Murfatlar () is a town in
Constanța County,
Northern Dobruja
Northern Dobruja ( ro, Dobrogea de Nord or simply ; bg, Северна Добруджа, ''Severna Dobrudzha'') is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, bordered in the south ...
,
Romania. It officially became a town in 1989, as a result of the
Romanian rural systematization program.
Etymology
The name of the town originates from the
Turkish
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 mi ...
word of Arabic origin ''murvet'' (meaning "generous man").
Between 1921 and 1965, and from 1975 to 2007, the locality was known as ''Basarabi''. On June 26, 2007 the lower house of Romania's Parliament, the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
, approved a proposal to have the name changed back to Murfatlar, which was also ratified by the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and promulgated by the president of Romania on December 20, 2007.
Administration
Murfatlar is a port on the
Danube–Black Sea Canal and has a population of 11,070. A complex of caves was found carved in the hills nearby, see the
Basarabi Cave Complex.
The village of Siminoc (historical name: ''Turc-Murfat'') is administered by the town of Murfatlar. The name of the village comes from the flower
Helichrysum arenarium (''siminoc'' in
Romanian), which can be found abundantly in the area.
Murfatlar's History
, Murfatlar City Hall, accessed on June 23, 2008
The Murfatlar Vineyard and Basarabi Cave Complex are located nearby.
Demographics
At the 2011 census, Murfatlar had 8,657 Romanians (89.86%), 547 Tatars (5.68%), 236 Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(2.45%), 134 Turks (1.39%), 9 Hungarians (0.09%), 3 Aromanians (0.03%), 16 others (0.17%), 32 with undeclared ethnicity (0.33%).
Natives
Murfatlar is the birthplace of the 4th Romanian president, Traian Băsescu.
Image gallery
Image:MurtfaltalrDanubeChannel.JPG, Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar
Image:MurfatlarDanubeChannel2.JPG, Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar
Image:MurtfatlarBridge.JPG, Bridge over the Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar
References
{{Authority control
Towns in Romania
Populated places in Constanța County
Localities in Northern Dobruja
Place names of Turkish origin in Romania