İskenderun
İskenderun
Alexandretta | |
---|---|
District and municipality | |
Coordinates: 36°34′54″N 36°09′54″E / 36.5817°N 36.1650°E | |
Country | Turkey |
Province | Hatay |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mehmet Fatih Tosyalı (AKP) |
Area | 247 km2 (95 sq mi) |
Population (2022)[1] | 251,682 |
• Density | 1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
Area code | 0326 |
Website | www |
İskenderun (
The city's history dates back to 333 BC, when it was founded by Alexander the Great as Alexandretta. It subsequently fell under Seleucid rule before being conquered by the Romans. After defeating the Byzantines in the 8th century, the Abbasid Caliphate gained control of the city. During the First Crusade, it came under the control of the Principality of Antioch before being captured by the Mamluk Sultanate.
By the 15th century, the Ottomans had conquered the city, maintaining control over it until the partition of the Ottoman Empire after the Allied victory in World War I. It subsequently became a sanjak in the French mandate of Syria until 1938, when France granted the region independence. The city became part of the Hatay State which in turn united with Turkey in 1939.
Name
The city was founded as Alexandria (Ἀλεξάνδρεια) to commemorate Alexander the Great's victory over the Persian Darius III at Issus (Cilicia) in (333 BC). Starting in the Middle Ages, Western pilgrims used the diminutive Romance form Alexandretta.[7]
History
Antiquity
İskenderun preserves the name, but probably not the exact site, of Alexandria ad Issum. The settlement was so called having been founded by
The importance of the place comes from its relation to the aforesaid Syrian Gates, the easiest approach to the open ground of Hatay Province and Aleppo.[8] Because of its hilly, rough surroundings, the city also went by the name of Alexandria Scabiosa ('Alexandria the Mountainous').[10]
Ecclesiastical history
No longer a residential diocese, Alexandria Minor is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[13] In that list it was long named Cambysopolis,[10] but the Annuario Pontificio now gives the correct ancient name.
Ottoman era
There was fighting here under the
However, in the later Ottoman period the city developed as the main port on the Mediterranean for the overland trade from Baghdad and India, which had great importance until the establishment of the Egyptian overland route. Alexandretta served as a base, first for Genoese and Venetian merchants, then Western and Northern European merchants. The British Levant Company maintained an agency and factory here for 200 years, until 1825, in spite of high mortality among its employees[8] because of regional disease, some due to lack of sanitation systems. During the 19th century the port grew, and the road to Aleppo was improved.[citation needed] Sanitation was also improved,[8] and the railway was built in 1912.
At the outset of World War I, when Britain was contemplating the partition of the Ottoman Empire, Lord Kitchener considered the conquest of Alexandretta to be essential in providing Britain with a port and railhead from which to access Iraq. He proposed a new railway be built to the east from Alexandretta, which would greatly reduce the time for reaching India from the UK. The De Bunsen Committee (8 April – 30 June 1915), a British inter-departmental group which was set up to discuss the issue in greater detail, preferred Haifa for this purpose.[14]
Ultimately the British decided not to attack the Ottoman Empire via Alexandretta. On 8 February 1915 the French foreign minister, Théophile Delcassé, protested to Britain's Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey about such an attack, citing a commitment that Britain made in 1912 that it had no designs on Syria.[15] The German field marshal, Hindenburg, later said that
Perhaps not the whole course of the war, but certainly the fate of our Ottoman Ally, could have been settled out of hand, if England had secured a decision in that region, or even seriously attempted it. Possession of the country south of the Tauras [mountains] would have been lost to Turkey at a blow if the English had succeeded in landing at Alexandretta.[16]
Armenians, who have maintained a cultural and economic presence in Iskenderun for centuries, most notably due to trade, were wiped out in the Hamidian Massacres,[17] Adana Massacres,[18] and the Armenian genocide,[19] after centuries of discrimination.[citation needed]
Republic of Hatay
Following the collapse of the
In July 1920 the
The
In the 2010s Syria still claimed against Turkey its sovereignty on the Alexandretta region.[20]
Modern era
At the 2013 reorganisation, İskenderun district lost a large part of its territory to the new district Arsuz.[25]
In February 2023, the city was heavily damaged by
Geography
İskenderun is located on the eastern Mediterranean coast on the
Composition
There are 45
- Akarca
- Akçay
- Aşkarbeyli
- Azganlık
- Barbaros
- Barıştepe
- Bekbele
- Bitişik
- Buluttepe
- Büyükdere
- Çay
- Cebike
- Çınarlı
- Cırtıman
- Cumhuriyet
- Denizciler
- Dumlupınar
- Esentepe
- Fatihsultan
- Gültepe
- Gürsel
- Güzelçay
- Hürriyet
- İsmet İnönü
- Kaledibi
- Karayılan
- Kavaklıoluk
- Kocatepe
- Kurtuluş
- Meydan
- Modernevler
- Muradiye
- Mustafa Kemal
- Numune
- Orhangazi
- Pınarbaşı
- Pirireis
- Sakarya
- Sarıseki
- Savaş
- Suçıkağı
- Süleymaniye
- Yenişehir
- Yıldırımtepe
- Yunusemre
Climate
İskenderun has a
Climate data for İskenderun (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1975-2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
37.6 (99.7) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.8 (101.8) |
40.0 (104.0) |
37.4 (99.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
26.5 (79.7) |
40.0 (104.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.7 (60.3) |
16.7 (62.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
26.2 (79.2) |
29.2 (84.6) |
31.5 (88.7) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
28.0 (82.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
12.9 (55.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
18.1 (64.6) |
13.8 (56.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
9.6 (49.3) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.6 (79.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
20.1 (68.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.8 (51.4) |
17.5 (63.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
0.4 (32.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.2 (52.2) |
14.8 (58.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
15.4 (59.7) |
2.5 (36.5) |
2.4 (36.3) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 97.4 (3.83) |
95.6 (3.76) |
84.6 (3.33) |
64.7 (2.55) |
54.3 (2.14) |
30.9 (1.22) |
12.8 (0.50) |
24.6 (0.97) |
51.3 (2.02) |
67.4 (2.65) |
80.4 (3.17) |
97.2 (3.83) |
761.2 (29.97) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 9.1 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 8.5 | 70.4 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
59.1 | 59.5 | 62.2 | 65.7 | 67.8 | 69.0 | 70.5 | 69.9 | 64.4 | 58.9 | 54.0 | 57.6 | 63.2 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 127.8 | 145.5 | 192.6 | 213.2 | 271.8 | 294.6 | 287.4 | 270.5 | 252.3 | 223.7 | 167.2 | 125.7 | 2,572.3 |
Source 1: NOAA[30] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (extremes)[31] |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17.6 °C (63.7 °F) | 16.4 °C (61.5 °F) | 16.6 °C (61.9 °F) | 17.6 °C (63.7 °F) | 20.9 °C (69.6 °F) | 24.8 °C (76.6 °F) | 27.5 °C (81.5 °F) | 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) | 27.8 °C (82.0 °F) | 25.4 °C (77.7 °F) | 21.5 °C (70.7 °F) | 18.9 °C (66.0 °F) |
Demographics
19th-century traveler
Main sights
- The Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia.
- Bakras (Bagras) Castle, which was built in antiquity and restored many times in later centuries (particularly during the Crusades, when it was a stronghold of the Knights Templar), served as a watchtower on the 27 km (17 mi) mountain road from İskenderun to Antakya (Antioch).
Gallery
-
Iskenderun Courthouse
-
Interior of Ulu Mosque in İskenderun
-
İskenderun Orthodox Church
-
İskenderun port
Culture
Cuisine
Distinctive İskenderun dishes include
Media
İskenderun is served by the Güney Gazetesi newspaper.
Sports
The city has two
The city's basketball team is called İskenderun Belediyesi Spor Kulübü.
In popular culture
İskenderun is featured in the film
Notable natives
- Helenus of Alexandria (Cilicia), local bishop in the 2nd or 3rd century.
- Sarkis Soghanalian (1929–2011), aka Merchant of Death, a Syrian-Lebanese-Armenian private arms dealer
- Yalçın Küçük (born 1938), a Turkish socialist writer, economist, historian and media pundit
- Erol Erdinç (born 1945), a Turkish conductor of classical music, composer, pianist and educator.
- Cem Erman (1947–2011), a Turkish film actor.
- Yasin Özdenak (born 1948), a Turkish former football goalkeeper
- Nilüfer Çınar Çorlulu (born 1962), a Turkish Woman Chess International Master.
- Uğur Şahin (born 1965), a German oncologist and immunologist.
- Jehan Barbur (born 1980), a Turkish singer-songwriter
- Selçuk İnan (born 1985), a football coach and former player with 488 club caps and 61 for Turkey
See also
- Çukurova
- Hatay Province
- Names of Asian cities in different languages
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- List of cities founded by Alexander the Great
References
- ^ TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ Cpt. Charlewood (1871). "Euphrates Valley Railway". Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art. 4 (2): 428.
- ^ Parsons, Abraham (1808). "Travels in Africa and Asia". The Critical Review, or, Annals of Literature. 3 (14): 135.
- ^ Justice, Alexander (1707). A General Treatise of the Monies and Exchanges of all trading Nations. S. and J. Sprint, and J. Nicholson. p. 232.
- ^ Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd edition, s.v. Iskandarūn
- ^ a b c d public domain: Hogarth, David George (1911). "Alexandretta". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 568. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Herodian, History of the Empire, §3.4.1
- ^ a b Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908, s.v. Cambysopolis
- ^ Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 903-906
- ^ Siméon Vailhé, v. Alexandria minor ou Alexandrette, in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. II, Paris 1914, coll. 287-289
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 829
- ^ Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to End all Peace. p. 149.
- ^ James Barr (2011). A Line in the Sand. p. 15.
- ^ A.J. Barker (1967). The Neglected War: Mesopotamia 1914-1918. p. 472.
- ^ "Hamidian massacres | Ottoman and Armenian history".
- ^ From Bloodless Revolution to Bloody Counterrevolution: The Adana Massacres of 1909
- ^ "Armenian Genocide | History, Causes, & Facts". 20 June 2023.
- ^ OCLC 1005506048. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Sarah Shields, Fezzes in the River Oxford University Press, 2011
- ^ Fisk, Robert (1 February 2012). "Robert Fisk: Syria is used to the slings and arrows of friends and enemies". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
French handed it over to Turkey after a fraudulent referendum
- ^ Fisk, Robert. "A LAND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
After engineering a fraudulent referendum in north-west Syria – the Turks trucked their supporters into the city
- ISBN 0-7546-3338-1.
Turkish army ... expelled most the province's Alawite Arabs and Armenian majority. A rigged referendum followed
- ^ "Law No. 6360". Official Gazette (in Turkish). 6 December 2012.
- ^ "Son dakika... Hatay İskenderun'da depremin ardından 'deniz seviyesi' yükseldi!". Cumhuriyet. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Turkey-Syria earthquake: Fire at Iskenderun port extinguished". BBC News. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ "WATCH: Plane flies through smoke as port fire reignites". BBC News. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Iskenderun Climate Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "İl ve İlçelerimize Ait İstatistiki Veriler- Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ Ltd, Copyright Global Sea Temperatures – A-Connect. "İskenderun Sea Temperature May Average, Turkey – Sea Temperatures". World Sea Temperatures.
- ^ Hartmann, Martin (1894). Das liwa Haleb (Aleppo) und ein Teil des Liwa Dschebel Bereket. Berlin: W. Pormetter. pp. 101–102. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
Sources:
- İskenderun Guide Archived 27 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine