Ardeşen ( Laz and Georgian: არტაშენი/Art'asheni or არდაშენი/Ardasheni;
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
: Արտաշեն/Artashen) 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, along the coast road 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.Ardeşen District
Ardeşen District is a district of the Rize Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town of Ardeşen.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 30,645 (2021).
History
See
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 ...
for the history of the area, at one time part of the
Colchis
In classical antiquity and Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia.
Its population, the ...
and
Lazica
The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...
kingdoms,
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 Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
,
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 ...
s and
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...
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 ...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
. Explanations of the origin of the word Ardeşen in Armenian, Georgian and Laz have not yet been conclusive, but the root art̆a- in the name means ''fire'' in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. We also see this root in the surrounding districts. For example, Art̆anuci (Ardanuç).
Geography
Ardeşen is sandwiched between sea and mountain, with 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 ...
coastline, while most of the district is hill and mountain, extending inland, up to the
Altıparmak Altıparmak is a Turkish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Batur Altıparmak (born 1971), Turkish footballer
* Burak Altıparmak (born 1990), German footballer
* Gökhan Altıparmak (born 2001), Turkish footballer
* Kerem Alti ...
hills and then on to
Çamlıhemşin
Çamlıhemşin, formerly Vice, ( or ; ka, ვიჯა ''Vija'' ) is a small town in Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Çamlıhemşin District.Kaçkar
Lazistan
Lazistan or Lazeti (; ka, ლაზეთი, Lazeti, or ჭანეთი ''Ç'aneti''; ) is a historical and cultural region of the Caucasus and Anatolia; the term was primarily used during Ottoman rule in the region. Traditionally inhabited b ...
mountains. There is plenty of rainfall but little land flat enough for planting anything except for tea, and life is hard in these wet highlands. The highland villages are remote, and reaching them with roads, cables and other infrastructure is very challenging.
This was even more the case before tea planting began, when successive generations migrated away from the area to jobs in Turkey's larger cities or abroad. 10% of the land is used for tea growing, otherwise there is little agriculture except gardening for local consumption. The first tea-processing factory was opened in 1947; other industry includes sawmills and furniture workshops.
The industrial development is in the town of Ardeşen itself, which is on the coast near the mouth of the Fırtına River. Ardeşen has a lot of beautiful public buildings and apartment blocks. The busy coast road through Ardeşen leads up to Turkey's border with
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. The cuisine is like the typical Turkish menu, but there are a lot of special foods typical for the region like minci / cökelek or muhlama, to mention only some of the rich cuisine of Ardeşen. Ardeşen has some local radio, TV and newspapers, like Ardeşen'in Sesi.
The income from tea growing has brought more amenities to Ardeşen but the traditional rural lifestyle persists; many of the people in the countryside are ethnic Laz and the older generations in particular continue to speak the
Laz language
The Laz or Lazuri language () is a Kartvelian languages, Kartvelian language spoken by the Laz people on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea. In 2007, it was estimated that there were around 20,000 native speakers in Turkey, in a strip of ...
, although their traditional clothing has disappeared with the ban on growing hemp. Education, however, is quite successful, with literacy rates of 97% among men and 89% among women.
The people of Ardeşen have a reputation for their love of firearms; most people carry them and home-made small arms are a thriving trade, to such an extent that in 1991 the state established a factory here to produce them legally and try to bring the industry under control). Even the municipality logo features a picture of a mosque and a revolver.
The municipality consists of the following 23 quarters: Bahar, Başmahalle, Cami, Düz, Elmalık, Kahveciler, Kavaklıdere, Kuzey, Merkez, Müftü, Şentepe, Yayla, Yenimahalle,
Barış
Barış is a Turkish word meaning ''"peace"'' and a unisex name. However, it is rarely given to females with an overwhelming majority of people having the name being males. People named Barış include:
* Barış Akarsu (1979–2007), Turkish roc ...
, Deniz, Fırtına, Çiftekavak, Işıklı, Yavuzselim, Cumhuriyet, Fatih, Konaktepe and Taşbaşı.Mahalle Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
Climate
Ardeşen has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb'').
Sport
The
Ardeşen GSK
Ardeşen GSK () is a women's handball club from Ardeşen in Rize Province, Turkey. Founded in 2008, the team play their home matches in the Ardeşen RTEÜ MYO Hall. Club chairman is Sultan Rauf Oğuz. The team is managed by Hikmet Vurgun. The te ...
, a women's handball club, play in the
Turkish Women's Handball Super League
The Turkish Women's Handball Super League () is the top professional league for Turkish women's handball clubs. It is administered by the Turkey Handball Federation, and the winners are recognized as Turkish champions. Established in the 1978– ...
.
The town has multiple football clubs, the main one being Ardeşenspor.
Places of interest
* Fırtına Deresi, a river running down from the Kaçkars, is used for rafting.
* Tunca (''Dutxe''), where the 'formulaz' traditional car races take place.