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Historical Ages

Paleolithic Age 600,000 BCE - 15,000 BCE
Mesolithic Age 15,000 BCE - 8,000 BCE
Neolithic Age 8,000 BCE - 5,000 BCE
Chalcolithic Age (Copper Age) 5,000 BCE - 3,000 BCE
Bronze Age 3,000 BCE - 1,200 BCE
Iron Age 1,200 BCE - ...
Periods Based on Written Records 1,900 BCE - ...

Origin of the Name Samsun

According to a Jewish legend, it originates from the legendary hero Samson. Another Jewish legend suggests it comes from Sam, the son of Prophet Noah. However, these claims are incorrect as they are not based on written evidence. Jewish people never historically reached the Black Sea coast.

Another claim proposes that it derives from the word "sansuncu" in Kamus-i Türki. "Sansun" means war dog, and "sansuncu" refers to a dog trainer. This thesis is also incorrect. Turks used dogs in warfare around 600 BC, but they had not yet arrived in Anatolia at that time.

According to the historian Strabo (1st century AD), the Hittites named the city "Eneti". In the 6th century BC, Milesian sailors who settled in Samsun named it "Amisos". In later periods, the Romans altered it to "Amisus" while the Genoese transformed it into "Simisso".

The word "Samsun" was first used in the 13th century by the Andalusian Umayyad historian Ibn Said.

Pre-Turkish Period History of Samsun

3000 BC

The Gasgas and Hattians lived in Samsun, occasionally engaging in wars.

1500 BC

The Hittites established dominance in Samsun.

1200 BC

The Phrygians settled in the region.

7TH CENTURY BC

The Cimmerians invaded Samsun. The Cimmerians were an Indo-European group that arrived in Anatolia via the Balkans and advanced as far as the Caucasus. Some historians suggest they were ancestors of the Circassians.

6TH CENTURY BC

Persian invasion of Samsun. The Persians, ancestors of modern Iranians, ruled Anatolia for around 200 years.

333 BC

Macedonian rule in Samsun. After conquering Anatolia, Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, extended his empire's borders all the way to India.

4TH–2ND CENTURIES BC (HELLENISTIC PERIOD)

Pontic-Greek state rule. The state's founder, Mithridates, was of Persian descent, yet he established a kingdom based on Greek culture. Kings following the Mithridatic dynasty were defeated by the Romans in the 1st century AD.

1ST CENTURY AD

Roman rule began in Samsun.

476 AD

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Emperor Leo I declared the Byzantine Empire in Istanbul, bringing Samsun under Byzantine control.

Turkish Period History of Samsun

11TH CENTURY

First half: Byzantine rule in Samsun.

Second half: Settlement of the Danişmend dynasty in Samsun (Danişmend Gazi, 1074).

12TH CENTURY

First half: Continuation of Danişmend rule.

Second half: Seljuks took control of Samsun after battles with the Danişmends (Sultan Kilij Arslan II, 1178).

13TH CENTURY

First half: After the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine Komnenos dynasty was expelled from Constantinople and established the Empire of Trebizond, later capturing Samsun (1204).

Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev (1237–1246) defeated the Komnenos dynasty in alliance with the Byzantine Laskaris family of Nicaea and restored Samsun to Seljuk territory.

Hülagü Khan's invasion of Anatolia led to Ilkhanid dominance in Samsun (1243).

14TH CENTURY

First half: Rule of the Eretna Beylik, a branch of the Ilkhanids, in Samsun.

Second half: Samsun changed hands from the Eretna Beylik to the Kubadoğulları.

1398: The Kubadoğulları handed over Samsun peacefully to Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I.

15TH CENTURY

1404: Following the Battle of Ankara, Timur plundered all of Anatolia and devastated Samsun.

After Yıldırım Bayezid's defeat at Ankara, his son Süleyman Çelebi briefly declared his rule in Samsun. However, this dominance was short-lived, as control first passed to the Candaroğulları and later to their branch, the İsfendiyarids.

1419: Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I assigned Hamza Bey to capture Samsun. Due to a fire in Gavur Samsun, Hamza Bey took the city without battling the Genoese. Thus, Gavur Samsun came under Turkish control for the first time. After the fire, its name changed to Kara Samsun. Historians debate the cause of the fire, with theories including:

Hamza Bey fought İsfendiyarid ruler Hızır Bey over Muslim Samsun and emerged victorious, bringing all of Samsun under Ottoman rule.

1419–1918 Period

Samsun remained within the Ottoman Empire, first as a sanjak (provincial division) under Amasya and later under the Trabzon province.

1918: Greek insurgents seeking to establish a Pontic-Greek state revolted, but armed forces formed within Samsun suppressed the uprising.

1919: On May 19, General Inspector of the Third Army Mustafa Kemal Pasha arrived in Samsun with 18 companions. Originally sent by Ottoman Sultan Vahdettin and the occupation forces in Istanbul to quell Turkish resistance in Samsun, he instead initiated the Turkish War of Independence from Samsun.

Cultural Centers

Atatürk Cultural Center
Atatürk Boulevard
Canik Cultural Center
Gazi Osmanpaşa Akıncık Street No: 80
Yıldıray Çınar Cultural Center
İlkadım Fevzi Çakmak Neighborhood
Atakum Municipality Art Center
Atakum Mimar Sinan Neighborhood
S.B.B. Art Center
Atakum Mimar Sinan Neighborhood, Adnan Menderes Boulevard
Samsun Public Education Center
Atakum Mimar Sinan Neighborhood

Sports Halls

Daily Newspapers

Arena
Haber Ekspres
Karadeniz Postası
Denge
Halk
Kızılırmak
Ekip
Hareket
Takip
Haber
Karadeniz Bakış
 

Local Television Channels

Amateur Sports Clubs

Distance of Samsun to Other Provinces

Distance of Samsun to Its Districts

Traditional Dishes of Samsun

a) Local Vegetable Names

Kaldırayak otu
Wild herb
Sirken
Medicinal plant
Baldırcan
Eggplant
Pancar
Collard greens
Gaziyek
Wild herb known as "Kazayağı" (Goosefoot)
Kinzi
Herb similar to parsley
Kırçal
Wild herb with edible leaves
Baldıran
Wild herb with edible stems
Nünük
Vegetable similar to spinach

b) Dishes

  1. Tirit: A dish made by placing bulgur or rice cooked with goose meat into a thin pastry.
  2. Keşkek: Boiled wheat and meat pounded with wooden mallets to create a thick dish.
  3. Çakallı Menemen: A traditional dish from Çakallı, prepared by cooking tomatoes, cheese, and eggs with pepper sauce in butter.
  4. Büryan: A stew-style meat dish similar to a pot kebab.
  5. Bazlama: A type of bread cooked on a griddle.
  6. Cızlama: A thin pastry cooked on a griddle.
  7. Karmaç: Cornbread mashed with hot butter using a spoon.
  8. Hamur Dolması: A dish made by stuffing dough into grape leaves.
  9. Lepsi: Boiled chicken served with a walnut sauce.
  10. Malakto: A bean dish flavored with kinzi (similar to parsley), walnuts, and pepper sauce.
  11. Şipsi: Boiled chicken served with a thick cornmeal porridge.
  12. Dutmaca Soup: A soup prepared by adding sliced dough pieces and okra.
  13. Borani: A dish of boiled vegetables mixed with garlic yogurt.
  14. Hazelnut Leaf Dolma: A stuffed hazelnut leaf dish made with cracked wheat filling.
  15. Kömeç: A dish made by boiling and then sautéing mallow leaves.
  16. Potato Muhlama: Mashed boiled potatoes mixed with eggs.
  17. Çullama: A vegetable dish cooked with eggs.
  18. Rice Fritters: A dish made by frying boiled rice with eggs.
  19. Halüz: A Circassian dish ("Haluj"), consisting of thin dough stuffed with minced meat, cheese, or potatoes and cooked on a griddle or pan.
  20. Kaypancak: Thin sliced dough pieces are boiled in water, then mixed with fried tomato paste, sautéed minced meat, and garlic yogurt before being cooked again.
  21. Kuymak: A dish prepared by mixing cornmeal with string cheese and cooking it in butter or cream.
  22. Pıtıl: A fermented dough is stretched by hand, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with roasted poppy seeds, and then folded at four corners before being fried in a pan.
  23. Çılbır: Prepared by frying onions, minced meat, sour plum, and dill in oil, then mixing with beaten eggs and crumbled cornbread.
  24. Zeti: A sauce made by pounding walnuts, spices, and seasonings in a mortar and then mixing with water, stale bread, and boiled chicken meat.
  25. Katık Böreği: A pastry made with crushed corn and dill.
  26. Herse: A Circassian dish made with shredded chicken.
  27. Tutmaz Aşı: A cut-noodle soup made with dried dough pieces.

c) Desserts

  1. Kocakarı Gerdanı: A rolled walnut-filled pastry dessert.
  2. Kıvratma (Çarşamba): A dessert made by placing finely ground hazelnuts inside thick dough sheets.
  3. Palüze: A pudding made from milk, starch, sugar, and butter.
  4. Nokul (Bafra): A pastry dessert prepared with dough layers filled with crushed walnuts.
  5. Künefe: A dessert made with shredded pastry and unsalted cheese.
  6. Tilimat: A dessert made by mixing cornmeal with molasses and cooking it with cream.

Famous People Raised in Samsun

a) Musicians

Orhan Gencebay
Turkish Classical Music artist, composer
Orhan Hakalmaz
Turkish Classical Music, bağlama player
Yıldırım Bekçi
Turkish Classical Music artist
İsmet Nedim
Composer, musician
Ali Erköse
Turkish Classical Music artist, composer
Sebahattin Dülger (Aşık Erdemli)
Folk poet
Kemali Bülbül
Folk poet
Barbaros Erköse
Turkish Classical Music artist
Nezahat Bayram
Turkish Classical Music artist
Serap Kuzey
Turkish Classical Music artist
Şahin Gültekin
Turkish Classical Music artist
Yıldıray Çınar
Turkish Classical Music artist

b) Other famous people

Avni Dilligil
Actor
Orçun Sonat
Theater actor
Nebahat Çehre
Actress
Ferhan Şensoy
Theater actor and writer
Hikmet Sami Türk
Politician, former Minister of Justice
Murat Karayalçın
Politician (S.D.P.)
Neyzen Tevfik
Ney player, satirical poet
Tanju Çolak
Footballer, top scorer
Vahi Öz
Actor
Orhan Aldıkaçtı
Jurist, architect of the 1982 constitution
Şener Akyol
Jurist, co-author of the 1982 constitution alongside O. Aldıkaçtı
Ali Fuat Başgil
Law professor, writer
Kenan Bulutoğlu
Professor, politician
Bedrettin Cömert
Writer
Mustafa Dağıstanlı
Champion wrestler
Yaşar Doğu
Champion wrestler
Bedri Koraman
Cartoonist
Vedat Türkali
Writer
Levent Kırca
Actor, politician (left-wing)
Ferdi Karanur
Actor

Faculty of Education

In 1961, it was established as the "Girls' Teacher School" and "Institute of Education" on Saadet Street with 141 students. The Institute of Education had a two-year study period. In 1966, when education institutes extended their programs to three years, Samsun Education Institute was relocated to Atakum. In 1978, the study period was increased to four years, thus classifying it as a higher education school. In 1982, it was incorporated into O.M.Ü. as a faculty. In 2001, when the Faculty of Education moved to the Kurupelit Campus, only the higher education school remained in Atakum. In later years, the name of the Faculty of Education in Atakum was changed to "Fine Arts Campus".

The Faculty of Education, operating in both campuses, consists of 10 departments and 27 academic disciplines. Each department has its own specialized branches. For example, the elementary education department includes five academic disciplines.

19 Mayıs University

HISTORY

In 1973, it was established as part of Hacettepe University in the building of the Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital. In its first year, it had only 50 students. Later, faculties of science and agriculture were founded. In 1975, the institution was officially named "19 Mayıs University". However, the Kurupelit Campus had not yet been opened. In 1982, when the Faculty of Medicine separated from Hacettepe University, it moved to the Atakum Campus. The transfer to Kurupelit Campus was completed in 1986.

UNIVERSITY UNITS

Starting with just 50 students in 1973, the university's student population reached 52,300 in 2015. Currently, it has 2,263 academic staff members and 4,040 employees. 19 Mayıs University houses 16 faculties, 5 institutes, 12 vocational schools, and 17 research & application centers. Additionally, the university includes a conservatory and an observatory.

FACULTIES INSTITUTES CONSERVATORY

Samsun State Conservatory

Observatory

19 Mayıs University Observatory

Research and Application Centers

Samsun - Canik Başarı Foundation University

Established in 2012 at Gürgenyatak Campus, located within the central district of Canik.

University Faculties Departments Under the Rectorate Research and Application Centers

Samsun Metropolitan Private Schools List

Private Artı Bilgi Anatolian High School
İst. Mah. 56 lar Sk. No: 59
Private Feza Berk Social Sciences High School
Kışla Mah. Gebi Cad. No: 296
Private Feza Berk Anatolian High School
Kışla Mah. Gebi Cad. No: 299
Private Şahinoğlu College
Kale Mahallesi İnce Sokak No: 13
Özel Duruşehir Akşam Lisesi
Private Duruşehir Evening High School
Private Samsun Evening High School
Derecik Mah. Atatürk Bl. No: 33
Private Feza Berk Science High School
Kışla Mah. Gebi Cad. No: 296
Private Atakum Gökkuşağım Special Education School
 
TED Samsun College Private High School
Beypınar Mah. Akyazı Mevkii - Atakum
Private Feza Anatolian High School
Körfez Mah. Aziz Işık Bl. No: 114 Atakum
Private Samsun Final College
Balaç Köyü - Atakum
Private Samsun Final Science High School
Balaç Köyü - Atakum
Private Feza Science High School
Körfez Mah. Aziz Işık Bl. No: 114 – Atakum

External Links

19 Mayıs Üniversitesi