Karadeniz Ereğli (or Ereğli) is a city in Zonguldak Province 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 ...

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 ...

shore. It is the seat of Ereğli District.İlçe Belediyesi
, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023. Its population is 122,282 (2022). The mayor of the city is Halil Posbıyık. Mehmet Yapıcı is the District Governor of Ereğli.

History

Karadeniz Ereğli was originally a Greek city in ancient times known as '' Heraclea Pontica'' after the Greek mythical hero

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

. The Turkish name Karadeniz Ereğli or colloquially Karadeniz Ereğlisi means 'Ereğli at the Black Sea', which distinguishes it from other places called Ereğli such as Konya Ereğlisi and

Marmara Ereğlisi Marmara Ereğlisi (; ), also spelled Marmaraereğlisi, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 175 km2, and its population is 29,549 (2022). Facts Ereğli is 30 km east of the to ...

. It was founded as a Megarian colony, which soon subjugated the native Mariandynians and extended its power over a considerable territory. It was the birthplace of

Heraclides Ponticus Heraclides Ponticus ( ''Herakleides''; c. 390 BC – c. 310 BC) was a Greek philosopher and astronomer who was born in Heraclea Pontica, now Karadeniz Ereğli, Turkey, and migrated to Athens. He is best remembered for proposing that the Earth ...

. According to

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, the cave guarded by the three-headed dog

Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus ( or ; ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a polycephaly, multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Greek underworld, underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring o ...

is located near the town. For his final quest, Heracles is tasked with entering the cave and capturing Cerberus. The prosperity of the city, rudely shaken by the

Galatia Galatia (; , ''Galatía'') was an ancient area in the highlands of central Anatolia, roughly corresponding to the provinces of Ankara and Eskişehir in modern Turkey. Galatia was named after the Gauls from Thrace (cf. Tylis), who settled here ...

ns and the

Bithynia Bithynia (; ) was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast a ...

ns, was utterly destroyed in the

Mithridatic Wars The Mithridatic Wars were three conflicts fought by the Roman Republic against the Kingdom of Pontus and its allies between 88 and 63 BC. They are named after Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus during the course of the wars, who initiated the ho ...

. Then, Heraclea Pontica was part of the (Eastern) Roman Empire for more than 1000 years. The Turks ravaged the area after the Battle of Mantzikert in 1071. David Komnenos, brother of the ruler of Trebizond Alexios I of Trebizond, took Heraclea Pontica in 1205 and made it capital of his domain, called Paphlagonia; he lost it in 1214 to Theodore I Laskaris, who made it a major frontier bulwark. The Genoese had a colony there after 1261. When the Turks conquered Paphlagonia in 1360, the Genoese bought the city from the weakening Byzantine Empire. Heraclea developed as a trading centre of the Genoese, who settled there in large numbers. A ruined citadel on a height overlooking the town is a remnant of this period. The Italian name of the city was Pontarachia. The Genoese held the city until the Ottomans captured it after 1453. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Karadeniz Ereğli was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of 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 ...

Facts

Modern Ereğli is the home of Erdemir, an important steel plant of Turkey. It has a large natural harbour, located in the lee of Baba Burnu and therefore one of the few geographically attractive places for a harbour on the western

coast of

. Ereğli is well developed due to the presence of the steel plant and fishing is a major commercial activity in the city. Because of its Black Sea beach, Ereğli is a popular tourist destination locally. The city does not have an airport (Erdemir has a small private field) or rail station, but can be reached by automobile or bus from

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and other places. In addition to its fishing and steel, Ereğli is also well known for its delicious Ottoman strawberry. The discoverer of the northern Turkish coalfields, Uzun Mehmet, lived in the ''Kestaneci Köyü'' ("Chestnut-seller Village") section of Ereğli. The International Love, Peace, Friendship, Culture and Art Festival is held every year in Karadeniz Ereğli.

Sports

Ereğli is an active spot in women's football. Karadeniz Ereğli Belediyespor is currently competing in National Women's Football League. Furthermore, Karadeniz Ereğli Spor won Girls' U-15 Turkey Championship in 2011. Also, local men's football clubs of Ereğli compete in amateur leagues. In 2000s, Erdemirspor had several successful professional sport teams. Men's volleyball team won three Turkish Men's Volleyball League championship titles ( 2001-02, 2003-04, and 2004-05), but was withdrawn from the league in 2007. Men's basketball team competed in Men's Basketball Super League for 7 seasons (2004-06, 2008-13), until Erdemir disestablished the team in 2013. It also won two championship titles in the lower basketball league. Besides, women's basketball team competed in the Woman's Basketball League in 2000s. Chess is also a popular sport in Ereğli. There are two chess clubs in the city, and Ereğli hosts around 10 local chess tournaments each year.

References

External links

Ereğli Municipality official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karadeniz Eregli Black Sea port cities and towns in Turkey Populated places in Ereğli District, Zonguldak Fishing communities in Turkey Populated coastal places in Turkey District municipalities in Turkey Cerberus

History

Facts

Sports

See also

References

External links