Çankırı

Çankırı
Interior view of the central dome of Çankırı Great Mosque
Çankırı
Coordinates: 40°36′00″N 33°37′00″E / 40.60000°N 33.61667°E / 40.60000; 33.61667Coordinates: 40°36′00″N 33°37′00″E / 40.60000°N 33.61667°E / 40.60000; 33.61667
Country	Turkey
Province	Çankırı
Government
• Mayor	İrfan Dinç (AKP)
Area[1]
• District	1,347.05 km2 (520.10 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
• Urban	74,192
• District	84,225
• District Density	63/km2 (160/sq mi)
Website	www.cankiri.bel.tr

Çankırı is the capital city of Çankırı Province, in Turkey, about 140 km (87 mi) northeast of Ankara. It is situated in a rich, well-watered valley, at about 800 m (2500 ft) in elevation.

History

Çankırı was known in antiquity as Gangra, then Germanicopolis (Greek: Γερμανικόπολις) for a period, although Ptolemy called it Germanopolis (Greek: Γερμανόπολις),^[3] then Changra, Kandari, or Kanghari.

The settlement witnessed the hegemony of many cultures and races, such as Hittites, Persians, Ancient Greeks, Parthians, Pontic Greeks, Galatians, Romans and Byzantine Greeks, up to Seljuks and finally the Ottoman Turks, and traces from its long past are still visible throughout the area.

Gangra, the capital of the Paphlagonian kingdom of Deiotarus Philadelphus, son of Castor, was absorbed into the Roman province of Galatia upon his death in 65 BC. The earlier town, the name of which signified "she-goat", was built on the hill behind the modern city, on which are the ruins of a late fortress; while the Roman city occupied the site of the modern city. It was named Germanicopolis, after Germanicus or possibly the emperor Claudius, until the time of Caracalla.

In Christian times, Gangra was the metropolitan see of Paphlagonia. Hypatios was considered a saint in the Orthodox tradition, and was a bishop at Gangra. He was killed by Arians on his return from the Council of Nicaea (325 b.c.), in which he took part.

In the 4th century, the town was the scene of an important ecclesiastical synod, the Synod of Gangra. Conjectures as to the date of this synod vary from 341 b.c.to 376 b. c. All that can be affirmed with certainty is that it was held about the middle of the 4th century. The synodal letter states that twenty-one bishops assembled to take action concerning Eustathius of Sebaste^[4] and his followers, who condemned marriage, disparaged the Offices of the Church, held conventicles of their own, wore a peculiar dress, denounced riches, and affected special sanctity. The synod condemned the Eustathian practices, declaring, however, with remarkable moderation, that it was not virginity that was condemned, but the dishonoring of marriage. Not poverty, but the disparagement of honest and benevolent wealth, not asceticism, but spiritual pride. Not individual piety, but dishonoring the House of God. The twenty canons of Gangra were declared ecumenical by the Council of Chalcedon, 451 b.c.

Climate

Çankırı has a continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dsa). Summers are hot and dry and winters are cold and snowy.

Economy

Agriculture

Various produce like wheat, corn, beans, and apples are grown in the farms and fields.

Industry

Most of the industry is located near the city center and Korgun. Other towns that are in the industrial map of the city are Şabanözü, Çerkeş, Ilgaz, Kurşunlu, and Yapraklı.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Çankırı.

See also

• Anatolian Tigers

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press 

v t e Çankırı in Çankırı Province of Turkey Central district(s) Çankırı Other districts Atkaracalar Bayramören Çerkeş Eldivan Ilgaz Kızılırmak Korgun Kurşunlu Orta Şabanözü Yapraklı List of Provinces by Region Istanbul Istanbul Western Marmara Balıkesir Çanakkale Edirne Kırklareli Tekirdağ Aegean Afyonkarahisar Aydın Denizli İzmir Kütahya Manisa Muğla Uşak Eastern Marmara Bilecik Bolu Bursa Düzce Eskişehir Kocaeli Sakarya Yalova Western Anatolia Ankara Karaman Konya Mediterranean Adana Antalya Burdur Hatay Isparta Kahramanmaraş Mersin Osmaniye Central Anatolia Aksaray Kayseri Kırıkkale Kırşehir Nevşehir Niğde Sivas Yozgat Western Black Sea Amasya Bartın Çankırı Çorum Karabük Kastamonu Samsun Sinop Tokat Zonguldak Eastern Black Sea Artvin Giresun Gümüşhane Ordu Rize Trabzon North Eastern Anatolia Ağrı Ardahan Bayburt Erzincan Erzurum Iğdır Kars Central Eastern Anatolia Bingöl Bitlis Elâzığ Hakkâri Malatya Muş Tunceli Van South Eastern Anatolia Adıyaman Batman Diyarbakır Gaziantep Kilis Mardin Siirt Şanlıurfa Şırnak Metropolitan municipalities are bolded.