Karamürsel 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 ...

Kocaeli Province Kocaeli Province (, ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey and one of only three not to have the same official name as its capital, İzmit, which is thus also sometim ...

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 262 km², and its population is 59,676 (2022). It is on the south coast of the Gulf of İzmit. Before its conquest by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

it used to be called by the Greek name of Praenetos (Πραινετός in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

). The modern name commemorates Kara Mürsel who founded the Ottoman navy and designed distinctive galley ships, called ''kadırgas,'' for it. Karamürsel holds special significance for the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...

, as it was here in 1323 that 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 ...

first established an outlet to the sea, thus laying the foundations for the

Ottoman Navy The Ottoman Navy () or the Imperial Navy (), also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea in 1323 by capturing Praenetos (later called Karamürsel ...

which would go on to dominate the

eastern Mediterranean The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...

for several centuries. The Karamürsel area is not as heavily industrialised as other parts of Kocaeli province. Ferry services link Karamürsel to İzmit and Hereke on the northern side of the Bay of İzmit.

Population

According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

of Karamürsel had a total population of 25,322, consisting of 11,023

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, 10,732 Muslims, 3,549

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

and 18 foreign citizens. In 1923 the Greeks were obliged to leave Turkey under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne that concluded 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 ...

. Today the people living in Karamürsel and its villages are mainly Muslim Manav Turks and immigrants known as ''muhacir'' in Turkish. Some of these immigrants arrived from

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

, Lazistan,

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 ...

Circassia Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...

and

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

during and after the fall of Ottoman Empire; a particularly large number of

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

settled in the area after the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish war. Many Muslim refugees from all around the

settled in the region and this ethnic structure has resulted in a culture influenced by that of the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. More recently Karamürsel has also attracted settlers from other parts of

, especially the Black Sea Region.

The 1999 İzmit Earthquake

Karamürsel was badly damaged on 17 August 1999 during the devastating İzmit earthquake, which rocked the eastern part of the Marmara Region. in Karamürsel alone 164 people lost their lives and many were left homeless. After the earthquake many people left for other parts of Turkey and Karamürsel resembled a ghost-town over the winter of 1999. Since then houses have been repaired and business reopened. During the earthquake, a tsunami struck both sides of the Bay of İzmit in about a single minute. Although the tsunami was not particularly large, substantial portions of the towns of Gölcük, Degirmendere and Karamürsel were inundated by the sea (Altinok et al., 1999). The coast of Karamürsel has now been repaired and reconstructed. There is a monument to those who died on the waterfront in Karamürsel.

The military

Karamürsel has a long history as an important naval base. The first Ottoman shipyard was built in Karamürsel in 1327. The ships built there formed the nucleus of the first Ottoman Naval Forces.

American base

Due to its strategic and naturally protected location, Karamürsel has been used as a naval base to help control access to the Black Sea. During the Cold War a U.S. military base was also located in Karamürsel for many years to intercept Russian radio transmissions. The station, containing a 500-foot-diameter antenna array AN/FLR-9, called Elephant Cage, was in place from 1957 until 1979; this huge landmark was visible from everywhere in Karamürsel, from villages on the hills surrounding the town and even from the shores across the Bay of Izmit. In 1975, Turkey took control of the U.S. intelligence‐gathering base. After the US military left the base was transferred to the Turkish Navy and is still in operation today. However, the US military removed an important chip from the antenna so that it would not be used after they left. The antenna was demolished in the mid-1990s. In 1958, a USDESEA Educational System school for the dependents of the U.S. military opened at th
Karamürsel Air Station
Starting as an elementary school, it was expanded to take middle school students and eventually both junior and senior high school students. In 1961, a new school building was constructed and served the educational needs of the military personnel's children until the base itself closed in 1979. In addition to the students who lived on the base with their parents, the American dependents' school at the Karamürsel Air Station (KCDI) became a regional

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

that took students from grades nine through twelve. High-school-aged students whose parents were stationed in other Turkish locations, those stationed in Iraklion Air Station in Crete, and the children of civilian federal employees working for the VOA (

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

) radio station in Xanthi, Greece then attended high school in Karamürsel.

Composition

There are 28

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 Karamürsel District: * 4 Temmuz * Akçat * Akçat Merkez * Akpınar * Avcıköy * Çamçukur * Çamdibi * Dereköy * Ereğli * Fulacık * Hayriye * İhsaniye * İnebeyli * Kadriye * Karaahmetli * Karapınar * Kayacık * Kızderbent * Oluklu * Osmaniye * Pazarköy * Safiye * Semetler * Senaiye * Suludere * Tahtalı * Tepeköy * Yalakdere

Sport

The 2012 European Junior Open Water Swimming Championships were held in Karamürsel, with 117 swimmers from 21 countries taking part.

Notable natives

* Hakan Arıkan (born 1982), footballer for

Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, and also called Bellona Kayserispor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the RHG Enertürk Enerji Stadium ...

* Necdet Calp (1922-1998), civil servant and politician *

Merih Demiral Merih Demiral (born 5 March 1998) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and Turkish national team. Club career Early years Product of the Fenerbahçe youth system, Demiral was sign ...

(born 1998), footballer for

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

* Sermet Erkin (born 1957), stage magician * Gazanfer Bilge, Wrestler

Twin towns – sister cities

* Schwandorf, Germany