 1919, the date which traditionally marks the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish 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 city is both an Eastern Orthodox and a Roman Catholic titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....

.

Geography

Samsun is a long city which extends along the coast between two river deltas which jut into the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

. It is located at the end of an ancient route from Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...

: the Amisos of antiquity lay on the headland northwest of the modern city. To Samsun's west, lies the Kızılırmak ("Red River", the Halys of antiquity), one of the longest rivers in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

 and its fertile delta. To the east, lie the Yeşilırmak ("Green River", the Iris of antiquity) and its delta.

Rivers

The River Mert reaches the sea at the city, Yeşilırmak east of the city and Kızılırmak west of the city.

Climate

Samsun has a typical Black Sea climate with high and evenly distributed rainfall the year round. Summers are warm and humid, and the average maximum temperature is around 27 °C (81 °F) in August. Winters are cool and damp, and the lowest average minimum temperature is around 3 °C (37 °F) in January.

Precipitation is heaviest in late autumn and early winter. Snow is quite common between the months of December and March but this usually varies considerably from year to year, and the snowcover and temperatures below the freezing point rarely last more than a few days.

The water temperature, like on the rest of the Black Sea coast of Turkey, fluctuates between 8° and 20 °C (68 °F) throughout the year.

Sites

Archaeological Sites: 41
Urban Sites: 4
Natural Sites: 7
Historical Sites: 1

Other Sites

Archaeological and Natural Sites: 3
Total: 56
Cultural (at Single Construction Scale) and Natural Heritages: 369
TOTAL: 424

Tumuli, in one of which can be seen a skeleton dated between 300BC and 30BC, are a short walk up the hill from Baruthane tram station. Alternatively they can be reached by car or by teleferique.

Travel

Highway: the coach station is outside the city centre, but most bus companies provide a free transfer there if you have a ticket.

Coach station Tel: (+90-362) 238 17 06

Railway: Passenger and freight trains run to Sivas via Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...

. The train station is in the city center.

Train station Tel : (+90-362) 233 22 93

Light Rail: Modern trams run between the train station and Ondokuz Mayıs University. Work is in progress extending the line east along the coast and it may reach as far as Samsun-Çarşamba Airport
Samsun-Çarsamba Airport
Samsun-Çarşamba Airport is a public airport in Samsun, Turkey. Opened in 1998, it is 23 km from Samsun.The passenger terminal of the airport covers an area of 4,725 m² and has a parking lot for 246 cars.-Airlines and destinations:...

 in future.

Air: Samsun-Çarşamba Airport
Samsun-Çarsamba Airport
Samsun-Çarşamba Airport is a public airport in Samsun, Turkey. Opened in 1998, it is 23 km from Samsun.The passenger terminal of the airport covers an area of 4,725 m² and has a parking lot for 246 cars.-Airlines and destinations:...

 is 23 km east of the city center. It is possible to reach the airport by Havas service buses: they depart from the coach park close to Kultur Sarayi in the city center.
Airport Tel : (+90-362) 844 88 30 - 844 88 24 - 844 88 25

Economy

Samsun has a mixed economy.

There is a light industrial zone between the city and the airport. The main manufactured products are medical devices and products, furniture, tobacco products (although tobacco farming is now limited by the government), chemicals and automobile spare parts.

Road and rail freight connections with central Anatolia can be used to send inland both the agricultural produce of the surrounding well rained upon and fertile land, and also imports from overseas. However a pipeline
Blue Stream
Blue Stream is a major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline that carries natural gas from Russia into Turkey. The pipeline has been constructed by the Blue Stream Pipeline B.V., the Netherlands based joint venture of Russian Gazprom and Italian Eni. The Blue Stream Pipeline B.V...

 is used to import natural gas undersea from Russia and distribute it to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....

.

The port (Tel: (+90) 362 4451605) fronting the city centre handles freight, including RORO
RORO
Roll-on/roll-off ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels...

 ferries to Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...

, whereas fishing boats land their catches in a separate harbour slightly further east. A ship building yard is under construction at the eastern city limit and is expected to start operating in 2011.

Local government, services (such as legal and medical) to the surrounding region, and higher education are also a large part of the city economy.

Education

There are two universities in Samsun: Ondokuz Mayıs University and Canik Success University (scheduled to open in 2012).

Places to see

  • Kültür Sarayı (Palace of Culture). Concerts and other performances are held at the Kultur Sarayi, which is shaped much like a ski jump.
  • Archaeological and Atatürk Museum. The archaeological part of the museum displays ancient artifacts found in the Samsun area. The Atatürk section includes photographs of his life and some personal belongings. The museum is open from 8:30 till 12:00 and from 14:00 till 17:00.
  • The Russian Market (Rus Pazari).
  • Statue of Atatürk. By Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel, from 1928 to 1931. The statue was depicted on the obverse
    Obverse and reverse
    Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

     of the Turkish 100,000 lira
    Turkish lira
    The Turkish lira is the currency of Turkey and the de facto independent state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The lira is subdivided into 100 kuruş...

     banknotes of 1991-2001.
  • Atatürk (Gazi) Museum. It houses Atatürk's bedroom, his study and conference room as well some personal belongings.
  • Pazar Mosque, Samsun's oldest surviving building, a mosque built by the Ilkhanate Mongols
    Ilkhanate
    The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...

      in the 13th century.
  • Karadağ Geçidi (Karadag Pass) (at an altitude of 940 metres). The landscape, on the way to Amasya
    Amasya
    - History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...

    .

Sports

The city's football club is Samsunspor
Samsunspor
Samsunspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Samsun. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs...

, which plays its games at the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium. Samsunspor was the winner of the last Balkans Cup
Balkans Cup
In 1961, a Balkans Cup for football clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia was introduced. It was played 27 times...

 final, the 1993-1994 season, defeating PAS Giannina
PAS Giannina
PAS Giannina , the Panepirotic Athletic Association Giannina, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capital of Greece’s Epirus region.Following the 2010–11 season, PAS was promoted to Greece’s Super League division...

 of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. The first leg took place in Greece, where Samsunspor won 3–0. The second leg took place in Turkey, where Samsunspor sealed the championship with a 2–0 win (5–0 agg.)

Twin towns — Sister cities

Samsun is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: North Little Rock, Arkansas
North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (2006) Trikomo, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 (2006) Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 (2007) Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...

, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 (2007) Kalmar
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 (2008) Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (2010) Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 (2010)

Notable natives

  • Mustafa Dağıstanlı
    Mustafa Dagistanli
    Mustafa Dağıstanlı , is a former Turkish sports wrestler, who won the gold medal twice in the Men's Freestyle Wrestling at the 1956 Olympics and 1960 Olympics and was three times World champion....

     - two times Olympic gold medalist sports wrestler
  • Yaşar Doğu
    Yasar Dogu
    Yaşar Doğu , was a renowned Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler in Greco-Roman and Freestyle.He was born in the village Karlı of Kavak district in Samsun province to a family of Circassian origin...

     - Olympic gold medalist sports wrestler
  • Orhan Gencebay
    Orhan Gencebay
    Orhan Gencebay is a Turkish musician, bağlama virtuoso, composer, singer, arranger, music producer, music director, and actor.-Early life and musical background:...

     - musician


  • Ferhan Şensoy
    Ferhan Sensoy
    Ferhan Şensoy is a prominent Turkish playwright, actor and stage director.-Personal background:Ferhan Şensoy was born in Çarşamba, Samsun Province, where he attended Gazi Osman Paşa Preliminary School. His mother, Müjgan Şensoy, was a primary school teacher and his father, Yusuf Cemil Şensoy, was...

     - writer, actor and stage director
  • Tanju Çolak - 1987 European Golden Boot
    European Golden Boot
    The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league...

     holder soccer player/striker

  • Yıldıray Çınar
    Yildiray Çinar
    Yıldıray Çınar is a comic book artist known for his work on the American comic book Noble Causes.-Early life:Çınar was born in Turkey. In 1994 he graduated from Anadolu Fine Arts High School in Ankara, where he studied fine arts and graphics...

     - musician

  • Neyzen Tevfik
    Neyzen Tevfik
    Neyzen Tevfik was a Turkish poet, satirist, and neyzen . He was born in Bodrum on March 24, 1879, and died in Istanbul on January 28, 1953. His name is occasionally misspelled as Neyzen Teyfik.-Biography:Tevfik learned Persian as a young man, and became a Mevlevi in İzmir...

     – poet, satirist, and ney player
  • Ece Erken
    Ece Erken
    -Biography:Ece Erken was born in the city of Samsun, Turkey in 1978. She did her education in Beşiktaş Atatürk Anadolu Lisesi in Istanbul. So far Ece has worked at BRT, Radyo Vizyon, Radyo Genç, Kral TV, Metropol FM, Alem FM, Show Radyo, Radyo Viva, Star TV,Fox TV, Kanal 6, Number One TV and Kanal...

    – TV-hostess and actress

External links

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