Zile

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Coordinates: 40°19′N 35°45′E

Zile
Zile City Center at night
Zile City Center at night
Coat of Arms of Zile Municipality

Coat of Arms of Zile Municipality
Location in Turkey
Overview
Region Black Sea Region, Turkey
Province Tokat Province
Population 110139 [10] (2004)
Area 1512 km²
Population density 82/km²
Elevation 710 m
Coordinates 40°19′ N 35°45′ E
Postal code 60400
Area code 0356
Mayor Murat Ayvalıoğlu (Nationalist Movement Party)
Website http://www.zile.bel.tr/
Governor Aydın Tetikoğlu

Zile (known in antiquity as Zela) is a city in Tokat Province, south of Amasya and west of Tokat in eastern Turkey. Turhal, Çekerek, Artova, Kadışehri, and Amasya are towns near Zile.

Zile has been known as Zela, Zelitis, Zelid, Anzila, Gırgırıye (Karkariye), Zīleh, Zilleli, Zeyli, Silas.

Contents

[edit] Description

Zile is 1512 km² within its city limits and 710 meters above sea level. It lies on a plain surrounded by the Deveci Mountains (1892 meters high), Güvercin Çalı, and Hüseyin Gazi Hill. The city's water supply is provided by the Çekerek river flowing from Zile to Çekerek. The Süreyya Bey hydroelectric plant is under construction and will provide electricity and water for irrigation of agriculture in the area.

[edit] Climate

Zile's weather is influenced by the Black Sea to the north, and by Middle Anatolia to the south. Summer is hot and dry and winter is snowy and cold. It is usually rainy in April, May, November and December.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 39
(4)		 44
(7)		 53
(12)		 64
(18)		 71
(22)		 78
(26)		 84
(29)		 84
(29)		 78
(26)		 68
(20)		 55
(13)		 44
(7)
62
(17)
Average low °F (°C) 26
(-3)		 28
(-2)		 33
(0)		 41
(5)		 46
(8)		 51
(11)		 55
(13)		 55
(13)		 50
(11)		 42
(6)		 35
(2)		 32
(0)
41
(5)
Rainfall in. (mm) 1.9
(4.8)		 1.5
(3.8)		 1.7
(4.3)		 2.3
(5.8)		 2.4
(6.0)		 1.7
(4.3)		 0.5
(1.3)		 0.3
(0.8)		 0.7
(1.8)		 1.3
(3.3)		 1.6
(4.0)		 2.0
(5.0)
17.9
(44.8)
Source: Weatherbase

[edit] Population

Zile has a population of 110,139 as of 2004 census; 52,640[1] in the city centre and the remaining population in 116 nearby villages. Farmers make up 60% of the population. Zile has been losing its population through migration and 40% of the neighboring city of Turhal's population is from Zile. This causes some descrepency in the census, as the government distributes money according to the population of cities. People born in Zile but living in Turhal are counted as Zile citizens in the census to the dismay of the Turhal municipality.

[edit] History

Veni Vidi Vici
Veni Vidi Vici

According to recent archeological research, there is evidence of human habitation since Epipalaeolithic times in Zile. The historian Strabo claimed that Zile was founded by Semiramis, a legendary Assyrian queen, in his book Geographica. Zile castle, the only solid castle in Anatolia, was built by Roman commander Sulla. The castle contains the Amanos temple, called silla meaning "respected". Some etymologists claim that "Zile" came from Zela, itself stemming from Silla. The well-known historian Charles Texier proved that Strabo mentions Zela, where modern Zile is.

Very little is known about the Assyrian and Nineveh periods in Zile, however it is certain that Zile was under Persian rule by 548 BCE. Persians considered the area very important and built the Royal Road (middle part) here. Darius I of Persia divided the largest Anatolian state of that time, Cappadocia, into two. Zile remained in Pontus Cappadocia, the northern region. The Persians built temples for Persian gods Anahita, Anos, and Anadates in Zile.

Alexander the Great captured Zela from the Persian king Darius after the Battle of Granicus (334 BCE). After Alexander died in 323 BCE, one of his commanders, General Ornets, was given the task to rule Zela. With a rebellion against Ornets, Zela briefly gained its freedom. Soon after, King Mithradates VI of Pontus conquered Zela, as a consequence of which nearby Cappadocians called to Rome for help. The Roman army under Sulla's command defeated Mithradates. When Sulla returned to Rome in 78 BCE, Mithradates attacked Zela again with the help of his uncle Tifran, king of Diyarbakır. Pompeius Magnus came back with his army, and after a long war the Romans destroyed the whole army of Mithradates, who committed suicide as a consequence in 63 BCE.

Zelos 1747 - David Rumsey Collection v4.0
Zelos 1747 - David Rumsey Collection v4.0

Pharnaces II of Pontus, son of Mithradates, sought revenge for his father. His attack on Zela was halted by Julius Caesar in a bloody battle called Battle of Zela (47 BC).[2] While Caesar's army had great losses, Pharnaces's army was completely destroyed in five hours. After this victory, Caesar sent his famous message to Rome: "Veni Vidi Vici ped ea" , meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered through it all".[3] Caesar's words were written on a cylindrical marble column. This column was stolen recently(in 2004) and the thieves have not yet been found.[4]

In 241, the Sasanid king Arda Shapur, son of Shirin, attacked the Romans and captured Zela. From then to 1071, Zela was conquered many times by Byzantines and Sasanids. Zela was conquered by Danishmend Melik Ahmet Gazi in 1071 and since then the city has belonged to Turks. In 1174 Anatolian Seljuks captured the city from Danishmends under Izzettin II Kılıçaslan. After the collapse of the Anatolian Seljuks the Eretna Emirate was founded in Zile's district in 1335. The Ottomans defeated Ertans in 1397 under rule of Sultan Bayezid I.

In the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)(also known as Turkish Independence War), some supporters of Sharia (strict Islamic law) in Zile rebelled against the new Turkish Republic's army. The Turkish army put down the rebellion and, from then, Zile was loyal to the new Turkish Republic instead of the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul.

[edit] Attractions

Ulucami
Ulucami

There are many historical buildings and artifacts from Hittites, Lycians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Turks in Zile. Among these, Zile castle, the Roman theatre, Ulu Camii and Çifte Hamam are the most famous. Kaya Mezarı, Çay Pınarı, İmam Melikiddin Türbesi, Şeyh Musa Fakih Türbesi, Elbaşı Camii, Maşat Höyük, Namlı Hisar Kale, Anzavur Mağaraları, Hacı Boz Köprüsü, Koç Taşı and Manastry in Kuruçay are worth seeing.

[edit] Economy

Agriculture, trade and livestock are the main economic activities of Zile. The thousand students of Zile Tourism and Hotel Management Department of Gaziosmanpasha University also play an important role in city's economic activities. Zile is famous for its grapes, leblebi, cherry, and fruit gardens. The annual Cherry Festival is famous in Tokat, Sivas and Yozgat. Zile uses its excellent grapes for not to produce wine, but pekmez, a syrup-like liquid mixed from different kinds of fruit-juices. In addition to fruit and vegetable production, farmers also produce wheat.

The industry of Zile is under development. Since 1996, there has been a major movement from agriculture to industry. Major products include textiles,sugar beet, furniture, tomato sauce, leblebi, marble and shoes.

Kusyuva
Kusyuva

[edit] Education

The city boasts 100% literacy in city centre and over 90% in surrounding villages, with public and Imam Hatip schools, and a roughly 1:27 student-teacher ratio.[5]There are 126 primary and secondary schools with 14.373 students and 540 teachers. Zile Lisesi, Dinçerler 75th Year Anatolian High School and Anadolu Öğretmen Lisesi provide high school education in Zile. There are also four professional high schools providing technical education. Tourism and Hotel Management department of Gaziosmanpasha University is located at Zile.

[edit] Social life

In Zile, there is a movie-theatre with a capacity for 850 people. There is one TV channel and two radio stations that keep Zile people up to date. Daily newspapers sell around 4000 copies per day.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ City Population (2007). Turkey - City Population - Cities, Towns & Provinces - Statistics & Map. City Population. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica (2007). Zile -- Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  3. ^ S. Vailhé (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913/Zela - Wikisource. Wikisource. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  4. ^ NTVMSNBC (2004). Zile’de ‘Geldim - Gördüm - Yendim’. NTV Turkey. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  5. ^ Zile Belediyesi. Zile Municipality (2006-07-05). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°18′N 35°53′E

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