Ilkadim is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Samsun Province,

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 ...

. Its area is 155 km², and its population is 333,518 (2022). It is located on the coast of

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 ...

. The district has an altitude of 5 meters.It is also the most populous district of Black Sea Region. The majority of the urbanized portion of

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

City is located within İlkadım. İlkadım is bordered by Canik district to the east, the

in the north, Atakum district to the west, and Kavak district to the south.

Geography

İlkadım is within the city of

. The district includes the port of Samsun. The name İlkadım refers to Atatürk's arrival in Samsun via sea in the ship the Bandirma in order to start the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

on 19 May 1919. (''İlkadım'' means first step).

History

Excavations have been carried out on the höyük of Dündartepe revealed a settlement of

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

age. During the early Hellenistic age there was a colony named Amisos (in Greek Αμισός) founded by the colonialists from

Miletus Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...

. The colony was captured by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

in 43 BC. After 1071, the city was captured by Danishmends and Seljuks. In 1413 was incorporated into

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

by Mehmet I. İlkadım is a part of the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality. In 1994 it was declared a municipality within the city borders of the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality. With a law in 2008, it became one of the 4 central districts of Samsun by including the lower level municipalities of Gazi and Yeşilkent. At the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, the rural part of the district was integrated into the municipality, the villages becoming neighbourhoods. Currently, it is the largest and most developed district of Samsun and the Black Sea Region in terms of population. With the growth of the region, commercial activities in the center have declined and much of the middle class of Samsun has moved to newer and more modern neighborhoods. Efforts have been made to revitalize İlkadım like the construction of the Sheraton Hotel Samsun, Piazza Samsun and the reconstruction of Samsun Saathane Square and Republic Square (Samsun). The district is also served by extensive public transit including the Samsun Tram. The district was named İlkadım because Atatürk came to Samsun and took the first step towards independence here on May 19, 1919.

Population

In 2008, İlkadım had a population of 303,202, that figure grew to 333,518 by 2022. Despite continued population growth, the figure has been shadowed by the growth of neighboring districts like Atakum. The ten most populous neighborhoods in the district are respectively; Fevzi Çakmak, Kışla, Kazım Karabekir, Derebahçe, Adalet, Bahçelievler, Kadıköy, Karasamsun, Kadifekale and Ilyasköy. These ten neighborhoods with a total population of 144,387 (2022) make up 43% of the district's population. In 2022, İlkadım constituted 24% of the population of Samsun Province.

Composition

There are 61 neighbourhoods in İlkadım District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. * 19 Mayıs * Adalet * Ahulu * Akgöl * Anadolu * Aşağıavdan * Ataköy * Avdan * Bahçelievler * Baruthane * Bilmece * Çanakçı * Çandır * Çatalarmut * Çay * Cedit * Çelikalan * Çiftlik * Çivril * Derebahçe * Derecik * Fatih * Fevziçakmak * Gürgendağ * Güzeldere * Hançerli * Hastane * Hürriyet * İlyasköy * İstasyon * Kadamut * Kadifekale * Kadıköy * Kale * Kalkanca * Kapaklı * Karadeniz * Karasamsun * Kavacık * Kazımkarabekir * Kılıçdede * Kıran * Kışla * Kökçüoğlu * Kuşçulu * Liman * Pazar * Rasathane * Reşadiye * Saitbey * Selahiye * Tepecik * Toybelen * Ulugazi * Unkapanı * Uzgur * Yaşardoğu * Yenidoğan * Yeşiltepe * Zafer * Zeytinlik

Government and politics

The mayor is Necattin Demirtaş ( Good Party). The Mayor of the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality is Mustafa Demir and the Governor of Samsun Province is Zülkif Dağlı. İlkadım is a traditionally politically conservative district.

References