Ordu | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Area code | 0452 |
- Not to be confused with Urdu language.
Ordu (Greek: Κοτύωρα Cotyora) is a port on the Black Sea coast of Turkey and the capital city of Ordu Province.
Etymology edit
"Ordu" means 'army' in the Turkish language (and the word has come down in modern English as the word horde). The name may have been given because in the 15th century the city was a headquarters of the Ottoman Empire army , or alternatively the name may be a derivation from the earlier Greek name Kotyora.
History edit
The city was founded in the 8th century BC as Cotyora one of a string of colonies along the Black Sea coast established by the Ancient Greek Aegean city of Miletos. [1]
In the late 19th century, the Armenian community of the city was persecuted in the Hamidian massacres. Soon after, they tried to return to the city and rebuild their lives. [2]
Prior to WWI, the city's 13,000 people were predominantly Christian, with 5,500 Greeks, 2,500 Armenians and 5,000 Turks.
During the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian population of the city was massacred and deported[3][4][5]. Armenians were placed on boats and drowned in the Black Sea. [1][2]
Today, the city's population is overwhelmingly Turkish following the Armenian Genocide and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey as defined in the Treaty of Lausanne. However, some Pontic Greeks still live in the area, alongside Turks.
Ordu today edit
Today the city is the centre of a large hazelnut processing industry, including Sagra, [6] one of the largest Turkish hazelnut processors and exporters, and Fiskobirlik,[7] the largest hazelnut co-op in the world. The Sagra factory shop selling many varieties of chocolate-covered hazelnut is one of the town's attractions.
Ordu has a liberal air compared to the cities further east along this coast and has traditionally been left-leaning and is one of the few municipalities in Turkey controlled by the left-wing DSP (when most of the Black Sea coast voted for the Islamist-leaning AKP).
The local music is typical of the Black Sea region, instruments include the kemençe. The cuisine is typical Turkish dishes such as pide and kebab but includes the well-known 'burnt ice-cream' which comes in two flavours, plain or caramel.
Well-known residents edit
- the Ordu Municipality Black Sea Theatre Group, one of the first Turkish theatres outside the major cities, founded by Muhsin Ertuğrul in 1964.
Places of interest edit
The surrounding countryside, including the high pastures in the mountains, and the Black Sea coast have great natural beauty. Popular sites include:
- Boztepe - the hill above the town, the local viewpoint.
Religious edit
Historical Christian sites in Ordu include:
- the restored Armenian church on Boztepe[8].
- The ruins of Bolaman Castle [9].
See also edit
External links edit
- Pictures of the city
- www.wer52.de
- (in Turkish) kişisel web website
- (in Turkish) local information website
- (in Turkish) and another one
- (in Turkish) fan site of the mighty Orduspor
Notes edit
- ^ Founding of city
- ^ Report on Ordu Armenian
- ^ Jay Murray Winter (Published 2004). America and the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Cambridge University Press. pp. p. 81. ISBN 0521829585.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Check date values in:|year=(help) - ^ Auron, Yaïr (2000). The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0765808811.
- ^ http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17910
- ^ http://www.sagra.com/sagra/tr
- ^ http://www.fiskobirlik.org.tr
- ^ "Ordu". PBase. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
- ^ http://www.eclipse2006.boun.edu.tr/sites/ordu.htm
Hetoum I/Sandbox2 in Ordu Province of Turkey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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