Eynesil

Eynesil is a town and a district of Giresun Province on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, east of the city of Giresun, towards Trabzon. The population was 7,505 in 2010.

Eynesil
Town
Eynesil
Coordinates: 41°03′N 39°08′E
Country Turkey
RegionBlack Sea
ProvinceGiresun
Government
 • MayorAhmet Latif Karadeniz (CHP)
Area
 • District72.48 km2 (27.98 sq mi)
Elevation
88 m (289 ft)
Population
 (2012)[2]
 • Urban
7,126
 • District
13,020
 • District density180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
28
Area code(s)(+90) 454
Licence plate28
ClimateCfa
Websitehttp://www.eynesil.gov.tr
Eynesil beach

Geography

This is a low-lying coastal strip with steep hills behind. The views are breathtaking but life is hard in the hill country, while hazelnuts and tea are grown in the lower land near the coast, along with vegetables and a cow or two in the family garden. Fishing is another source of income although the harbour at Eynesil is small and limiting. The only industry is tea-processing and Eynesil is therefore not a wealthy district and many people have migrated away to jobs in Turkey's larger cities or abroad.

History

Antiquity

The history of the area dates back to the Hittites in 1500BC, followed by the Phrygians in 1200BC. The Ancient Greeks arrived in 765 BC and in 670BC a colony of the Aegean Greek community of Miletos was founded, one of a chain of 90 trading posts along the Black Sea coast. By 520 BC Eynesil was in the territory of the Satrap of Pontus, a territory of the Persian Empire. This was succeeded by the Roman Empire and the Byzantines and in 1204 the Empire of Trebizond, a rump-Byzantine state that lasted until it was overthrown by Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire in 1461.

During the medieval period one of the most important guardians of the coastal road connecting Trabzon to Samsun was the large Byzantine garrison fort located about 3 kilometers east of modern town of Eynesil. An archaeological and historical assessment of this site as well as a scaled plan were published in 1985.[3] The impressive circuit walls and defenses create two separate baileys with the remains of numerous rooms. The site briefly served as a Russian military depot and lighthouse (1877-78) during the Russo-Turkish War. Today it has become a popular tourist attraction.

The Turkish era

In December 1461 Eynesil became part of the Ottoman Empire, and the first Turkish people to move into the area were the Chepni, followers of Haji Bektash Veli and therefore responsible for the strength of the Alevi community in Eynesil.

References
  1. "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. Robert W. Edwards, “The Garrison Forts of the Pontos: A Case for the Diffusion of the Armenian Paradigm,” Revue des Études Arméniennes 19, 1985, pp.194-196, pls.23-25a.

Note: follow resimler in Turkish language websites for photographs of the area:

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.