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

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

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 ...

, Toroslar and Yenişehir. As urbanisation continue towards the east, a larger metropolitan region combining Mersin with Tarsus and Adana (the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area) is in the making with more than 3.3 million inhabitants. Mersin lies on the western side of the

Çukurova Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...

, a geographical, economic and cultural region. It is an important hub for Turkey's economy, with Turkey's largest seaport located here. The city hosted the

2013 Mediterranean Games The 2013 Mediterranean Games ( tr, 2013 Akdeniz Oyunları), officially known as the XVII Mediterranean Games ( tr, XVII Akdeniz Oyunları) and commonly known as Mersin 2013, was an international multi-sport event held from 20 to 30 June 2013 i ...

. As of the 2021 estimation, the population of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area was 33,000 inhabitants of whom 1,064,850 lived in the Mersin area made up of the four urban districts, making it the 11th most built-up area of Turkey. Adana Şakırpaşa Airport (ADA), , from Mersin city centre is the nearest international airport. Akgünler Denizciik offers ferries from Mersin to

Famagusta Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Geography of Cyprus, Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia District, Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. Duri ...

(Mağusa) in

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

. Mersin is linked to Adana via Tarsus by

TCDD TCDD may refer to any of the following: * Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with ...

trains.

Etymology

The city was named after the aromatic plant genus ''

Myrsine ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' ( tr, Mersin, el, Μυρσίνη) in the family Primulaceae, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi also recorded in his ''

Seyahatnâme ''Seyahatname'' ( ota, سياحتنامه, Seyāḥatnāme, book of travels) is the name of a literary form and tradition whose examples can be found throughout centuries in the Middle Ages around the Islamic world, starting with the Arab travel ...

'' that there was a clan named the Mersinoğulları (Sons of Mersin) living in the area. In the 19th century Mersin was also referred to as Mersina.

History

Prehistory

This coast has been inhabited since the 9th millennium BC. Excavations by John Garstang of the hill of Yumuktepe have revealed 23 levels of occupation, the earliest dating from ca. 6300 BC. Fortifications were put up around 4500 BC, but the site appears to have been abandoned between 350 BC and 300 BC.

Classical era

Over the centuries, the city was ruled by many states and civilisations including the Hittites,

Assyrians Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

, Urartians, Persians, Greeks, Armenians, Seleucids and Lagids. During the Ancient Greek period, the city bore the name Zephyrion ( Greek: Ζεφύριον) and was mentioned by numerous ancient authors. Apart from its natural harbour and strategic position along the trade routes of southern Anatolia, the city profited from trade in

molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...

(white lead) from the neighbouring mines of Coreyra. Ancient sources attributed the best molybdenum to the city, which also minted its own coins. Mersin_Archaeological_Museum,_2

The area later became a part of the Roman province of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

, which had its capital at Tarsus, while nearby Mersin was the major port. The city, whose name was Latinised to Zephyrium, was renamed as Hadrianopolis in honour of the Roman emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

. After the death of the emperor Theodosius I in 395 and the subsequent permanent division of the Roman Empire, Mersin fell into what became the Byzantine Empire. The city was an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

under the Patriarchate of Antioch. Le Quien names four bishops of Zephyrium: Aerius, present at the First Council of Constantinople in 381; Zenobius, a Nestorian, the writer of a letter protesting the removal of Bishop Meletius of Mopsuestia by Patriarch

John of Antioch John of Antioch may refer to: People from Antioch * John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), born in Antioch, archbishop of Constantinople * John Scholasticus (died 577), born in Antioch, patriarch of Constantinople from 565 to 577 * John Malalas (died 578 ...

(429–441); Hypatius, present at the Council of Chalcedon in 451; and Peter, present at the Council in Trullo in 692. The bishopric is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees, but since the Second Vatican Council no new titular bishop of this Eastern see has been appointed.

Medieval Period

Cilicia was conquered by the Arabs in the early 7th century, by which time it appears Mersin was a deserted site. The Arabs were followed by the Egyptian Tulunids, then by the Byzantines between 965 and c.1080 and then by the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

. From 1362 to 1608 the region was governed by the

Ramadanid The Ramadanid Emirate ( Modern Turkish: ''Ramazanoğulları Beyliği'') was an autonomous administration and a ''de facto'' independent emirate that existed from 1352 to 1608 in Cilicia, taking over the rule of the region from the Armenian Kingd ...

Principality, first as a protectorate of the Mamluks, then as an independent state for roughly a century and then as a protectorate of the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

from 1517,

Ottoman Empire

During the American Civil War, the region became a major supplier of cotton to make up for the high demand due to shortage. Railroads were extended to Mersin in 1866 from where cotton was exported by sea, and the city developed into a major trade centre. In 1909, Mersin's port hosted 645

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s and 797,433 tons of goods. Before World War I, Mersin exported mainly sesame seeds, cotton, cottonseed, cakes and cereals, and livestock. Cotton was exported to Europe, grain to Turkey and livestock to Egypt. Coal was the main import into Mersin at this time.

Messageries Maritimes ''Messageries Maritimes'' was a French merchant shipping company. It was originally created in 1851 as ''Messageries nationales'', later called ''Messageries impériales'', and from 1871, ''Compagnie des messageries maritimes'', casually known as ...

was the largest shipping line to use the port at Mersin. In 1918, Mersin was occupied by French and British troops in accordance with the Treaty of Sèvres. It was recovered by the Turkish army in 1921 at the end of the Franco-Turkish War. In 1924, Mersin was made a province, and in 1933 Mersin and İçel provinces were merged to form the (greater Mersin) İçel Province. The capital of the province was Mersin. In 2002 the name of the province was changed to Mersin Province. As of 1920, Mersin had five piers at its port, with one privately owned by a railroad company serving Mersin, Tarsus, and Adana.

Modern Mersin

Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

s, huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban amenities. it has the longest seashore in Turkey as well as in the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

The Metropolitan Municipality has rescueed long stretches of the seafront with walkways, parks and statues, and there are still palm trees on the roadsides especially where the younger generation like to hang out in the cafés and patisseries of smart neighbourhoods such as Pozcu or Çamlıbel with many well-known shops and restaurants. The older city centre is a maze of narrow streets and arcades of little shops and cafes. Around the fish market several stalls and shops sell Mersin's signature dish

tantuni Tantuni is a spicy dish consisting of julienne cut beef or sometimes lamb stir-fried on a sac with a hint of cotton oil. It is a specialty of Mersin in Turkey. The meat in tantuni is first crushed and boiled in salted water, then fried in co ...

as well as grilled liver sandwiches. Mersin Halkevi

Since the start of the Syrian War in 1911 Mersin has acquired a large population of Syrian refugees whose presence is reflected in some of the shops, cafes and restaurants especially in the area of

known as Little Latakia.

Local Attractions

There are six museums within the Mersin urban area; Mersin Archaeological Museum, Mersin Atatürk Museum,

Mersin Naval Museum Mersin Naval Museum ( tr, Mersin Deniz Müzesi) is a naval museum in Mersin, Turkey. Geography The museum is located in the Yenişehir municipality of Mersin. It is on Adnan Menderes Boulevard and about to the Mediterranean Sea side. It is next ...

, Mersin State Art and Sculpture Museum, Mersin Urban History Museum,

Mersin Water Museum Mersin Water Museum ( tr, Mersin Su Müzesi) is a museum in Mersin, Turkey. In 2016 it was awarded by the Association of Turkish Historical Cities. Geography The museum is in the Toroslar second level municipality in Mersin. It is sıtuated to t ...

. In the western suburb of Viranşehir (Ruined City) the remains of the ancient city of Soli/Pompeiiopolis stand close to the sea. Only two colonnades dating from the 2nd or 3rd century are obvious although the outline of the agora and of a mole from the harbour can just about be made out. The Chasms of Heaven and Hell are located in the rural region of Silifke, a district in Mersin. The chasms are two sinkholes that were naturally formed from underground waters melting the layer of limestone above. The heaven sinkhole has a small monastery located in the corner of the entrance. The deepest point of the sinkhole is 135 meters deep. The hell sinkhole is 128 meters deep. In mythology, there is a story of Zeus temporarily trapping Typhon in the sinkhole.

Cuisine

Mersin is best known in Turkey for its

, and restaurants serving it can be found all over the country. The provincial cuisine includes specialties such as: * Ciğer kebap, (liver on mangal), typically served on

lavaş Lavash ( hy, լավաշ) is a thin flatbread usually leavened, traditionally baked in a tandoor (''tonir'') or on a '' sajj'', and common to the cuisines of South Caucasus, Western Asia, and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea. Lavash is o ...

with an assortment of meze at 12 skewers at a time, *

Tantuni Tantuni is a spicy dish consisting of julienne cut beef or sometimes lamb stir-fried on a sac with a hint of cotton oil. It is a specialty of Mersin in Turkey. The meat in tantuni is first crushed and boiled in salted water, then fried in co ...

, a hot

wrap consisting of julienned lamb stir-fried on a

sac SAC or Sac may refer to: Organizations Education * Santa Ana College, California, US * San Antonio College, Texas, US * St. Andrew's College, Aurora, Canada * Students' Administrative Council, University of Toronto, Canada * SISD Student Activiti ...

on a hint of cottonseed oil, * Bumbar or mumbar, lamb intestines filled with a mixture of rice,

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

and

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

s, that are served either grilled or steamed, famous throughout the Levant , *

Cezerye Cezerye is a semi-gelatinous traditional Turkish dessert made from caramelised carrots, shredded coconut, and roasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios. Cut into matchbox-sized rectangular chips it is served on special occasions. It originated fr ...

, a lokum made of sweet

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...

s, covered in ground

s or

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s, * Karsambaç, a variety of shaved ice served with pekmez or

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

as toppings, *

Künefe Knafeh ( ar, كنافة) is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with spun pastry called ''kataifi'', soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, ...

, a wood-oven baked dessert based on a mixture of cheese and pastry; known all throughout the Levant, * Kerebiç, a shortbread filled with pistachio paste, also famous throughout the Levant, *

Şalgam suyu Şalgam or Şalgam Suyu (; lit. "turnip (juice)"), pronounced "shal-gam", is a popular Turkish traditional fermented beverage from the southern Turkish cities of Adana, Hatay, Tarsus, Mersin, Kahramanmaras, İzmir and the Çukurova region. The nam ...

, a beverage made of fermented red carrots, very popular in Southern Turkey.

Climate

Mersin has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification: ''Csa'', Trewartha climate classification: ''Cs''), a type of

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

with hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters. Mersin has its highest rainfall in winter. The driest months are in summer with hardly any rainfall at all. The highest temperature of Mersin was recorded on 3 September 2020 at 41.5 °C (106.7 °F).

Demographics

The population of the city was 1,035,652 (Mersin Province: 1,840,425) according to 2019 estimates. The population of the sub municipalities within Greater Mersin is shown below:" target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="Population page">Population page
/ref>

Religion

Sent_Antuan_Latin_Katolik_Kilisesi_ön_cepheden

The

Mersin Interfaith Cemetery Mersin Interfaith Cemetery ( tr, Mersin Şehir Mezarlığı, also called Mersin Asri Cemetery and Akbelen Cemetery), is a burial ground in Mersin, Turkey. It is notable for being a common cemetery of all religions and includes graves of Muslims, ...

, in the Yusuf Kılıç district, is serves as a cemetery for all religions with graves of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s, Christians and Jews.

Economy and transportation

The Port of Mersin is the mainstay of city's economy. It is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries, and is currently being operated by

PSA International PSA International Pte Ltd is a port operator and supply chain company, with flagship operations in Singapore and Antwerp. One of the largest port operators in the world, PSA has terminals across 26 countries, including deepsea, rail and inland f ...

. There are 45 piers in a total port area of , with a capacity of 6,000 ships per year. Next to the port is the Mersin Free Zone, established in 1986 as the first free zone in Turkey, with warehouses, shops, assembly-disassembly, maintenance and engineering workshops, banking and insurance, packing-repacking, labelling and exhibition facilities. The zone is a publicly owned cenre for foreign investors, close to major markets in the (Middle East, North Africa, East and West Europe, the Russian Federation and Central Asia. In 2002 the free zone's trading volume was USD 51.8 billion. Historically, Mersin was a major producer of cottonseed oil. The area around Mersin is famous for citrus and cotton production. Bananas, olives and assorted other fruits are also produced.

Forum Mersin Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

, the biggest shopping mall, is home to more than 100 shops. Mersin_gar_giriş

Mersin has highway connections to the north, east and west. It is also connected to the southern railroad. Mersin railway station in the district of

has been in use since 1886. Opened on 28 February 2015, Mersin Bus Terminus is the terminus for

intercity bus An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public tr ...

services, replacing the bus station that had been in the city centre since 1986. A metro system with 11 stations and a length of is scheduled to open at the end of 2023. Work is underway to complete the

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant ( tr, Akkuyu Nükleer Güç Santrali) is the only large nuclear power plant in Turkey and is under construction at Akkuyu, in Büyükeceli, Mersin Province. It is expected to generate around 10% of the country's ...

, Turkey's first nuclear power plant, some 80 miles west of Mersin. Environmental groups, such as

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

, have opposed the construction.Demonstration against nuclear power in Mersin
Firat News agency

Culture

Mersin is home to a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara. Mersin International Music Festival was established in 2001 and takes place every October. The photography associations Mersin Fotoğraf Derneği (MFD) and Mersin Olba Fotoğraf Derneği (MOF) are amongst the city's most popular and active cultural organisations. Some cultural activities are sponsored by the İçel Sanat Kulübü (Art Club of Mersin) and Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club. The Mersin Citrus Festival is a festival organized to promote the citrus produced in Mersin. The festival typically includes folk dancers from different traditions and sculptures constructed from different types of citrus. The first festival was held in 2010. The festival is held annually on a weekend in November.

Media

;Local TV channels
Kanal 33
* İçel TV * Sun RTV * Güney TV ;Local radio channels * Radyo Metropol (101.8) *Tarsus Süper FM (91.1) * Tempo 94 FM (94.3) * Örgün FM (94.7) * Tarsus Star FM (95.5) * Tarsus Radyo Time (97.7) * Flaş FM (98.3) * Mix FM (91.6) (sadece yabancı müzik, 1993-günümüz) * Kent Radyo (98.5)

Sports

The city was formerly home to

Mersin İdman Yurdu Mersin Talim Yurdu, formerly Mersin İdman Yurdu, is a Turkish sports club from Mersin, Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Region. The team played in the Turkish first division for 15 seasons, and after the 1983–84 season the football team pl ...

, a football club that played in the Süper Lig as recently as the 2015–16 season. The men's basketball team of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. plays in the Turkish Basketball League while its women's basketball team plays in the

Turkish Women's Basketball League The Women's Basketball Super League ( tr, Kadınlar Basketbol Süper Ligi, KBSL), also known as the Herbalife Nutrition Women's Basketball Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top women's professional basketball division of the Turkish wom ...

. The city has two football stadiums: Mersin Arena, with a seating capacity of 25,534, and Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,128. The men's and women's basketball teams of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. play their home matches at the

Edip Buran Sport Hall The Edip Buran Arena ( tr, Edip Buran Spor Salonu), formerly Yenişehir Belediyesi Sports Hall ( tr, Yenişehir Belidyesi Spor Salonu), is a multi-sport indoor arena at Yenişehir district of Mersin, Turkey. Built in 1971, it is owned by the Yo ...

, which has a seating capacity of 2,700. Eleven new sports venues were built for Mersin to host the

. The Servet Tazegül Arena, the fourth biggest indoor arena of Turkey with its 7,500 seating capacity, hosted the men's basketball events and the volleyball finals of the Games. The athletics and paralympic athletics events were held at the

Nevin Yanıt Athletics Complex The Nevin Yanıt Athletics Complex ( tr, Nevin Yanıt Atletizm Kompleksi) also known as Nevin Yanıt Athletics Facility ( tr, Nevin Yanıt Atletizm Tesisler) is a sports venue for athletics competitions in track and field located in Mersin, Turkey ...

. File:Mersin Gymnastics Hall, Turkey.JPG, Mersin Gymnastics Hall File:Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool, Turkey.jpg, Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool File:Mersin_Olympic_Stadium.JPG, Mersin Arena File:Sportshall in Mersin, Turkey.JPG, Sporthall in Mersin

Education

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 ...

was founded in 1992 and started teaching in 1993–1994, with eleven faculties, six schools and nine vocational schools. The university has had about 10,000 graduates, has broadened its current academic staff to more than 2,100 academicians, and enrols 22,000 students a yer.

Toros University Toros University ( Turkish:''Toros Üniversitesi'') is a private university, founded by a foundation ( tr, vakıf). It is located in Mersin; a city on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey, famous for Turkey's largest seaport. Description ...

is a non-profit private foundation established in Mersin in 2009.

Çağ University The Çağ University is a private non-profit university in Mersin Province, Turkey. It was established officially on 9 July 1997 by Bayboğan Education Foundation ( tr, Bayboğan Eğitim Vakfı) in Adana. "Çağ" means "epoch". Situated on the st ...

Tarsus University Tarsus University is a public university in Turkey, Mersin Province, Mersin. On 18 May 2018, it was established as a separate university in Tarsus, Mersin, Tarsus district with the establishment of academic units affiliated to Mersin University ...

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Mersin is twinned with: * Durban, South Africa *

Gazi Mağusa Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under th ...

, Northern Cyprus Gazi Mağusa, also known as Famagusta is '' de jure'' a part of Republic of Cyprus, but the city is '' de facto'' administrated by the self declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The twinning is between Northern Cypriot and Turkish administration. *

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...

, Ukraine * Klaipėda, Lithuania * Kushimoto, Japan, where there is a Turkish Memorial and Museum in commemoration of the 1890-sunken Ottoman frigate ''Ertuğrul''. A street in Mersin is named after the Japanese town. * Nizhnekamsk, Russia *

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany * Ölgii, Mongolia * Ufa, Russia * Valparaíso, Chile * West Palm Beach, United States

Notable people

Evelyn Baghtcheban Evelyn Baghtcheban (variations: Evlin Baghcheban, Baqcheban, Bahceban, born as Evlin Örge) ( fa, اولین باغچه‌بان, 1928 – October 31, 2010) was a Turkey, Turkish-Iran, Persian opera singer (mezzo-soprano) and one of the soloists an ...

– one of the pioneers of opera and choral music in Iran *

Anton Christoforidis Anton Christoforidis (; 26 May 1917 – 19 October 1985) was a Greek professional light heavyweight boxer. He won the NBA Light Heavyweight Championship in 1941, making him the first Greek to become a world boxing champion. Early life Chris ...

–

NBA Light Heavyweight Champion This is a chronological list of world light heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: Championship recognition 1903–1910 The light-heavyweight division was created in 1903, the brainc ...

Muazzez İlmiye Çığ Muazzez İlmiye Çığ (born 20 June 1914) is a Turkish archaeologist and Assyriologist who specializes in the study of Sumerian civilization. She stirred controversy in the Muslim world and received world-wide media coverage in 2006 with her ass ...

– academic and writer * Haldun Dormen – theatre & film actor and director * Musa Eroğlu – composer, musician *

Manuş Baba Mustafa Özkan(born 1 December 1986), better known by his stage name Manuş Baba, is a Turkish pop and arabesque singer. He studied at the Tarsus Turgut İçgören primary school in Tarsus. His family later moved from Diyarbakir to Antalya, d ...

- the most famous

Pop folk Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

singer-songwriter * Uğur Ersoy – engineering academic *

Reşit Galip Reşit Galip, also known as Mustafa Reşit Baymur (1893 – 5 March 1934) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician in the early years of the Turkish Republic. By profession, he was a medical doctor. Early years He was born in the Sanjak of Rhod ...

– former minister of National education * Ahmet Mete Işıkara – scientist * Müfide İlhan – first woman mayor in Turkey in the 1950s *

Gencay Kasapçı Gencay Kasapçı (9 March 1933 – 29 November 2017) was a Turkish Turkish women in fine arts, painter who specialized in fresco, glass art and mosaic. Life Gencay Ataseven was born to Vicdani Ataseven and Şaziment in Ankara, Turkey on 9 Mar ...

– painter * Özgecan Aslan -

psycology student * Bergen -

arabesque music Arabesque ( tr, Arabesk) is a style of music created in Turkey. The genre was particularly popular in Turkey from the 1960s through the 2000s. Its aesthetics have evolved over the decades. Its melodies are influenced by espesically Arab Music, ...

and

singer and actress *

Konca Kuriş Konca Kuriş (16 October 1961 – 1999) was a Turkish feminist writer who was murdered in Konya, Turkey, on 20 July 1999 after having disappeared in 1998. Death Kuriş was allegedly a former member of the Kurdish Hezbollah but later denounced th ...

- the feminist İslamist writer, journalist and activist * Metin Özülkü - musician, singer-songwriter and arranger * Ahmet Kireççi (aka Mersinli Ahmet) – Olympic medalist wrestler * Nevit Kodallı – composer * Seyhan Kurt – poet, writer, sociologist * Cemal Mersinli – a pasha of the Ottoman Empire * İpek Ongun – writer *

Macit Özcan Macit Özcan, (born 1954 in Karataş, Adana Province, Turkey) is a Turkish politician of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and a former mayor of Mersin. After his secondary education in Adana, he graduated in civil engineering from Çukurova Un ...

– former mayor * Fikri Sağlar – former Minister of Culture *

Suna Tanaltay Suna Tanaltay (22 April 1933 – 5 March 2021) was a Turkish writer, teacher, poet and psychologist. Life Suna Merze was born to Sami and Macide in Mersin, Turkey, on 22 April 1933. Her mother, Macide, was also a wet nurse to Nevit Kodallı, the ...

– writer and psychologist. *

Nevin Yanıt Nevin Yanıt (born February 16, 1986) is a Turkish former sprinter specializing in high hurdling. On 29 August 2013, Yanit was banned from athletic competition for two years following a failed doping test in February 2013. After IAAF appealed ...

– female sprinter (European champion in 100 m hurdles) *

Atıf Yılmaz Atıf Yılmaz Batıbeki (9 December 1925 – 5 May 2006) was a renowned Turkey, Turkish film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He was very much a legend in the film industry of Turkey with 119 movies directed. He also wrote 53 screenp ...

– film director and producer * Mabel Matiz – pop music singer-songwriter *

Tuğba Şenoğlu Tuğba Şenoğlu (born 2 February 1998) is a Turkish volleyball player. She is tall and plays in the wing spiker position for Kurobe AquaFairies. She is part of the team which qualified for the Turkey at the 2020 Summer Olympics#Volleyball, pos ...

– volleyball player *

Emre Demir Emre Demir (born 15 January 2004) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish club Samsunspor, on loan from Fenerbahçe. Club career Early career Demir started playing football with his local club Mersin at the ...

– footballer

Mersin Metropolitian Municipality Mayors

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

Hüseyin Okan Merzeci ANAP *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Ahmet Kaya Mutlu SHP *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

Hüseyin Okan Merzeci ANAP *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Hasan Kuriş ANAP *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

DSP *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Macit Özcan CHP *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Burhanettin Kocamaz MHP *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Burhanettin Kocamaz Good Party *

-current Vahap Seçer CHP

References

* Blue Guide, Turkey, The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts (), pp. 556–557. * Blood-Dark Track: A Family History (Granta Books) by Joseph O'Neill, contains a detailed and evocative history of the city, viewed from the perspective of a Christian Syrian family long resident in Mersin. * Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (), p. 66 *

External links

Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites

{{Authority control Çukurova Cilicia Mediterranean port cities and towns in Turkey Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Cities in Turkey Populated coastal places in Turkey

Zephyrium Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and district governorates: Akdeniz, Mezitl ...

Seaside resorts in Turkey Populated places in Mersin Province Geography of ancient Anatolia