Samsun
Samsun Location of Samsun within Turkey
Coordinates: 41°17′N 36°20′E / 41.283°N 36.333°E / 41.283; 36.333
Country	Turkey
Region	Black Sea
Province	Samsun
Boroughs	List Atakum Canik İlkadım Tekkeköy
Government
• Mayor	Yusuf Ziya Yılmaz (AKP)
Population (2012)
• Urban	538,106
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	55
Area code(s)	(+90) 362
Licence plate	55
Website	www.samsun.bel.tr

Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.

Name[link]

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^[1] (pronounced [sɑmsun]).

The early Greek historian Hecataeus wrote that Amisos was formerly called Enete, the place mentioned in Homer's Iliad.

During the Ottoman Empire the present name was written in Ottoman Turkish: صامسون

History[link]

People from Samsun. National Laz costumes in Ottoman era, 1910's

Paleolithic artifacts found in the Tekkeköy Caves can be seen in Samsun Archaeology Museum.^[2]

The earliest layer excavated of the höyük of Dündartepe revealed a Chalcolithic settlement. Early Bronze Age and Hittite settlements were also found there^[3] and at Tekkeköy.

Samsun (then known as Amisos, alternative spelling Amisus) was settled between the years of 760 - 750 BC by people from Miletus,^[4] who established a flourishing trade relationship with the ancient peoples of Anatolia. 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.^[5] 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 took over in 47 BC, and were replaced by the Byzantines after the fall of Rome.

In 1200 Samsun was captured by the Seljuks and divided two part Muslim Samsun and Gavur (Christian) Samsun after that Muslim Samsun to be later taken over by the İlhanlılar. ^[6]

Samsun was incorporated into the network of Genoese trading posts and was taken by the Ottomans in the beginning of the 15th century and called "Canik". Before leaving, the Genoese razed the town.^[7]

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.

Replica of the ferry SS Bandırma, which carried Atatürk from Istanbul and arrived in Samsun on May 19th 1919, the date which traditionally marks the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk established the Turkish liberation movement in Samsun on May 19, 1919, the date which traditionally marks the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence.

The city is both an Eastern Orthodox and a Roman Catholic titular see.

Geography[link]

Samsun street map - click it for detail

Samsun is a long city which extends along the coast between two river deltas which jut into the Black Sea. It is located at the end of an ancient route from Cappadocia: 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 and its fertile delta. To the east, lie the Yeşilırmak ("Green River", the Iris of antiquity) and its delta.

Rivers[link]

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

Climate[link]

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.

Travel[link]

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. 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. The line may be extended east along the coast as far as Samsun-Çarşamba Airport in future.

Dolmuş: The routes are numbered 1 to 4 and each route has different color minibuses.

Air: Samsun-Çarşamba Airport 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. ^[8]

Airport Tel : (+90-362) 844 88 30 - 844 88 24 - 844 88 25

Economy[link]

Hospital of Ondokuz Mayıs University's Faculty of Medicine in Samsun.

Samsun has a mixed economy.^[9]

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 is used to import natural gas undersea from Russia and distribute it to Ankara.

The port (Tel: (+90) 362 4451605) fronting the city centre handles freight, including RORO ferries to Novorossiysk, 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.

Provincial government and services (such as legal and medical) support the surrounding region. Universities and a research establishment support provincial agriculture and food processing.

Education[link]

There are two universities in Samsun: Ondokuz Mayıs University and Canik Başarı University.

Places to see[link]

Statue of Atatürk by the Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel in Samsun's city center.

• 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.
• Yabancılar Pazari (Foreigners Market)
• Statue of Atatürk. By Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel, from 1928 to 1931. The statue was depicted on the obverse of the Turkish 100,000 lira banknotes of 1991-2001.^[10]
• 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 in the 13th century.
• Karadağ Geçidi (Karadag Pass) (at an altitude of 940 metres). The landscape, on the way to Amasya.
• 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.
• Valide or Büyük Mosque. It' built by the Batumlu Haci Efendi in 1884. It names comes from the mother of Sultan Abdulaziz.^[11]
• Haci Hatun Mosque dates from 1694
• Tekkeköy Caves 14 km east of city center archaeological site from Hittites

Sports[link]

The city's football club is Samsunspor, which plays its games at the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium. Samsunspor was the winner of the last Balkans Cup final, the 1993-1994 season, defeating PAS Giannina of Greece. 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.)^[12]

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Samsun is twinned with:

• North Little Rock, Arkansas, United States (2006)
• Trikomo, Cyprus (2006)
• Novorossiysk, Russia (2007)
• Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2007)
• Kalmar, Sweden (2008)
• Bordeaux, France (2010)
• Kiel, Germany (2010)

Notable natives[link]

• Mustafa Dağıstanlı - two times Olympic gold medalist sports wrestler
• Yaşar Doğu - Olympic gold medalist sports wrestler
• Orhan Gencebay - musician
• Ferhan Şensoy - writer, actor and stage director
• Tanju Çolak - 1987 European Golden Boot holder soccer player/striker
• Yıldıray Çınar - musician
• Neyzen Tevfik – poet, satirist, and ney player
• Ece Erken – TV-hostess and actress
• Deniz Kılıçlı, college basketball player at West Virginia University

See also[link]

• Anatolian Tigers

References[link]

External links[link]

Coordinates: 41°17′25″N 36°20′01″E / 41.29028°N 36.33361°E / 41.29028; 36.33361

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Samsun

• Samsun Governor's Office
• Samsun Metropolitan Municipality
• Official Tourist Information
• Samsun travel guide from Wikitravel
• Samsun News (Turkish)
• MA in Black Sea Cultural Studies. International Hellenic University-School of Humanities
• Current port arrivals and departures
• Amisos coins (search by state: Amisus)

v t e Samsun in Samsun Province (in the Black Sea region) of Turkey Urban districts Samsun (Atakum - Canik - İlkadım - Tekkeköy) Rural districts Alaçam - Asarcık - Ayvacık - Bafra - Çarşamba - Havza - Kavak - Ladik (District), Samsun - Ondokuz Mayıs - Salıpazarı - Terme - Vezirköprü - Yakakent Regions Provinces Aegean Afyonkarahisar - Aydın - Denizli - Izmir - Kütahya - Manisa - Muğla - Uşak Black Sea Amasya - Artvin - Bartın - Bayburt - Bolu - Çorum - Düzce - Giresun - Gümüşhane - Karabük - Kastamonu - Ordu - Rize - Samsun - Sinop - Tokat - Trabzon - Zonguldak Central Anatolia Aksaray - Ankara - Çankırı - Eskişehir - Karaman - Kayseri - Kırıkkale - Kırşehir - Konya - Nevşehir - Niğde - Sivas - Yozgat Eastern Anatolia Ağrı - Ardahan -Bingöl - Bitlis - Elâzığ - Erzincan - Erzurum - Hakkâri - Iğdır - Kars - Malatya - Muş - Siirt - Tunceli - Van Marmara Balıkesir - Bilecik - Bursa - Çanakkale - Edirne - Istanbul - Kırklareli - Kocaeli - Sakarya - Tekirdağ - Yalova Mediterranean Adana - Antalya- Burdur - Hatay - Isparta - Kahramanmaraş - Mersin - Osmaniye Southeastern Anatolia Adıyaman - Batman - Diyarbakır - Gaziantep - Kilis - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Şırnak

v t e Metropolitan centers in Turkey Adana Ankara Antalya Bursa Diyarbakır Erzurum Eskişehir Gaziantep İstanbul İzmir Kayseri Kocaeli Konya Mersin Sakarya Samsun