Erdemli is a town and district of

Mersin Province Mersin Province ( tr, ), formerly İçel Province ( tr, ), is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of fo ...

in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

region of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, west of the city of

Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...

Geography

Erdemli is located between the districts of

Mezitli Mezitli is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 30 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four second-level municipalities in add ...

(to the east) and

Silifke Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of Çukurova. Silifke is near the Mediterranean coast ...

(to the west). In the north, Erdemli is bordered by

Karaman Province Karaman Province ( tr, ) is a province of south-central Turkey. It has an area of . A 2010 estimate puts the population at 232,633 people. According to the 2000 census, the population was 243,210. The population density is 27.54 people/km. The ...

and in the south by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. The district extends from the

coastal plain, the largest agricultural area in Mersin Province, to high in the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...

where there is forest, and then a large area (half the land area of the district) is high mountain above the treeline. Erdemli is a quiet rural district where the people are conservative, and is traditionally a stronghold of Turkish nationalist politicians; however some departments of

Mersin University Mersin University ( tr, Mersin Üniversitesi) is a public university, built in 1992 in Mersin Province, Turkey. It has about 39,000 students, 1,813 academic staff, and a number of foreign and guest academic staff. The university has research and ...

are opening branches here which will surely have an effect on the cultural and social life of Erdemli in the future. There is no industry except some hand-weaving of rugs so the local economy depends on agriculture. The coastal plain is covered with citrus fruits, bananas, and various fruits and vegetables grown year-round in open fields or in greenhouses. High meadows in the mountains are planted with grain pulses and fruits such as apples, peaches, and cherries. At these altitudes there are also vineyards, olive groves, and fig trees. This is an attractive forested coastal district, and Erdemli is now attracting investment in infrastructure to develop a tourist industry. The coast is home to the endangered

Mediterranean monk seal The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Ae ...

. The

Middle East Technical University Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, Turkey. The ...

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

has an

Institute of Marine Sciences The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is a Turkish facility that focuses on marine science-related education and research. IMS was founded in 1975 on the Erdemli Campus at METU ( Middle East Technical University) in Erdemli Erdemli is a town ...

graduate school here, which has a biology group that monitors the seals.

Places of interest

Akkale Akkale (literally "white castle") is the popular name given to ruins of a building complex in Kumkuyu town of Erdemli district, Mersin Province, Turkey Geography Akkale (also called ''Tırtar Akkale'' where ''Tırtar'' is the former name of Kumku ...

(in the modern village of Tırtar) - the ruins of a large

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

building, possibly a palace, with baths, a water tank and large tank for storing olive oil. *

Alata Research Institute of Horticulture Alata Research Institute of Horticulture ( tr, Alata Bahçe Kültürleri Araştırma Enstitüsü) is a research institute for horticulture in Mersin Province, Turkey. Location The institute, located at about , is close to Erdemli ilçe (district). ...

Research Institute, also offers picnic area *

Emirzeli Emirzeli (İmirzeli) is a group of ruins in Mersin Province, Turkey. Location Emirzeli is a part of Karahmetli village in Erdemli district of Mersin Province at . The road to Emirzeli detaches from Turkish state highway . Kanlıdivane, a ...

- the ruins of an ancient city with traces of

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

and

architecture including a church, a tower, water storage and houses. *

Çanakçı rock tombs Çanakçı is a town and a district of Giresun Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Çanakçı is a small town of 1,848 people in a district of forest and scattered villages inland from the Black Sea coastal town of Görele. It was foun ...

- a group of rock-carved tombs dating back to the 2nd century AD. *

Çatıören is an archaeological site in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography The site is situated in the rural area of Erdemli district of Mersin Province. Its distance to Erdemli is about and to Mersin is . Visitors from Mersin follow Turkish state road ...

- a

city with temple of

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

and necropolis. * Öküzlü - the foundations of an ancient city, with a basilica, water tanks and monumental stones. *

Corycus Corycus ( el, Κώρυκος; also transliterated Corycos or Korykos; hy, Կոռիկոս, translit=Koṙikos; tr, Kız Kalesi, lit. "maiden castle") was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the valley called ...

and

Kızkalesi Kızkalesi ( en, Maiden's castle) is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. The town, known in Antiquity as Corycus or Korykos ( el, Κώρυκος), is named after the ancient castle built on a small island just facing the town. Geography Kızk ...

- Findings in the necropolis inform us that the city of

dates back the 4th century BC, in the 1st century they minted coinage here. The nearby castle of

Ghorgos was built on an island offshore in the 12th century. *

Elaiussa Sebaste Elaiussa Sebaste or Elaeousa Sebaste ( el, Ελαιούσα Σεβαστή) was an ancient Roman town located from Mersin in the direction of Silifke in Cilicia on the southern coast of Anatolia (in the modern-day town of Ayaş (there is a like-n ...

- founded in the 2nd century, but thrived under the Romans and Byzantines, the site includes a necropolis, theatre and waterworks. * Canytelis - occupied since the 3rd century BC, the site includes rock tombs and a Hellenistic period tower. *

Kanlıdivane Kanlıdivane (''ancient'' Canytelis, Greek: Κανυτελής) is an ancient city situated around a big sinkhole in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Kanlıdivane is in the rural area of Erdemli district, which is a part of Mersin Province at ...

- an ancient city around a big sinkhole dating back to ancient Olba Kingdom. * Paşa Türbesi - a small Seljuk-era (13th century) tomb and there are many more remains from antiquity in the area.

Villages

* Harfilli

Gallery

Ellaiussa-Sebaste 1.jpg,

Dağlı Castle, Mersin Province.jpg, Dağlı Castle Kumkuyu Mersin Province.jpg,

Kumkuyu Kumkuyu is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Kumkuyu is a Mediterranean coastal town in the rural area of Erdemli ilçe (district) which is a part of Mersin Province. It is on the Turkish state highway which traverses south Anatolia ...

Larissa ayas mersin building.jpg, From Kumkuyu Kayaci Valley-Limonlu Cayi Kaynagi.jpg, Kayacı valley

References

External links

District governor's official website

District municipality's official website

Erdemli

Mersin University

Mersin haberleri
{{Authority control Populated places in Mersin Province Populated coastal places in Turkey Districts of Mersin Province