Alaçam 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 ...

Samsun Province Samsun Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 9,725 km2, and its population is 1,368,488 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasy ...

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 598 km², and its population is 24,647 (2022). Scholars believe that Alaçam is the site of the ancient city of

Zaliche Zaliche () or Zaliches () was an ancient town in the late Roman province of Helenopontus. Name "Zaliche" is the form given in the indices of the editions, produced by Peter Wesseling, and by B.G. Niebuhr It is the form given also in Anthon's ' ...

or Zaliches.

History

Alaçam has a long history. It has been held by

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

Cimmerian The Cimmerians were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into W ...

Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...

ns and

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

before the area was taken by

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. The

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

Kingdom came in the 1st century BC which was in turn annexed by the

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 ...

. After the division of the Roman Empire, the

Byzantine 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 the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

s called the town Zalikus. The

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

named the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Uluköy, until 1385 when it was briefly part of the Candaroğulları Beyliği

rump state A rump state is the remnant of a once much larger state that was reduced in the wake of secession, annexation, occupation, decolonization, a successful coup d'état or revolution on part of its former territory. In the last case, a government st ...

and it took the name of the Alaçam county. The name Alaçam means

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

from the

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as c ...

s endemic to the area. Then in 1398 Alaçam entered the

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 ...

, becoming a Turkish town after

World War I 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 ...

Economy

Alaçam County's economy relies mainly on agriculture and animal husbandry. Like most of the region

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

is the leading agricultural product. In addition to this

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

and

nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed * Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to: A ...

production will follow. It also has some raising fruits and vegetables. being on 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 ...

coast fishing is also done. In animal husbandry and livestock farming is carried out. Approximately 6200 farmers engaged in tobacco farming.

Composition

There are 65

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Alaçam District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. * Akbulut * Akgüney * Alidedebölmesi * Alpaslan * Aşağıakgüney * Aşağıısırganlı * Aşağıkoçlu * Bahşioymağı * Bekiroğlu * Çeşme * Demircideresi * Doğankent * Doyran * Esentepe * Etyemez * Fatih * Göçkün * Gökçeağaçoymağı * Gökçeboğaz * Gülkaya * Gültepe * Gümüşova * Güvenli * Habilli * Harmancık * İncirli * Kadıköy * Kalıkdemirci * Kapaklı * Karaçukur * Karahüseyinli * Karlı * Karşıyaka * Killik * Kışlakonak * Kızlan * Köseköy * Madenler * Örenli * Ortaköy * Pelitbükü * Pelitbüküsekicek * Sancar * Sarılık * Şirinköy * Soğukçam * Taşkelik * Tefekli * Tepebölmesi * Terskırık * Toplu * Umutlu * Uzunkıraç * Vicikler * Yakacık * Yenicami * Yenice * Yeniköy * Yeşilköy * Yoğunpelit * Yukarıelma * Yukarıısırganlı * Yukarıkoçlu * Yukarısoğukçam * Zeytinköy

Attractions

Geyikkoşan tomb.Alaçam is known for its natural environment. 2 km

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

of the town by the

beaches are groves of

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning . Species of otherwise unrelated trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', a ...

and poplar trees which take their name from Geyikkoşan Baba's Tomb said to be in the woods. This is both as a picnic area and is a place to

swim Swim or SWIM may refer to: Movement and sport * Swim, a fad dance * Aquatic locomotion, the act of biologically propelled motion through a liquid medium * Human swimming, the useful or recreational activity of movement through water * Swimming ( ...

. In the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

of the town at an altitude of 1,500 m is the Dürtmen Yaylası Plateau, which is also a recreational area. A portion of the Kızılırmak River delta is within the boundaries of the district. On May 6 the Hidirellez Festival are held annually. This festival sees national amateur

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

s competitions. It is said that the origin of the festival is based on a 600-year legend according to which an Arab army commander position gave beef portions to the poor people of the town. The

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

is a place where people living in Alaçam come at leisure. Tourists can stay here.

References

External links

Alaçam photosAlaçam Municipality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alacam Populated places in Samsun Province Districts of Samsun Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey