Vezirköprü
Encyclopedia
History
Vezirköprü has been dated to the HittitesHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
(2000 to 700 BC) who had established the first town some 2,5 kilometres away from the present city.
It has been proven that the road from Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
(Assyrian
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
capital city) to Black Sea passed through Vezirköprü which thus may be said that it was situated on an important caravan road. The Phrygians
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
took over the region in 1200 BC and Alexander the Great later extended his rule to this part of Anatolia. At the breakup of Alexander's empire the Vezirköprü region became part of the kingdom of Pontos with its capital at Amaseia (Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
), later at Sinope (Sinop
Sinop
Sinop can refer to:* Sinop, Turkey, a city near the Black Sea in Turkey, and the battle that took place there.* Sinop Province, the province in Turkey of which the above city is the capital* Sinop, Mato Grosso, a city in Mato Grosso state, Brazil...
). When the last king Mithradates VI was defeated by the Romans, Pompey the Great founded a "new city", Neapolis, which later changed its name to Neoklaudiopolis, the forerunner of modern Vezirköprü. The city was destroyed under the raids of Phrygians and Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
reconstructed it under the name of Theacliodiopolis. Remnants of manors from that period suggest that the town was indeed a rich one.
Vezirköprü was again destroyed during the wars between the Seljuqs and the Byzantines and Sultan Mesut reconstructed it in 1160 as Gadegara. Since the town was frequently pillaged in the local revolts against the Ottoman Empire, the inhabitants felt the need to construct two castles to protect themselves. Taşkale and Toprakkale castles built for this purpose.
Vezirköprü was first attached to Sivas, then to Amasya and finally to Samsun in 1925.
Geography
Vezirköprü is bordered by Alaçam and Bafra in the north, Havza in the east, Gümüşhacıköy and Merzifon in the south and Boyabat and Osmancık in the west. Its altitude is 339 metres and is situated in a bowl encircled by mountains of 400 metres and higher. The highest rises re Kunduztepe (1738 m) and Kalatepe (1450 m). The most important river is Kızılırmak, running some 15 kilometres away.Climate
Vezirköprü is at the transition zone between the marine and continental climates with cold winters, warm and dry summers and rainy springs and autumns. Prevailing winds are from the west in winter and from south in summer.Socio-Economic Structure
The economy is essentially agricultural, zoocultural and sylvicultural. There is a considerable grain, fruit and vegetable production together with sugar beets, tobacco, hemp, sunflower, sesame and flax.Transports
Buses ply daily between Vezirköprü, Samsun, Ankara, İstanbul and Bursa. The distance to Samsun is 116 kilometres.Sightseeing
The lack sufficient archaeological studies makes it rather difficult to ascribe discovered ruins to any particular civilisation. There are seventeen known mounds and tumuli waiting to be excavated. There is a large number mosques, chapels, shrines, bathhouses, bazaars, hostels, caravanserais, towers, fountains and religious complexes worth seeing in the region.A ten - day Mehmet Pasha Culture, Art and Sports Festival is held every year in September.
Overnighting And Meals
Vezir Hotel located downtown is an overnighting place and restaurant for the visitors, specially Truck drivers.There is also a 60 - bed questhouse at Kunduz foreast of the Forestry Authority.
Meals with drained yoghurt, oven roasted veal, charcoal roasted lamb and pastas are renowned.