district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of Giresun Province in northeastern Turkey. Its administrative seat is the town of Şebinkarahisar.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023. Its area is 1,396 km2, and its population is 19,625 (2022). It is inland from the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
Archaeological research shows that the area was first settled about 5500 BC, at the end of the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
, by the
Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
Cimmerians
The Cimmerians were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into W ...
Armenians
Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
and
Persians
Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...
.
The area was a part of the Persian Empire, that after
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
, became part of Kingdom of Lesser Armenia. In II century BC this province became part of the Kingdom of Pontus. After the Romans took the area, it was part of the province of Bithynia et Pontus, and then after the reforms of
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
, it was part of the province of Lesser Armenia. Its capital was the town of Colonia (Κολώνεια, now Şebinkarahisar), above the headwaters of the Lykos River now Kelkit River). In the 7th century it was part of the Byzantine province of Armeniac Theme, and later of Chaldia, before finally becoming the seat of its own separate theme by 863. The area was attacked by Arab raiders in 778 and in 940, but remained in Byzantine hands until about 1071.
The area was conquered by the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
soon after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. There was a short-lived Byzantine recovery about 1106, but the area soon returned to Turkish control. Through the following centuries, the fortress at Kolonia occupied a strategic position on the frontier between the Turkish-controlled interior and the Byzantine Empire of Trebizond in the Pontus. The Danishmends held the area until the 1170s, when it passed into the hands of the Saltukids of
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
. In 1202 the Mengujekids, vassals of the Seljuks of Rum, took over. Following the Mongol invasion of the mid-13th century, the area was part of the lands of the Eretnids, who minted coins in the town of Koloneia (''KoÄŸoniya''). A succession of petty Turkmen warlords controlled the area until Uzun Hasan of the Ak Koyunlu took over in 1459, perhaps under the impression that it was part of the dowry of his new Greek wife, the daughter of John IV of Trebizond.
Mehmed II
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
took the towns of Karahisar and Koyulhisar for the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
the area came to be known as Eastern Karahisar (''Karahisar-ı Şarki'' or ''Şarkikarahisar''). At first the area was attached to Rûm Eyalet (Amasya), but in 1515 was briefly transferred to Trebizond Eyalet, but due to military considerations was transferred to Erzurum Eyalet. In 1538 it was transferred back to Rûm Eyalet. In 1553 back to Erzurum. In 1805 it went to Trebizond. In the 1864 reorganization it became part of Sivas Vilayet where it remained until the end of the Ottoman Empire.
The area had become Christianized under the Roman and Byzantine Empire, and it remained mostly Christian under Ottoman rule. The 1895 census showed that the majority were Armenians, that is Christian. There were also 63
Ottoman Greek
Ottoman Greeks (; ) were ethnic Greeks who lived in the Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), much of which is in modern Turkey. Ottoman Greeks were Greek Orthodox Christians who belonged to the Rum Millet (''Millet-i Rum''). They were concentrated in ...
speaking towns recorded as still surviving in the area in 1916.
In 1923 the area was made into Åžebinkarahisar Province; however, in 1933 it was subsumed into Giresun Province. While a province from 1924 until 1933 it had the districts of Alucra,
SuÅŸehri
SuÅŸehri (formerly: ''Endires'') is a town in Sivas Province of Turkey. It is the seat of SuÅŸehri District.Koyulhisar and Mesudiye.
Although prone to earthquakes, the 1939 Erzincan earthquake was particularly devastating in Åžebinkarahisar District. Because the quake occurred at night and in the winter (28 December), the loss of life was substantial, 1451 people in Åžebinkarahisar District lost their lives.
On 7 and 8 August 1961, a devastating fire claimed 288 homes and five shops in the town of Åžebinkarahisar.
Demographics
In the census of 1927 there were 18,533 in the district. In the 1997 census there were 43,904, with 70% (31,329) living in the town of Åžebinkarahisar, and 29% (12,575) living in and about the district's villages. The census of 2000, showed 74% (39,853) in town, and 26% (14,304) outside, for a total of 54,157.
There is some seasonal variability in the district's population as a significant number of workers move into the large cities, such as Istanbul or Ankara, for work in the summer and return to Åžebinkarahisar during the winter months.
Economics
The Persians mined
alum
An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , such that is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium ...
from the mountains above the town of Åžebinkarahisar, as did the Pontians, the Romans, and the Turks. In fact, one of the Turkish names for the capital was ''Åžapkarahisar'' (Alum + Black + Fort). A number of uranium prospects have been investigated, and there are a couple of lead-zinc prospects.
Historically the valley of the Kelkit River produced grain and fruit. And, more recently, also tobacco. The district's primary crops are wheat and barley. The fruits raised include: mulberries, pears, plums, quinces, cherries, sour cherries, apples, and peaches, as well as almonds and walnuts. In the uplands cattle and sheep are raised. Beekeeping provides an important source of income.
Governance
District governors (Kaymakammz)
* 2004 Aziz Mercan
* 2012 Anvi Oral.
* 2022– Alay Yazıcı
Scenic
* The village of Kayadibi, 11 km east of the town of Åžebinkarahisar, has an old monastery built into a cave. It was founded approximately in 490 AD.