Akçaabat

Akçaabat is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is located on the east of the city of Trabzon. It covers an area of 385 km² and the elevation is 10 m. The town has an estimated population of 48,315 (2007).^[1] Akcaabat is a coastal town famous for its local soccer team Akcaabat Sebatspor, its traditional dish of Akçaabat Köftesi and its unique dance of Akcaabat Horonu. Akçaabat hosts an international folklore festival since 1990^[2], and it was a venue for Archery and Athletics competitions of the First Black Sea Games held in 2007^[3].

Name

The first settlers of the town came from Aegean shores and named the town "Platana" because of the abundance of plane trees (lat. Platanus). Later on, the name evolved into Pulathane, meaning "the land of iron". According to the Ottoman sources, the town center was called “Pulathane”, which belonged to the county of “Akçeabad”, meaning "the abundance of money".

Climate

History

Founded as a trade colony of Miletos around the 7th century BC, the town came under Persian rule around the 6th century BC. After a brief rule under Alexander the Great, Akcaabat was incorporated into the Pontus Empire established by the son of a former Persian satrap, Mithridates around 3rd century BC. After the dissolution of the Pontus Empire around 60 BC, the Romans took control of the region surrounding Trabzon. Serving as a natural port for Trabzon, Akcaabat was one of the important towns of eastern Black Sea region, and thus Pontus region of the Roman Empire.

Although attacked several times by different nations and tribes Akcaabat remained under Byzantine control until a branch of the Byzantine dynasty, Komnenos family established their own kingdom with the help of Georgian queen Tamara after the Latin capture of Constantinople in 1204. This new state, called the he Empire of Trebizond, survived as a vassal kingdom under the Seljukid Empire until Sultan Mehmet II "the conqueror" of the Ottoman Empire added Trabzon to his territories in October 1461. The first battle between the Ottoman Navy and the Komnenos Navy occurred to the west of Akcaabat port, around Akcakale where the Pontus Romans lost eight ships. As Akcaabat lies to the west of Trabzon, Mehmet II used Akcaabat as his base for the final conquest of Trebizond. Akçakale tower "the White Castle" held its defense until 1468 when the Ottomans finally succeeded in their siege.^[5]

During the centuries of Ottoman rule, Akcaabat remained the main and most important town center of Trabzon after the city of Trabzon itself. After the establishment of Akcaabat municipality in 1880, Akcaabat officially gained the status of "town" according to the municipal and administrative reform of 1884 which reorganized the administrative structure in the provinces of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1810 the Russian Navy landed troops on Akcaabat's shores around Salacik where the defense of the townspeople repulsed the Russian landing after several of days.^[5]

During the First World War, Tsarist Russian armies occupied Akçaabat on 20 April 1916. As the Russian forces withdrew after the Russian Revolution, Ottoman forces recaptured Akçaabat on 17 February 1918. After the establishment of Turkish Republic in 1923, Akcaabat was designated as one of the towns of the city of Trabzon according to the new administrative organization. Akcaabat has remained as the biggest town of Trabzon until today. Until 1980s Akcaabat did not witness major changes in its natural and social composition despite being the closest town to Trabzon city center, however, with the return of the German Turks people to their hometowns and flow of rural [village] population to the town center, the composition of the town center changed. The population of the town skyrocketed from 15000 in 1980s to 50000 in 2008. The unique old-style houses [Akcaabat evleri] were replaced by huge apartment blocks, the sea has been constantly filled in order to gain land to meet rising demand for expansion of inter-city roads and recreational lands. The dissolution of the Soviet Republic in 1990 brought the influx of former Soviet Republic citizens who mainly involved in small trades and sex tourism, and this brought major changes in social composition. Added to this, the flood of June 1990, which claimed the lives of dozens of people and lots of material damage necessitated the rebuilding of the town. Today, Akcaabat is one of the most densely populated towns on the Black Sea coast.

Chronology

• 700 BC, Akçaabat becomes one of the extensions of Miletos Trade Colonies.
• 312 BC, Akçaabat was incorporated to Pontus kingdom of Mithridates.
• 63 BC, Akçaabat was conquered by the Roman Empire.
• 1461, Akçaabat and Trabzon were added to Ottoman Empire territories by Mehmed II the Conqueror.
• 1810, Russian naval attack on the town was repulsed.
• 1880, Akçaabat Municipality was established.
• 1884, Akçaabat was awarded with Township according to the new regulations in administrative organization.
• 20 April 1916, Russian forces capture and occupy Akçaabat.
• 17 February 1918, Ottoman forces recapture Akçaabat.
• 1923, Akcaabat Sebatspor was founded under the name of Idman Sebatyurdu as one of the first three soccer teams from Trabzon.
• 19–20 June 1990, Akcaabat suffered a major flood due to heavy rain and flooding of the rivers.
• 2002, Akcaabat Sebatspor became the first Turkish soccer team from a town center (except the towns of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir) promoted to Turkish Super League.

Neighborhoods

1. Çolaklı 2. Dürbinar 3. Kayalar 4. Nefsipulathane 5. Ortamahalle 6. Osmanbaba 7. Sarıtaş 8. Yenimahalle 9. Yaylacık^[6]

Counties

1. Adacik 2. Akçakale 3. Akçakoy 4. Akpinar 5. Darica 6. Derecik 7. Dogankoy 8. Dortyol 9. Isiklar 10.Kavakli 11.Sogutlu 12.Yildizli^[6]

Famous People from Akçaabat

References

External links

• District governor's official website (Turkish)
• District municipality's official website (Turkish)
• Platana (Akçaabat)