| Sarichioi Сарикёй |
|
|---|---|
| — Commune — | |
| Location of Sarichioi Сарикёй |
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Tulcea |
| Component villages | Enisala, Sabangia, Sarichioi, Zebil, Visterna |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sasna Mihail Fedea (since 2004) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 282.38 km2 (109 sq mi) |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Total | 7,457 |
| • Density | 26.4/km2 (68.4/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 827190 |
| Website | http://www.cjtulcea.ro/judet/sarichioi.html (Romanian) |
Sarichioi (Russian: Сарикёй, from Turkish: Sarıköy, "Yellow Village" ) is a commune in Tulcea County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Enisala, Sabangia, Sarichioi, Zebil and Visterna. Besides the ethnic Romanian majority (54% of the population), the commune is home to a sizable Lipovan community (46%).
The village of Enisala (Turkish for "New Village", from the Bulgarian Ново село) is the site of a fortress dominating nearby lakes (previously gulfs) of Razelm and Babadag. Dated to the late 13th century, it was built either by the Genoese or the Byzantines to control the travel routes that passed through the region. The fortress' three hexagonal towers are the only of this type found in the whole region of Dobruja, and have been interpreted as a sign of a Western origin of the builders. The fortress was first conquered by the Ottomans in 1388/1389, and retaken in 1416/1417 after a brief Wallachian rule. Due to the new political situation and the development of sand spits that hampered trade, the fortress gradually decayed, and was finally abandoned around the end of the 15th century.