Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on 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 Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
coast of southern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
. 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
Toroslar 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 a ...
and
Yenişehir.
As urbanisation continue towards the east, a larger metropolitan region combining Mersin with
Tarsus and
Adana
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...
(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, 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 (Mağusa) in
Northern Cyprus. 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
The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...
, a
myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler
Evliya Çelebi
Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...
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
The 9th millennium BC spanned the years 9000 BC to 8001 BC (11 to 10 thousand years ago). In chronological terms, it is the first full millennium of the current Holocene epoch that is generally reckoned to have begun by 9700 BC (11.7 thousand ...
. Excavations by
John Garstang
John Garstang (5 May 1876 – 12 September 1956) was a British archaeologist of the Ancient Near East, especially Egypt, Sudan, Anatolia and the southern Levant. He was the younger brother of Professor Walter Garstang, FRS, a marine bi ...
of the hill of
Yumuktepe
Yumuktepe (or Yümüktepe) is a tell (ruin mound) at within the city borders of Mersin, Turkey. In 1936, the mound was on the outskirts of Mersin, but after a rapid increase of population, the mound was surrounded by the Toroslar municipality o ...
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
The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...
,
Assyrians,
Urartians
Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of Va ...
,
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ns,
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
,
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diasp ...
,
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
s and
Lagids
The Ptolemaic dynasty (; grc, Πτολεμαῖοι, ''Ptolemaioi''), sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, ''Lagidae;'' after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic K ...
. During the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
period, the city bore the name Zephyrion (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Ζεφύριον) and was mentioned by numerous ancient authors. Apart from its natural harbour and strategic position along the trade routes of southern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
, the city profited from trade in
molybdenum (white lead) from the neighbouring mines of
Coreyra. Ancient sources attributed the best molybdenum to the city, which also minted its own coins.
The area later became a part of the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
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 coa ...
, 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.
After the death of the emperor
Theodosius I
Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...
in 395 and the subsequent permanent division of the Roman Empire, Mersin fell into what became the
Byzantine Empire
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 ...
.
The city was an
episcopal see under the
Patriarchate of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
.
Le Quien
Michel Le Quien (8 October 1661, Boulogne-sur-Mer – 12 March 1733, Paris) was a French historian and theologian. He studied at Plessis College, Paris, and at twenty entered the Dominican convent in Faubourg Saint-Germain, where he made his p ...
names four bishops of Zephyrium:
Aerius, present at the
First Council of Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople ( la, Concilium Constantinopolitanum; grc-gre, Σύνοδος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in AD 381 b ...
in 381; Zenobius, a
Nestorian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
, the writer of a letter protesting the removal of Bishop Meletius of
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia and Mopsuhestia ( grc, Μοψουεστία and Μόψου ἑστία, Mopsou(h)estia and Μόψου ''Mopsou'' and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος; Byzantine Greek: ''Mamista'', ''Manistra'', ''Mampsista''; Arabic: ''al-Maṣṣ ...
by Patriarch
John of Antioch (429–441); Hypatius, present at the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...
in 451; and Peter, present at the
Council in Trullo
The Quinisext Council (Latin: ''Concilium Quinisextum''; Koine Greek: , ''Penthékti Sýnodos''), i.e. the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at ...
in 692. The bishopric is included in the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
's list of
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...
s, but since the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
no new
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of this Eastern see has been appointed.
Medieval Period
Cilicia was conquered by the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
in the early 7th century, by which time it appears Mersin was a deserted site. The Arabs were followed by the Egyptian
Tulunids
The Tulunids (), were a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic origin who were the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt, as well as much of Syria, since the Ptolemaic dynasty. They were independent from 868, when they broke away from the central authority ...
, then by the Byzantines between 965 and c.1080 and then by the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. From 1362 to 1608 the region was governed by the
Ramadanid Principality, first as a protectorate of the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
s, then as an independent state for roughly a century and then as a protectorate of the
Ottomans from 1517,
Ottoman Empire
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, the region became a major supplier of
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
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
steamships and 797,433 tons of goods. Before
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Mersin exported mainly
sesame seed
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...
s, cotton,
cottonseed
Cottonseed is the seed of the cotton plant.
Composition
The mature seeds are brown ovoids weighing about a tenth of a gram. By weight, they are 60% cotyledon, 32% coat and 8% embryonic root and shoot. These are 20% protein, 20% oil and 3.5% sta ...
, cakes and cereals, and livestock. Cotton was exported to Europe, grain to Turkey and livestock to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. 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
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
. It was recovered by the
Turkish army
The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...
in 1921 at the end of the
Franco-Turkish War
The Franco–Turkish War, known as the Cilicia Campaign (french: La campagne de Cilicie) in France and as the Southern Front ( tr, Güney Cephesi) of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey, was a series of conflicts fought between France (the ...
. 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
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...
.
Modern Mersin
Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with
skyscrapers, 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.
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 as well as grilled liver sandwiches.
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
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 ...
known as Little Latakia.
Local Attractions
There are six museums within the Mersin urban area;
Mersin Archaeological Museum
Mersin Archaeological Museum is a museum in Mersin, Turkey
Location
The museum is at to the east of Mersin Naval Museum, to the south of Muğdat Mosque and to the north of Adnan Menderes Boulevard. Its total land area , including the yard is ...
,
Mersin Atatürk Museum
The Atatürk Museum in Mersin ( tr, Mersin Atatürk Evi Müzesi) is a two-storey house in Mersin, which hosted the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his wife in 1925.
History
The house was originally built in 1897 by H. Ch ...
,
Mersin Naval Museum,
Mersin State Art and Sculpture Museum
Mersin State Art and Sculpture Museum ( tr, Mersin Devlet Resim ve Heykel Müzesi) is a museum in Mersin, Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental ...
,
Mersin Urban History Museum
Mersin Urban History Museum ( tr, Mersin Kent Tarihi Müzesi) is a private museum in Mersin, Turkey.
Location and the History
The museum at is in Akdeniz secondary municipality of Mersin, ant it lies about from the Mediterranean Sea. It is a ...
,
Mersin Water Museum.
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
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 co ...
, a district in Mersin.
The chasms are two
sinkholes
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
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
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
temporarily trapping
Typhon
Typhon (; grc, Τυφῶν, Typhôn, ), also Typhoeus (; grc, Τυφωεύς, Typhōeús, label=none), Typhaon ( grc, Τυφάων, Typháōn, label=none) or Typhos ( grc, Τυφώς, Typhṓs, label=none), was a monstrous serpentine giant an ...
in the sinkhole.
Cuisine
Mersin is best known in Turkey for its
tantuni, and restaurants serving it can be found all over the country. The provincial cuisine includes specialties such as:
*
Ciğer kebap, (liver on
mangal
Mangal Rajgan (or Manghal, Mangla) is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name
*Mangal (singer), Afghan singer
*Mangal Bagh (born 1973), Pakistani militant leader
*Mangal Dhillon, Indian actor ...
), 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
Meze or mezza (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in the Levantine cuisine, Levant, Turkish cuisine, Turkey, Greek cuisine, Greece, the Balkan cuisine, Balkans, the Caucasian cuisine, Caucasus and Iranian cuisine, Iran. It i ...
at 12 skewers at a time,
*
Tantuni, a hot
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 ...
wrap consisting of
julienned
Julienne, , or french cut, is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Common items to be julienned are carrots for , celery for , potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for .
Trimmi ...
lamb stir-fried on a
sac on a hint of
cottonseed oil
Cottonseed oil is cooking oil from the seeds of cotton plants of various species, mainly '' Gossypium hirsutum'' and ''Gossypium herbaceum'', that are grown for cotton fiber, animal feed, and oil.
Cotton seed has a similar structure to other oi ...
,
*
Bumbar
The Bumbar ( sr-cyr, Бумбар, Bumbar, lit=Bumblebee) is a Serbian short-range portable anti-tank missile system.
Description
The Bumbar is a wire-guided, man-portable, short-ranged missile system for use against ground targets. The missile h ...
or mumbar, lamb
intestines
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
filled with a mixture of
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
,
meat and
pistachios, that are served either grilled or steamed, famous throughout the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
,
*
Cezerye, a
lokum made of sweet
carrots, covered in ground
pistachios or
coconuts,
*
Karsambaç, a variety of
shaved ice
Shaved ice is a large family of ice-based desserts made of fine shavings of ice or finely crushed ice and sweet condiments or syrups. Usually, the syrup is added after the ice has been frozen and shaved—typically at the point of sale; however, ...
served with
pekmez
Pekmez ( tr, pekmez, az, bəkməz/doşab) is a molasses-like syrup obtained after condensing juices of fruit must, especially grape by boiling it with a coagulant agent like wood ashes or ground carob seeds. It is used as a syrup or mixed with ta ...
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
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
,
*
Kerebiç, a shortbread filled with pistachio paste, also famous throughout the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
,
*
Şalgam suyu, a beverage made of
fermented
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...
red carrots, very popular in Southern Turkey.
Climate
Mersin has a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Csa'',
Trewartha climate classification
The Trewartha climate classification (TCC) or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC) is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köppen ...
: ''Cs''), a type of
subtropical climate 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
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 Muslims, Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
and Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
Economy and transportation
The Port of Mersin
The Port of Mersin ( tr, Mersin Limanı), is a major seaport located on the north-eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea in Mersin, southern Turkey. As one of the largest harbors in the country, it is Turkey's main gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. ...
is the mainstay of city's economy. It is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries
The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the regions of Europe, various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, ...
, and is currently being operated by PSA International. 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 Mersin Free Zone is a free economic zone in Mersin, Turkey. It is in the Mediterranean Mersin Harbor area at .
It was established on 3 January, 1987. It was the first free zone of Turkey. Its initial area was The area is now . It is operated by ...
, established in 1986 as the first free zone in Turkey, with warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
s, 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
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and West Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
, the Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
. In 2002 the free zone's trading volume was USD 51.8 billion.
Historically, Mersin was a major producer of cottonseed
Cottonseed is the seed of the cotton plant.
Composition
The mature seeds are brown ovoids weighing about a tenth of a gram. By weight, they are 60% cotyledon, 32% coat and 8% embryonic root and shoot. These are 20% protein, 20% oil and 3.5% sta ...
oil. The area around Mersin is famous for citrus and cotton production. Bananas, olives and assorted other fruits are also produced.
Forum Mersin, the biggest shopping mall, is home to more than 100 shops.Mersin has highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...
connections to the north, east and west. It is also connected to the southern railroad. Mersin railway station
Mersin station ( tr, Mersin istasyonu) is the main railway terminal in the city of Mersin, Turkey. The station is located in the ilçe (district) of Akdeniz. The station is in use since 1886.
The railway
The station was built in 1886 to be t ...
in the district of 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 ...
has been in use since 1886. Opened on 28 February 2015, Mersin Bus Terminus is the terminus for intercity bus services, replacing the bus station that had been in the city centre since 1986. A metro system
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
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, have opposed the construction.[Demonstration against nuclear power in Mersin](_blank)
Firat News agency
Culture
Mersin is home to a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
, İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
and 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 ...
. Mersin International Music Festival
Mersin International Music Festival ( tr, Mersin Uluslararası Müzik Festivali), merfest for short, is a music festival held annually in Mersin, Turkey. In addition to Turkish artists, performers from Spain, Italy, United States, Hungary, German ...
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 İçel ( tr, İçel Sanat Kulübü) is a nonprofit cultural organization in Mersin, Turkey. İçel is the former name of Mersin Province. Founded in 1989, the club plays an important role in culturel life of Mersin.
Activities
*E ...
(Art Club of Mersin) and Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club
Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club ( tr, Akdeniz Opera ve Bale Kulübü, AKOB) is a non-profit cultural organization based in Mersin, Turkey.
History
Mersin Culture Center Association, another association known for valuable contributions in the ...
.
The Mersin Citrus Festival
Mersin Citrus Festival ( tr, Mersin Narenciye Festivali) is an annual festival held in Mersin, Turkey.
Citrus in Mersin economy
Citrus is the main crop of Mersin. According to official figures between 2006 and 2009, the total production in Turkey ...
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
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
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
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and ...
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 wo ...
.
The city has two football stadiums: Mersin Arena
The Mersin Arena, is a multi-purpose stadium in Mersin, Turkey. Completed in 2013, it was the new home ground for Mersin İdman Yurdu, replacing the old Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2013 Mediterr ...
, with a seating capacity of 25,534, and Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium
Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium ( tr, Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadyumu) is a sports center in Mersin, located at Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It is the former home of Mersin İdmanyurdu. The stadium is named after former popular governor of Mersin Provi ...
, 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 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 ...
. The Servet Tazegül Arena
The Servet Tazegül Arena ( tr, Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located at Yenişehir district of Mersin, Turkey, named in honor of the Olympic, world and European champion taekwondo practitioner Servet Tazegül (born ...
, 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
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
and paralympic athletics
Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practised by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair ra ...
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, Turke ...
.
File:Mersin Gymnastics Hall, Turkey.JPG, Mersin Gymnastics Hall
Mersin Gymnstics Hall ( tr, Mersin Cimnastik Salonu) is an indoor sports hall for gymnastics events located at Yenişehir in Mersin, Turkey
The sports venue is located at Akkent neighborhood, 32nd St. 63 in Yenişehir, Mersin, to the east of M ...
File:Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool, Turkey.jpg, Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool
Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool is a complex of swimming pools in Mersin, Turkey.
Geography
The complex is at . It is on 2869 street about east of İsmet İnönü Boulevard and about west of Müftü River. Both Macit Özcan Sports Complex and Ne ...
File:Mersin_Olympic_Stadium.JPG, Mersin Arena
The Mersin Arena, is a multi-purpose stadium in Mersin, Turkey. Completed in 2013, it was the new home ground for Mersin İdman Yurdu, replacing the old Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2013 Mediterr ...
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
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
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, South Africa
* Gazi Mağusa, Northern Cyprus [Gazi Mağusa, also known as Famagusta is '']de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' a part of Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, but the city is ''de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' administrated by the self declared Turkish Republic of 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 island of Cyprus. Reco ...
since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and in response to a Greek junta-s ...
. The twinning is between Northern Cypriot and Turkish administration.
* Kherson, Ukraine
* Klaipėda
Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuania ...
, Lithuania
* Kushimoto
270px, Shionomisaki Southernmost Point Park
is a coastal town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,192 in 8354 households and a population density of 110 persons per km2. The ...
, 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
Nizhnekamsk ( rus, Нижнекамск, p=nʲɪʐnʲɪˈkamsk; tt-Cyrl, Түбән Кама, ''Tübän Qama'') is a city in Tatarstan, Russia, located to the south of the Kama River between the cities of Naberezhnye Chelny and Chistopol. Popul ...
, Russia
* Oberhausen, Germany
* Ölgii, Mongolia
* Ufa
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
, Russia
* Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, Chile
* West Palm Beach
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
, United States
Notable people
* Evelyn Baghtcheban – one of the pioneers of opera and choral music in Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
* 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 a ...
– academic and writer
* Haldun Dormen
Ahmet Haldun Dormen (born 5 April 1928) is a Turkish theater, movie and TV series actor and film director. Dormen is of Turkish Cypriot descent.
Biography
His father Sait Ömer Bey was a Cypriot businessman, while his mother Nimet Rüşt ...
– theatre & film actor and director
* Musa Eroğlu
Musa Eroğlu (born 1946) is a Turkish folk musician and bağlama virtuoso.
He was born in the Mut county district of Mersin. He is a Tahtacı. He completed his secondary education in Mut. He then started to perform Turkish folk dance and music. I ...
– 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 singer-songwriter
* Uğur Ersoy
Uğur Ersoy (born in 1932) is a Turkish civil engineer and academic.
Life
He was born in Mersin. His father Yakup Ersoy was the local chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP). After graduating from Tarsus American Highschool, he ear ...
– engineering academic
* Reşit Galip – former minister of National education
* Ahmet Mete Işıkara
Ahmet Mete Işıkara (22 October 1941 – 21 January 2013) was a Turkish people, Turkish geophysicist and seismology, earthquake scientist, well known for his efforts to create public awareness of the need for protection and safety during eart ...
– scientist
* Müfide İlhan
Müfide İlhan (19 February 1911 – 2 February 1996) was a mayor of Mersin, Turkey in the early 1950s. She is known as being the first woman mayor in Turkey.
Early life
Müfide İlhan was born on 19 February 1911 in İstanbul.Kudret Ünal:''M ...
– first woman mayor in Turkey in the 1950s
* Gencay Kasapçı – painter
* Özgecan Aslan - 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 ...
psycology student
* Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
- arabesque music and classical music 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 ...
- the feminist İslamist writer, journalist and activist
* Metin Özülkü
Metin is a Turkish given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Tümer Metin (born 1974), Turkish international footballer
Given name
* Metin Akan (born 1983), Turkish professional footballer
* Metin Akpınar (born 1 ...
- musician, singer-songwriter and arranger
* Ahmet Kireççi
Ahmet Kireççi (aka Ahmet Mersinli, 27 October 1914 in Mersin – 17 August 1978 in Mersin, Turkey), was a Turkish people, Turkish Amateur wrestling, sports wrestler, who won the Olympic games, Olympic medal twice, the bronze medal in th ...
(aka Mersinli Ahmet) – Olympic medalist wrestler
* Nevit Kodallı
Nevit Kodallı (12 December 1924, Mersin – 1 September 2009, Mersin) was a Turkish composer of western-influenced classical music including operas and ballets. In 1948 he travelled to Paris where he studied with Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boul ...
– composer
* Seyhan Kurt
Seyhan Kurt is a French-Turkish poet, writer, anthropologist and sociologist.
Biography
He was born in the commune of Bourgoin-Jallieu in Grenoble, France. He studied at the École de Jean Jaurès in Lyon. He studied painting in France and dr ...
– poet, writer, sociologist
* Cemal Mersinli
Cemal Mersinli (1875 – October 7, 1941), also known as Mehmed Djemal Pasha, Mersinli Djemal, or Djemal Kuchuk ( tr, Küçük Cemal Paşa; meaning the lesser Djemal to distinguish him from the higher-ranking Djemal Pasha) was a general of the ...
– a pasha of the Ottoman Empire
* İpek Ongun
İpek Ongun (born 7 January 1942) is a Turkish novelist.
She was born in Ankara on 7 January 1942 to Nusret, an officer in Turkish Army and Fatma, a literature teacher. After graduating from Arnavutköy American High School for Girls in 1961, ...
– 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
Fikri Sağlar (born 1953) is a Turkish social democrat politician. He was Minister of Culture in the early 1990s, and a member of the parliamentary commission which investigated the Susurluk scandal. He has been a columnist for ''Birgün
''Bi ...
– former Minister of Culture
* Suna Tanaltay – 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 – film director and producer
* Mabel Matiz
Fatih Karaca (; born 31 August 1985), better known by his stage name Mabel Matiz (), is a Turkish pop music singer-songwriter.
He chose his stage name from two different words that he was inspired by. "Mabel" is from the Turkish novel ''Kumral ...
– 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 – 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 Southeas ...
-1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 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 Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
Hüseyin Okan Merzeci ANAP
* 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 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 Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
-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 sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
Ahmet Kaya Mutlu SHP
* 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 sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
-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 ...
Hüseyin Okan Merzeci ANAP
* 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 ...
-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 shoot ...
Hasan Kuriş 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 shoot ...
- 2002 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 ...
DSP
DSP may refer to:
Computing
* Digital signal processing, the mathematical manipulation of an information signal
* Digital signal processor, a microprocessor designed for digital signal processing
* Yamaha DSP-1, a proprietary digital signal ...
* 2002-2014
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
* 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 ...
-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 s ...
Burhanettin Kocamaz MHP
* 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 s ...
-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
The Good Party ( Turkish: ''İyi Parti'') is a nationalist, national conservative, Kemalist, and liberal democrat political party in Turkey, established on 25 October 2017 by its current leader Meral Akşener. Their fraternal party is the liber ...
* 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 ...
-current Vahap Seçer CHP
See also
* Mersin Martyrs' Memorial
Mersin Martyrs' Memorial ( tr, Şehitler Anıtı), also known as the ''Monument of the Refah Martyrs'' is a monument in Mersin, Turkey.
Geography
The monument is situated in Atatürk Park of Mersin about from the Mediterranean Sea coast at .
...
* Gözne
* Soli, Cilicia
Soli ( grc, Σόλοι, ''Sóloi''), often rendered Soli/Pompeiopolis ( grc, Πομπηϊούπολις), was an ancient city and port in Cilicia, 11 km west of Mersin in present-day Turkey.
Geography
Located in Southern Anatolia, on the ...
* Kazanlı
Kazanlı is a town in the greater Mersin municipality, Turkey.
Geography
Kazanlı is approximately east of Mersin center at . It is a Mediterranean coastal town. East of the town, there are small settlements surrounded by fields. Towards west a ...
* List of mayors of Mersin
* Atatürk Monument (Mersin)
Atatürk Monument is a statue depicting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, in Mersin, Turkey.
Geography
The monument is situated in the Cumhuriyet Square (''Republic square'') in Mersin at . Mersin Halkevi is to the n ...
* Gulf of Mersin Gulf of Mersin ( tr, Mersin Körfezi) is one of the widest gulfs in Turkey. It is in the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea between the gulfs of İskenderun and Antalya.
Location
The gulf of Mersin is between Taşucu in the west and Karataş ...
* Dikilitaş, Mersin
* Mersin Feneri
__NOTOC__
Mersin Feneri (The Mersin Lighthouse) is located at the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the city of Mersin, Turkey.
Geography
Mersin lighthouse is within the Mersin urban fabric and is situated at the west of the mouth of E ...
* Atatürk Parkı
* Tırmıl
* Mersin Citrus Festival
Mersin Citrus Festival ( tr, Mersin Narenciye Festivali) is an annual festival held in Mersin, Turkey.
Citrus in Mersin economy
Citrus is the main crop of Mersin. According to official figures between 2006 and 2009, the total production in Turkey ...
* Radyo Çukurova
Radio Çukurova ( tr, Radyo Çukurova or TRT Çukurova Radyosu) is a regional radio network of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).
Geography
The broadcast area includes the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye and parts ...
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
Richard John Alexander Talbert (born 26 April 1947) is a British-American contemporary ancient historian and classicist on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor of Ancien ...
, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World
The ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'' is a large-format English language atlas of ancient Europe, Asia, and North Africa, edited by Richard J. A. Talbert. The time period depicted is roughly from archaic Greek civilization (pre- ...
, (), 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, Mezi ...
Seaside resorts in Turkey
Populated places in Mersin Province
Geography of ancient Anatolia