- published: 06 Mar 2016
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Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.
The present name of the city may come from its former Greek name of Amisos by a shortening of Eis Amisos (meaning to Amisos) + ounta (Greek suffix for place names) to Sampsunda (Σαμψούντα) and then Samsun (pronounced [sɑmsun]).
The early Greek historian Hecataeus wrote that Amisos was formerly called Enete, the place mentioned in Homer's Iliad.
During the Ottoman Empire the present name was written in Ottoman Turkish: صامسون
Paleolithic artifacts found in the Tekkeköy Caves can be seen in Samsun Archaeology Museum.
The earliest layer excavated of the höyük of Dündartepe revealed a Chalcolithic settlement. Early Bronze Age and Hittite settlements were also found there and at Tekkeköy.
Samsun (then known as Amisos, alternative spelling Amisus) was settled between the years of 760 - 750 BC by people from Miletus, who established a flourishing trade relationship with the ancient peoples of Anatolia. Samsun's ideal combination of fertile ground and shallow waters attracted numerous traders.
Samsun Province (Turkish: Samsun ili ) is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast with a population of 1,252,693 (2010). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasya on the south, Tokat on the southeast, and Ordu on the east. Its traffic code is 55.
The provincial capital is Samsun, one of the most populated cities in Turkey and the largest and busiest port in the Black Sea.[citation needed]
Ladik lake, Akgöl, Dumanlı lake, Semenlik lake
Kızılırmak,Yeşilırmak, Terme river, Aptal Suyu, Mert Irmağı, Kürtün Suyu
Samsun province is divided into 17 districts four of which are actually included in the municipality of Samsun city (shown in boldface letters).
The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, started the Turkish War of Independence here on May 19, 1919.
Media related to Samsun Province at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 41°12′16″N 36°00′26″E / 41.20444°N 36.00722°E / 41.20444; 36.00722