Trabzon

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Trabzon

Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
coast of north-eastern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
and the capital of Trabzon Province

Trabzon Province

Trabzon is a Provinces of Turkey of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia....
. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road

Silk Road

The Silk Road is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa and Europe....
became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
in the southeast, Russia

Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
and the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
to the northeast. The Venetian

Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
and Genoese

Republic of Genoa

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italy coast from the 11th century to 1797, when it was invaded by armies of First French Republic under Napoleon I of France....
merchants paid visit to the city and sold silk

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
, line

Line

Line or lines may refer to:* Line , an infinitely-extending one-dimensional figure that has no curvature* Line , the fundamental unit of poetic composition...
n and woolen

Woolen

Woollen is the name of a yarn and cloth usually made from wool. Woollen yarn is known for being light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn....
fabric. During the Ottoman period Trabzon, because of the importance of its port, became a focal point of trade to Iran, India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
and the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
.

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Encyclopedia

Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea

Black Sea

Turkey

Trabzon Province

Silk Road

Iran

Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
and the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
to the northeast. The Venetian

Republic of Venice

Republic of Genoa

Silk

Line

Line or lines may refer to:* Line , an infinitely-extending one-dimensional figure that has no curvature* Line , the fundamental unit of poetic composition...
n and woolen

Woolen

India

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
. Trabzon formed the basis of several states in its long history, and was the capital city of the Empire of Trebizond

Empire of Trebizond

The Empire of Trebizond , founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine Empire successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire a few weeks prior to that event....
. The population of the city is 400,187 (2006 census).

History

Ancient and Mediaeval

Originally, it was founded as Trebizond

Trebizond

Trebizond may refer to:* The Empire of Trebizond, a successor state created after the Fourth Crusade in Anatolia.* The ancient city of Trebizond, now Trabzon in Turkey....
by Greek

Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
traders from Miletus

Miletus

Miletus was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria. Evidence of first settlement at the site has been made inaccessible by the rise of sea level and deposition of sediments from the Maeander....
(traditionally in 756 BC).

The city was one of a number (about ten) of Milesian emporia, or trading colonies

Colonies in antiquity

Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. Bonds between a colony and its metropolis remained close, and took specific forms....
along the shores of the Black Sea. Others include Sinope

Sinope

Sinope can refer to:*Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea, historically known as Sinope*Sinope , in Greek mythology, daughter of Asopus and eponym of Sinop...
, Abydos

Abydos, Hellespont

Abydos , an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor, situated at Nara Burnu or Nagara Point on the best harbor on the Asiatic shore of the Hellespont....
and Cyzicus

Cyzicus

Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia, situated in Balikesir Province on the shoreward side of the present peninsula of Kapu-Dagh , which is said to have been originally an island in the Sea of Marmara, and to have been artificially connected with the mainland in historic times....
(in the Dardanelles

Dardanelles

.The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara....
). Like most Greek colonies, the city was a small enclave of Greek life, and not an empire unto its own, in the later European sense of the word.

Trebizond's trade partners included the Mossynoeci

Mossynoeci

Mossynoeci . The Greeks of the Euxine Sea applied it to the peoples of Pontus, the northern Anatolian coast west of Trebizond.Herodotus...
. When Xenophon

Xenophon

Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens and Xenophon of Thebes, was a soldier, mercenary and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates....
and the "ten thousand" Greek mercenaries were fighting their way out of Persia, the first Greek city they reached was Trebizond (Xenophon, Anabasis, 5.5.10). The city and the local Mossynoeci had become estranged from the Mossynoecian capital, to the point of civil war. Xenophon's force resolved this in the rebels' favor, and so in Trebizond's interest.

The city was added to the kingdom of Pontus

Pontus

Pontus or Pontos is a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in Antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Pontos Euxeinos , or simply Pontos....
by Mithridates VI Eupator and it became home port for the Pontic fleet.

When the kingdom was annexed to the Roman province of Galatia

Galatia

Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia, an ancient region of Asia Minor, was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC....
in 64–65, the fleet passed to new commanders, becoming the Classis Pontica
Roman Navy

The Roman Navy comprised the naval forces of the Roman state. Although the navy was instrumental in the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean Sea basin, it never enjoyed the prestige of the Roman legions....
. Trebizond gained importance under Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
rule in the 1st century for its access to road leading over the Zigana Pass

Zigana Pass

The Zigana Pass is a mountain pass situated on the Pontic Mountains in G?m?shane Province close to its border with Trabzon Province in northeastern Turkey....
to the Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in South Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea....
n frontier or the upper Euphrates

Euphrates

The Euphrates is the western of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia which flows from Anatolia....
valley. New roads were constructed from Persia

Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
and Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern Iraq, as well as some parts of northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khuzestan Province of southwestern Iran....
under the rule of Vespasian

Vespasian

Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian , was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 69 A.D. until his death in 79 A.D. Vespasian was the founder of the short lived Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 A.D....
, and Hadrian

Hadrian

Publius Aelius Hadrianus , as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after his apotheosis, known as Hadrian in English language, was Roman Emperor of Roman Empire from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoicism and Epicureanism philosopher....
commissioned improvements to give the city a more structured harbor. A mithraeum

Mithraeum

Mithraeum is a place of worship for the followers of the mystery religion of Mithraism. They were often constructed underground or in a cave to resemble the cave where Mithras is said to have slain the sacred bull ....
now serves as a crypt for the church of Panaghia Theoskepastos in nearby Kizlara, east of the citadel and south of the modern harbor. The city was pillaged by the Goths

Goths

The Goths were East Germanic tribes who, in the 3rd and 4th centuries, invasion the Roman Empire and later adopted Arian Christianity. In the 5th and 6th centuries, divided as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, they established powerful successor-states of the Roman Empire in the Iberian peninsula and Italy....
in 258, and, although it was afterwards re-built, Trebizond did not recover until the trade route regained importance in the 8th to 10th centuries. In Byzantine

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
times, the city was the capital of the theme of Chaldia

Chaldia

Chaldia was a historical region in the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor . Its name derived from the people of the Khaldi or Chalybes that inhabited it in Antiquity, and was used throughout the Byzantine Empire period....
.

After the Fourth Crusade

Fourth Crusade

The Fourth Crusade was originally designed to conquer Islam Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christianity city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire....
in 1204, a Byzantine

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
successor state was founded there with support of Queen Tamar of Georgia

Tamar of Georgia

Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. The first woman to rule Georgia in her own right, Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy....
, the Empire of Trebizond

Empire of Trebizond

The Empire of Trebizond , founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine Empire successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire a few weeks prior to that event....
, which ruled part of the Black Sea coast from Trebizond until 1461, when its ruler, David

David of Trebizond

David Megas Komnenos , was the last Emperor of Empire of Trebizond from 1459 to 1461. He was the third son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene, wife of Alexios IV of Trebizond....
, surrendered to Mehmed II

Mehmed II

Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he Fall of Constantinople, bringing an end to the medieval Byzantine Empire....
, ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
. Following this takeover Mehmed sent many Turkish settlers into the area, but the old ethnic Armenian

Armenians

The Armenians are a nation and ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world ....
, Greek

Greeks

Laz people

The Laz are an ethnic group who live primarily on the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia . One of the chief tribes of ancient kingdom of Colchis, the Laz were initially Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church, most of whom converted to Sunni Islam during Ottoman rule of Caucasus in the 16th century....
communities remained. During the late Ottoman period, the city had a great Christian influence in terms of culture, and a wealthy merchant class who created several Western consulates.

Modern era

In 1901 the harbour was equipped with cranes by Stothert and Pitt

Clarke Chapman

Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead, which was formally listed on the London Stock Exchange....
of Bath in England

England

Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
armies during the Caucasus Campaign

Caucasus Campaign

The Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including the Democratic Republic of Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire as part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I or alternatively part of the Caucasian Front during World War I....
of World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
which resulted in the capture of Trebizond by the Russian army under command of Grand Duke Nicholas and Nikolai Yudenich

Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich

Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich , was a commander of the Caucasus Campaign and one of the most successful generals of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I....
in April 1916. Trabzon was a major Armenian extermination center during the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide , also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, the Great Calamity —refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian people population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I....
, as well as a location of subsequent trials. The Russian Army retreated from the city and the rest of eastern and northeastern Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
with the Russian Revolution of 1917

Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian Revolution is the series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union....
. Following the Turkish War of Independence

Turkish War of Independence

The Turkish War of Independence is the political and military resistance developed by Turkish revolutionaries to the Allies of World War I partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in World War I....
and the annulment of the Treaty of Sèvres

Treaty of Sèvres

The Treaty of S?vres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies of World War I at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises....
(1920) which was replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne

Treaty of Lausanne

The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland, that settled the Anatolian and Eastern Thrace parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire by annulment of the Treaty of S?vres that was signed by the Istanbul-based Sublime Porte; as the consequence of the Turkish War of Independence between the Allies of World W...
(1923), Trebizond again became a part of Turkey. After World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, European publications increasingly adopted local names for Turkish cities rather than traditional forms of Greek or Italian origin, and Trebizond became known to English-language readers as Trabzon.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
shipping activity was limited because the Black Sea

Black Sea

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines....
and hazelnut, could not be sold and living standards degraded.

As a result of the general development of the country, Trabzon has developed its economic and commercial life. The Coastal Highway

Coastal Highway

The term Coastal Highway can refer to:* The North West Coastal Highway of Australia.* The Makran Coastal Highway in Pakistan.* The Coastal Highway located in Ocean City, MD....
and a new harbour have increased commercial relations with Central Anatolia, which has led to some growth. However, progress has been slow in comparison with the western and the southwestern parts of Turkey.

Trabzon is famous throughout Turkey for its anchovies, which are the main meal in many restaurants in the city. Major exports from Trabzon are hazelnuts and tea

Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
.

The city still has a sizable community of Greek-speaking Muslims

Greek Muslims

Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greeks ethnic origin, and are found primarily in Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece, although migrations to Lebanon and Syria have been reported....
, most of whom are originally from the vicinities of Tonya

Tonya

For the pre-modern Japanese trade association, see Tonya .Tonya is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey region of Turkey....
and Of. However, the Pontic Greek language

Pontic language

Pontic Greek is a form of the Greek language originally spoken in the Pontus area on the southern shores of the Black Sea, and today mainly in Greece....
(known as ???t?a??, Pontiaka) is spoken mostly by the older generations.

Geography and climate

The province has a total area of 4.685 km² and it is bordered by the provinces of Rize

Rize

Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast....
, Giresun

Giresun

Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon....
and Gümüshane

Gümüshane

G?m?shane is a city and the capital district of G?m?shane Province in the Black Sea Region region of Turkey. The city lies along the Harsit River, at an elevation of 5,000 feet , about 40 miles southwest of Trabzon....
. The total area is 22,4% plateaux and 77,6% hills.

Rivers

The Degirmendere (former Piksidis), Yanbolu, Fol, Karadere, Koha, Sürmene (former Manahos), Solakli, Baltaci and Iyidere (former Kalopotamos)

Lakes

Çakirgöl, Uzungöl

Uzungöl

Climate

Trabzon has a typical Black Sea climate, with rain the year round and temperatures reaching up to around 29°C in the summer. Winters are cool and damp, and the lowest temperature is around 5°C in January. The water temperature fluctuates between 10°–20°C throughout the year.

People

Greek has been spoken in the region since early antiquity. The local dialect developed along its own lines and is today partly intelligible to speakers of Standard Greek. It was spoken mainly by a Greek Orthodox population up until the population exchange

Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey is the first large-scale Population transfer, or agreed mutual expulsion in the 20th century....
; nearly all speakers are now Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
. Laz people

Laz people

Oghuz Turks

The Oghuz were a group of loosely linked nomadic Turkic peoples. In the ninth century the Oghuz Turks from the Aral steppes drove the Pechenegs of the Emba region and the Ural River toward the west....
tribe that played an important role in the history of the Eastern Black Sea area in the 13th and 14th centuries, live in the Salpazari

Salpazari

Salpazari is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey region of Turkey.External links...
(Agasar valley) region of the Trabzon Province.

There was an Armenian

Armenians

Mongol invasions

The Mongol invasions progressed throughout the 13th century, resulting in the vast Mongol Empire covering much of Asia by 1300.The Mongol Empire emerged in the course of the 13th century by a series of conquests and invasions throughout Central Asia and Western Asia, reaching Eastern Europe by the 1240s....
of the 13th and 14th centuries, numerous Armenian families fled here from Ani

Ani

Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval city-site situated in the Turkey province of Kars Province, beside the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian people Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey....
. According to Ronald C. Jennings, in the early 1500s, Armenians made up approximately 13 percent of the city's population, and they numbered roughly equal to the Muslims in the city in that period. In the late 19th century the Armenian community was persecuted during the Hamidian massacres

Hamidian massacres

The Hamidian massacres, also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894-1896, refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with estimates of the dead ranging from 80,000 to 300,000, and at least 50,000 orphans as a result....
. Prior to WWI, a sizable Armenian community of 30,000 was present in the city. During the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide , also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, the Great Calamity —refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian people population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I....
, most were killed or deported. Following the Russian capture of Trabzon

Trebizond Campaign

The Trebizond Campaign, also known as the Battle of Trebizond was a series of brilliant Russian naval and land operations that resulted in the capture of Trabzon....
in April 1916, some 500 Armenian survivors, as well as monks of the local Armenian monastery

Kaymakli Monastery

Kaymakli Monastery is a ruined Armenian Apostolic Church monastery near Trabzon, Turkey.The monastery originally included a church , a bell tower at the northwest corner, and a small chapel near the southeast corner....
returned. They remained there till after the war.

Trabzon has a sizeable Russian minority, who began emigrating to the region after the dissolution of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
. Russian language shops and facilities can be found in the town. Russians are generally subject to stereotypes and suspicion. A subset of Russian women work in the local prostitution industry and are thus derisively known as "Natashas" by Trabzonites.

Because of the presence of Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon hosts students from all over Turkey, especially the East and the Black Sea region, as well as students from Central Asian states.

Origin of the Pontic Turks and Greeks

Very little has been written on the Turkification

Turkification

Turkification is a term used to describe a process of cultural change in which something or someone who is not a Turkish people becomes one, voluntarily or by force....
of the area. There are no historical records of any considerable Turkish-speaking groups in the Trabzon area until the late 15th century, with the exception of the Chepnis. The original Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
(and in some regions Armenian

Armenian language

The 'Armenian language' is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenians. It is the official language of the Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh....
) speakers imposed features from their mother language into Turkish. Heath W. Lowry

Heath W. Lowry

Heath W. Lowry is an USA historian and the Ataturk Professor of Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies at Princeton University. His area of expertise is the history of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey and has authored numerous books in both of these fields....
's work about Ottoman tax books (Tahrir Defteri) with Halil Inalcik claims that most Turks of Trabzon city are of Greek origin.

It is possible that the majority of the population of Trabzon and Rize

Rize

Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast....
(and other ancient Greek colonies in the Pontus region) — except up to the time of the Chepni Turk immigration waves — consisted of indigenous Caucasian tribes (the Colchians

Colchis

In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgia , state monarchy and region in the Western Georgia , which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgians and its subgroups....
and the Laz

Laz people

Hellenization

Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of Greek culture. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon....
religiously and linguistically. Michael Meeker stresses the cultural resemblances (e.g. in village structure, house types, and pastoral techniques) between the Eastern Black Sea coast and the areas in the Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
proper.

Tourist attractions

Trabzon has a number of tourist attractions, some of them dating back to the times of the ancient empires that once existed in the region. In the city itself, one can find a hub of shops, stalls and restaurants surrounding the "Meydan", a square in the center of the city, which includes a tea garden.

The Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia, Trabzon

The Hagia Sophia , now the Hagia Sophia Museum, is a former Church and mosque located in the city of Trabzon in the north-eastern part of Turkey....
, a stunning Byzantine church, is probably the town's most important tourist attraction.
Trabzon Castle ruins are visible in the town but cannot be visited as they fall in a military zone. The outside wall of the castle now serves as the back wall of a military building.
Atatürk Köskü is a lovely Victorian-era villa, which was given to Atatürk when he visited Trabzon in 1924. It houses period rooms and acts as a shrine to the memory of the Turks' beloved great leader.
Boztepe Park is a small park and tea garden on the hills above Trabzon that has a panoramic view of nearly the entire city. The terrain in Trabzon is such that although the view is far above that of the buildings below, it is still close enough to be able to observe the flow of traffic and the people moving about in the city.
Trabzon Museum
Trabzon Museum

Trabzon museum or Kostaki Mansion is located on the north of Zeytinlik district very near Uzun Sokak in Trabzon, Turkey....
is located in the town center and offers interesting exhibits on the history of the region, including an impressive collection of Byzantine-era artifacts.
Trabzon's Bazaar District offers interesting shopping opportunities on ancient narrow streets, continuing from Kunduracilar Street from the Meydan (town square).
Kostaki Mansion is located ob the north of Zeytinlik near Uzun Sokak.

Within Trabzon Province

Trabzon Province

Trabzon is a Provinces of Turkey of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia....
, the main attractions are the Sümela Monastery and Uzungöl

Uzungöl

Uzung?l is lake situated to the south of the city of Trabzon in Turkey. Over the years it has become a major tourist attraction. It is also the name of a nearby village.The lake is at a distance of 99 km from Trabzon and 19 km from ?aykara district....
. The monastery is built on the side of a very steep mountain overlooking the green forests below and is about 50 km south of the city. Uzungöl is famous for the natural beauty of the area and the amazing scenery.

Other important sites of interest include: Kaymakli Monastery

Kaymakli Monastery

Kustul Monastery

Kustul Monastery is located near Simsirli village, Ma?ka, Trabzon Province, Turkey. Founded in 752 CE at 30 km northeast of Trabzon, it was finally closed on January 17, 1923, when the monks along with other Greeks were Population exchange between Greece and Turkey to Greece....
(Gregorios Peristera) Monastery, Kizlar (Panagia Kerameste) Monastery, Vazelon Monastery

Vazelon Monastery

Vazelon Monastery is located in Ma?ka, Trabzon Province, Turkey. The exact building date of the monastery is not known. Some researches guess that is between 270-317 AD....
, Hagios Savvas (Masatlik) Cave Churches, Hagia Anna (Little Ayvasil), Sotha (St. John), Hagios Theodoros, Hagios Konstantinos, Hagios Khristophoras, Hagios Kiryaki, Santa Maria, Hagios Mikhail and Panagia Tzita churches, Fatih Mosque (originally the Panagia Khrysokephalos Church), Yeni Cuma Mosque (originally the Hagios Eugenios Church), Nakip Mosque (originally the Hagios Andreas Church), Hüsnü Köktug Mosque (originally the Hagios Eleutherios Church), Iskender Pasha Mosque, Semerciler Mosque, Çarsi Mosque, and the Gülbahar Hatun Mosque and Türbe.

Culture

Being open towards other cultures and religions plays a significant role in life styles of Trabzon populace. Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
s and Christians lived together in past as well as today, making the city proud heir to a rich cultural heritage. Folklore

Folklore

Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, superstitions, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group ....
is still a living tradition in Trabzon and Black Sea

Black Sea

Folk dance

File:Mugham Festival 2008.jpgFolk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances, mostly of European origin, that tend to share the following attributes:...
peculiar to the region, and it is performed by men, women, young and elderly people in festivities, local weddings and harvest

Harvest

In agriculture, the harvest is the process of gathering mature crop from the field s. Reaping is the cutting of grain or Pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper....
times. Trabzon culture has a reputation for being religiously conservative and nationalist. Many Trabzonites generally show a strong sense of loyalty to family, friends, their religion, and Turkey.Atatürk selected the presidential guards from neighbour city of Giresun

Giresun

Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon....
because of their fierce fighting ability and their loyalty.

The Black Sea region

Black Sea Region

The Black Sea Region is one of Turkey's Regions_of_Turkey....
has a myriad of village and local folk culture, especially evident in folk music, folk dances, and local cuisine specialties. One of the more spirited folk dances in Turkey comes from the Trabzon region. While similar to Russian Cossack dances, the Trabzon folk dance is unique to Turkey and the region.

Outside of the relatively urban space of Trabzon proper, and within it as well, rural traditions from Black Sea village life are still thriving. This includes traditional gender roles, social conservatism, hospitality and willingness to help strangers, and all the trappings, both positive and negative, of an agrarian lifestyle, such as hard work, poverty, strong family ties, and a closeness to nature.

The city's fame was increased in the English-speaking world by Dame Rose Macaulay

Rose Macaulay

Dame Emilie Rose Macaulay, Order of the British Empire , affectionately known as Emilie, was an England novelist. She published thirty-five books, mostly novels but also biographies and travel writing....
's last novel, The Towers of Trebizond
The Towers of Trebizond

The Towers of Trebizond is a novel published in 1956 by the England novelist, biographer and traveller Rose Macaulay . The last of her novels, The Towers of Trebizond is also Macaulay's most successful....
(1956), which is still in print.

Cuisine

Trabzon regional cuisine is traditionally reliant on fish, especially Hamsi (fresh European Anchovies similar to British Sprat or American Smelt). Trabzon, which meets 20% of total fish production in Turkey, has an important potential in the fishing sector in Turkey. Food in the Trabzon region represents the hearty lifestyle of the Turkish people who live on the shores of this Black Sea city. While not a gourmet-food center, there are some delicious regional dishes such as Akcaabat kofte (spicy lamb meatball from the Akcaabat district), Karadeniz pide

PIDE

The Pol?cia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado or PIDE , was the main tool of Political repression used by the authoritarian regime of Ant?nio de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal, the Estado Novo ....
si (canoe shaped bread, often with ground beef, cheese, eggs), Sucuk (Turkish sausage and pastirma), kuymak (a Turkish fondue made with cornmeal and plenty of fresh butter and cheese), Vakfikebir ekmek (large country style bread), tava misir ekmek (deep dish corn bread) and kara lahana corbasi (bean and cabbage soup). Don't miss the Taflan kavurmis? (a cherry laurel dish served with onions and olive oil) and Kalkan (Flounder

Flounder

Flounder are flatfish that live in ocean waters ie., Northern Atlantic and waters along the east coast of the United States and Canada, and the Pacific Ocean, as well....
). Trabzon is famous for its hazelnuts and the traveler should experience them in any form. The Turks feel they are exceptionally good for your health. The best way to experience real Trabzon cuisine and culture is to get yourself invited to a local's home.

Sports

Football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
is by far the most popular sport in Trabzon, as Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor is a Turkey association football club, from the Black Sea port city of Trabzon playing in the S?per Lig.Trabzonspor was formed in 1967 in a merger of two local clubs....
is the only Turkish club in Anatolia

Anatolia

Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
(Fenerbahçe

Fenerbahçe SK

Fenerbah?e Spor Kul?b? , commonly known as Fener , is a professional sports club based in the district of Kadikoy in Istanbul, Turkey. The name of the sports club and its sea side beautiful district derives their names from a famous lighthouse located in Fenerbah?e district of Kadikoy ....
, Galatasaray and Besiktas). Due to Trabzonspor's success, the decades-old term "Big Three" which defined the largest clubs of Turkey had to be modified into the "Big Four". Trabzonspor is also one of the most successful Turkish clubs in the European Cups

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations is the administrative and controlling body for European association football. It is almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA ....
, managing to beat numerous prominent teams like Barcelona

FC Barcelona

Futbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Bar?a , is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Inter

F.C. Internazionale Milano

Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as Inter Milan or just Inter in Italy, is an Italy professional Association football club based in Milan, Lombardy, founded in 1908....
, Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and it is the Football records in England#Most successful clubs overall in the history of Football in England; the club has won List of football clubs in England by major honours won than any other English cl...
, Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who currently play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897....
and Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais is a France football club based in Lyon. They play in Ligue 1 and are the reigning champions of France. They have won the Ligue 1 title seven years straight, a record that no other club in France has matched....
.

Trabzon hosted the First Edition

2007 Black Sea Games

The 1. Black Sea Games Tabzon 2007, commonly known as the 2007 Black Sea Games were the 1st Black Sea Games. The Games were held in Trabzon, Turkey over seven days, from July 2 to July 8, 2007, where 1,277 athletes from 11 country participated....
of the Black Sea Games

Black Sea Games

The Black Sea Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Black Sea.Participating countries ...
in July, 2007 and will host the 2011 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival

2011 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival

The 2011 European Youth Olympic Festival summer edition will be held in Trabzon, Turkey....
.

Notable natives

Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman I, His Imperial Majesty , was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in Western world as Suleiman the Magnificent and in Eastern world, as the Lawgiver , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system....
, Ottoman Emperor
St. Eugenius of Trebizond, Christian saint and martyr
Johannes Bessarion, bishop, scholar and writer who influenced the Renaissance
George of Trebizond
George of Trebizond

George of Trebizond was a Greek philosopher and scholar, one of the pioneers of the Renaissance....
, philosopher, scholar and writer who influenced the Renaissance
Michael Panaretos
Michael Panaretos

Michael Panaretos wrote a chronicle of the Empire of Trebizond of Alexios I of Trebizond and his successors from 1204 to 1426. Panaretos was the protosebastos and protonotarios in the service of Alexios III of Trebizond....
, Greek historian and statesman
Gregory Choniades
Gregory Choniades

Gregory Choniades was a Byzantine Greeks astronomer. He travelled to Persia where he learnt Persian mathematical and astronomical science which he introduced into Byzantium upon retun from Persia and founded an astronomical academy at Empire of Trebizond....
, Greek astronomer
John VIII
John VIII

John VIII may refer to:* Pope John VIII, Pope from 872 to 882* Antipope John VIII, antipope in 844* John VIII Palaiologos , Byzantine Emperor...
, Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Cevdet Sunay
Cevdet Sunay

Cevdet Sunay was a Turkey army Officer , political leader and the 5th president of Turkey.He was born in 1899 in Trabzon. After attending elementary school and middle school in Erzurum, and Edirne in Turkey , he graduated from Kuleli military high school in Istanbul....
, General and 5th President of Turkey
Hasan Saka
Hasan Saka

Hasan Saka was a Turkish people politician, List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and List of Prime Ministers of Turkey of Turkey.He graduated from "M?lkiye Mektebi" in 1908....
, politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister
Osman Sirin
Osman Sirin

Osman Sirin , is a high ranked Turkish people judge and currently the Deputy First President of the Court of Cassation .External links...
, President of the High Court of Appeals of Turkey
Ioannis Passalidis, Greek politician
Bahriye Üçok
Bahriye Üçok

Bahriye ??ok was a female Turkish people academic of theology, left-wing politician, writer, columnist and women's rights activist, who was assassinated by Islamic militants....
, theologist, politician, writer, columnist and women's rights activist
Arshak Fetvajian, Armenian artist, architecture expert
Adnan Kahveci
Adnan Kahveci

Adnan Kahveci was a noted Turkish people politician, one of the founders in 1983 of the Motherland Party led by Turgut ?zal and who served as minister in successive governments throughout the 1980s....
, politician.
Altan Öymen
Altan Öymen

Altan ?ymen is a Turkish people journalist, author and former politician....
, journalist, writer and politician
Ertem Egilmez
Ertem Egilmez

Ertem Egilmez was a Turkey film director, productor and screenwriter. He is known as the name behind some of the most popular films in Turkish film history....
, Film Director
Erol Günaydin
Erol Günaydin

Erol G?naydin is a veteran Turkish theater and film actor, as well as a renowned showman famous particularly for his portrayal of Nasreddin Hoca and his performances in the traditional Turkish meddah ....
, Actor
Sevket Altug, Actor
Engin Ardiç
Engin Ardiç

Engin Ardi? is a well known Turkish people writer and journalist who, with the commencement of private television broadcasting in Turkey, also worked as a television commentator in the 1990s....
, writer and TV commentator
Volkan Konak musician
Senol Günes
Senol Günes

Senol G?nes is a former Turkey footballer, and now a manager.He began his career at Erdogdu Gen?lik, playing as a goalkeeper. He later moved onto the Trabzonspor amateur team, and began playing for the senior team soon after....
, football player and manager
Tugay Kerimoglu
Tugay Kerimoglu

Tugay Kerimoglu is a Turkey Association football who has been playing for Blackburn Rovers F.C. since 2001-02 in English football. His main role is Midfielder#Central midfielder, he also is competent on Midfielder#Aentral midfielder and Midfielder#Dentral midfielder positions....
, football player
Hami Mandirali
Hami Mandirali

Hami Mandirali, born on July 20, 1968 in Arsin, a coastal town east of Trabzon, Turkey. He was a Turkish Football , playing for Trabzonspor for nearly all of his career, and is one of the most famous and talented Turkish footballers of all time....
, football player
Fatih Tekke
Fatih Tekke

Fatih Tekke is a Turkey football player. He is a Turkey national football team, a striker, and one of the most recognisable and popular sportsmen in Turkey today....
, football player
Sunay Akin
Sunay Akin

Sunay Akin is a Turkish people poet, writer, TV host, and journalist. He is also a philanthropist and is the founder of Istanbul Toy Museum, a showcase of thousands of antique toys from around the world....
, writer
Periklis Hristoforidis
Periklis Hristoforidis

Periklis Hristoforidis was a Turkey-born Greek film actor. He appeared in 122 films between 1929 in film and 1979 in film.He was born in Trabzon, Turkey, and died in Thessaloniki, Greece....
, Greek actor
Basilius Bessarion (1403-1427) Greek scholar, Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
Dimitris Psathas
Dimitris Psathas

Dimitris Psathas was a famous modern Greece satirist and playwright. He was born in Trabzon in 1907 and died in Athens in 1979.He went to Athens in 1923 and finished his studies whereby he devoted himself to both journalism and the theatre....
(1907-1979) Greek playwright
Leon Zaven Surmelian (1907-1995) Armenian-American writer
Nihat Genç writer, TV commentator and journalist

Sister cities

Sochi
Sochi

Sochi is a Russian resort types of inhabited localities in Russia, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border. It sprawls along the shores of the Black Sea and against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains....
, Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
(1993)
Rizhao
Rizhao

})|-| Area| 5,310 square kilometre|-| Coastline| 100 kilometre|-| Population| 2.78 million|-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita...
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
(1997)
Szigetvár
Szigetvár

Szigetv?r is a town in Baranya in southern Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
(1998)
Batumi
Batumi

Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and Capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia . It has a population of 121,806 ....
Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
(2000)
Rasht
Rasht

Rasht is the capital of Gilan province in northwestern Iran and the largest city along the Caspian sea coast. It is a major trade center between Caucasus, Russia and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali....
, Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
(2000)
Zanjan
Zanjan (city)

Zanjan is the capital of Zanjan Province in northwestern Iran. It lies 298 km north-west of Tehran on the main highway to Tabriz and Turkey and approximately 125 km from the Caspian Sea....
, Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
(2001)

Trabzon

History

Ancient and Mediaeval

Modern era

Geography and climate

Rivers

Lakes

Climate

People

Origin of the Pontic Turks and Greeks

Tourist attractions

Culture

Cuisine

Sports

Notable natives

Sister cities

See also

External links