İkizdere (Laz: Xuras) is a town in

Rize Province Rize Province () is a province of northeast Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. The province of Erzurum is to the south. Its area is 3,835 km2, and its population is 344,016 (2022). The capital is the city of R ...

in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

region of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It is the seat of İkizdere District.İlçe Belediyesi
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 1,875 (2021).

Etymology

Formerly known as ''Dipotamos'' and ''Kuray-ı Sab'', İkizdere means "twin streams" in both the

Pontic Greek Pontic Greek (, ; or ''Romeika'') is a variety of Modern Greek indigenous to the Pontus region on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, and the Eastern Turkish and Caucasus region. An endangered Greek language variety ...

and Turkish languages, and indeed the ''Çamlık'' and ''Cimil'' rivers meet here to form the ''İkizdere''.

Demographics

The non-Turkic natives converted to Islam during the Ottoman period and during the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. It involv ...

, the natives stayed in the area. The population pyramid of İkizdere (see below) is strongly biased towards the males and middle-age/elder people.

Geography

This is hilly countryside inland from the

, forest-covered steep mountainside separated by narrow valleys, with areas of high pasture. The İkizdere is formed from streams running out of the Rize Mountains and continues down to the Black Sea, it is dammed for hydro-electric power and for irrigation. There is snow on the high peaks and much glacial formation. The climate is typical of the Black Sea region i.e. it frequently rains. There is broad-leaf forest at lower elevations and pine higher up. İkizdere is an agricultural district, growing tea on the hillsides and potatoes in the valley, and now some kiwi fruit are being planted also. Cattle and sheep are grazed on the hillsides, going up to the high pastures ('' yayla'') in summer. Beekeeping is another important source of income, particularly in the village of ''Anzer''. And this very attractive countryside is now attracting tourists, on trekking holidays. However, on the whole İkizdere is not a wealthy region and the younger generations migrate to Turkey's larger cities in search of jobs. The town of İkizdere is on the river bank, from the city of

Rize Rize (; ; ; ka, რიზე}; ) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Rize Province and Rize District.Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

History

See

for a history of this area, once part of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and later the

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of A ...

, during which periods there was a monastery there in İkizdere. In 67 BCE,

Pompey the Great Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

led a Roman military campaign against the Heptakometes today's ikizderelian Ancestors in what is presently known as İkizdere in

’s

Rize Rize (; ; ; ka, რიზე}; ) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Rize Province and Rize District.mad honey Mad honey is honey that contains grayanotoxins. The dark, reddish honey is produced from the nectar and pollen of genus ''Rhododendron'' and has moderately toxic and narcotic effects. Mad honey is produced principally in Nepal and Turkey, where ...

and set out honey pots for the invading army to find. Most of the Roman soldiers consumed the honey and became intoxicated, then they were suddenly attacked and killed by the Heptakometes. Over 1800 Roman soldiers were killed during the attack. Mad honey was the world's first known biological weapon to be used in battle by Heptakomets. İkizdere was occupied by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

for two years during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Places of interest

* Merkez Camisi - The central mosque * The mosque in the village of Şimşirli * The mosque of Hacı Şeyh in the town of Güneyce * Güneyce bridge * The mineral water springs of Şimşirli and Ilıcaköy There are also a number of interesting wooden houses from the Ottoman period, and many areas of high meadow for walking and trekking, including: *''Çağrankaya Plateau'' *Black Grouse Bird Watching in Sivrikaya * the forest area of ''Çamlık'' * the honey-producing ''Anzer Yaylası'' *''Ovit and'' other areas of high pasture

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikizdere Populated places in Rize Province İkizdere District District municipalities in Turkey