Mersin

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Mersin
Metropolitan Province
Mersin Location of Mersin within Turkey Mersin Mersin (Europe) Mersin Mersin (Asia) Mersin Mersin (Earth) Show map of TurkeyShow map of EuropeShow map of AsiaShow map of EarthShow all
Coordinates: 36°48′N 34°38′E / 36.800°N 34.633°E / 36.800; 34.633Coordinates: 36°48′N 34°38′E / 36.800°N 34.633°E / 36.800; 34.633
Country	Turkey
Region	Mediterranean
Province	Mersin
Government
• Mayor	Vahap Seçer (CHP)
Area
• Metropolitan Province	15,485 km2 (5,979 sq mi)
• Urban	1,590 km2 (610 sq mi)
• Metro	1,590 km2 (610 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (31/12/2019 estimation[1])
• Metropolitan Province	1,840,825
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
• Urban	1,035,632
• Urban density	650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
• Metro	1,035,632
• Metro density	650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	33XXX
Area code(s)	(+90) 324 Metropolitan Municipality
Licence plate	33
Website	Mersin

Mersin (pronounced [ˈmæɾsin], Greek: Μυρσίνη) is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey.

As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the Metropolitan Province population was 1,840,825 inhabitants whom 1,035,632 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 4 urban districts, making it the 12th millionaire built-up area of Turkey.^[2] As urbanization continue towards east, a larger metropolitan region with Tarsus and Adana is in making with more than 3,3 million inhabitants, the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, and lies on the western part of Çukurova, a geographical, economic and cultural region.

Mersin is an important hub of Turkey's economy, and Turkey's largest seaport is located in the city. Mersin's nickname in Turkey is "Pearl of the Mediterranean" (Turkish: Akdeniz'in İncisi), and the city hosted the 2013 Mediterranean Games. Mersin is the provincial capital of the eponymous Mersin Province of Turkey.

Etymology[]

The city was named after the aromatic plant genus Myrsine (Greek: Μυρσίνη, Turkish: mersin) in the family Primulaceae, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi has recorded in his Seyahatnâme that there was also a clan named Mersinoğulları in the area.^[3]

History[]

Prehistory[]

This coast has been inhabited since the 9th millennium BC. Excavations by John Garstang of the hill of Yumuktepe have revealed 23 levels of occupation, the earliest dating from ca. 6300 BC. Fortifications were put up around 4500 BC, but the site appears to have been abandoned between 350 BC and 300 BC.

Classical era[]

In subsequent centuries, the city became a part of many states and civilizations including the Hittites, Assyrians, Urartians, Persians, Greeks, Armenians, Seleucids and Lagids. During the Ancient Greek period, the city bore the name Zephyrion (Greek: Ζεφύριον^[4]) and was mentioned by numerous ancient authors. Apart from its natural harbor and strategic position along the trade routes of southern Anatolia, the city profited from trade in molybdenum (white lead) from the neighbouring mines of . Ancient sources attributed the best molybdenum to the city, which also minted its own coins.

Hellenistic sculpture in Mersin Archaeological Museum

The area later became a part of the Roman province of Cilicia, which had its capital at Tarsus, while nearby Mersin was the major port.^{[citation needed]} The city, whose name was Latinized to Zephyrium, was renamed as Hadrianopolis in honor of the Roman emperor Hadrian.

After the death of the emperor Theodosius I in 395 and the subsequent permanent division of the Roman Empire, Mersin fell into what became the Byzantine Empire.

The city was an episcopal see under the Patriarchate of Antioch. Le Quien names four bishops of Zephyrium:^[5] Aerius, present at the First Council of Constantinople in 381; Zenobius, a Nestorian, the writer of a letter protesting the removal of Bishop Meletius of Mopsuestia by Patriarch John of Antioch (429–441); Hypatius, present at the Council of Chalcedon in 451; and Peter, at the Council in Trullo in 692. The bishopric is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees, but since the Second Vatican Council no new titular bishop of this Eastern see has been appointed.^[6]

Medieval Period[]

The area of Cilicia was conquered by the Arabs in the early 7th century, by which time it appears it was a deserted site. After them came the Egyptian Tulunids, the Byzantines between 965 and the 12th century, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Mamluks, Anatolian beyliks, and finally the city was conquered by the Ottomans from the Ramadanid Principality in 1473 and formally annexed by Selim I in 1517.

Ottoman Empire[]

This section needs expansion with: the city's history between 16th and 19th century. You can help by . (November 2020)

From Mersin Archaeological Museum

During the American Civil War, the region became a major supplier of cotton to make up for the high demand due to shortage. Railroads were extended to Mersin in 1866 from where cotton was exported by sea, and the city developed into a major trade center.

In 1909, Mersin's port hosted 645 steamships and 797,433 tons of goods. Before World War I, Mersin exported mainly sesame seeds, cottonseed, cakes and cereals, cotton, and livestock. Cotton was exported to Europe, grain to Turkey, and livestock to Egypt. Coal was the most prevalent import into Mersin at this time. Messageries Maritimes was the largest shipping line to use the port at Mersin.^[7]

In 1918, Mersin was occupied by French and British troops in accordance with the Treaty of Sèvres. It was recovered by the Turkish army in 1921 through Franco-Turkish War. In 1924, Mersin was made a province, and in 1933 Mersin and İçel provinces were merged to form the (greater Mersin) İçel Province. The capital of the province was Mersin. In 2002 the name of the province was changed to Mersin Province.^[8]

As of 1920, Mersin had five piers at its port, with one privately owned by a railroad company serving Mersin, Tarsus, and Adana.^[9]

Modern Mersin[]

Mertim Tower was the tallest building in Turkey between 1987 and 2000

Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with skyscrapers, huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban amenities. The seaside of Mersin is the longest seaside in Turkey as well as in Eastern Mediterranean.

Coastal area of the city

The Metropolitan Municipality is now trying to rescue the sea front with walkways, parks and statues, and there are still palm trees on the roadsides especially where the young generation like to hang out in the cafés and patisseries of smart neighbourhoods such as or Çamlıbel.^[which?] These are established neighbourhoods where there are many well-known shops and restaurants with years of experience and reputations to protect. The city centre is a maze of narrow streets and arcades of little shops and cafes, with young people buzzing around on scooters. The old quarter near the fish market is where you will find the stalls selling tantuni and grilled liver sandwiches.

One of the most distinctive features of the city as a whole is the solar heating panels, they are everywhere, on top of every building.

Climate[]

Mersin has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa, Trewartha climate classification: Cs), a type of subtropical climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Mersin has its highest rainfall in winter. The driest months are in summer with hardly any rainfall at all.

Demographics[]

The population of the city was 1,035,652 (Mersin Province: 1,840,425) according to 2019 estimates. The population of the sub municipalities within Greater Mersin is shown below:^[11]

Religion[]

Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua

Some of the largest mosques include the Muğdat Mosque, built in the name of a companion of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, Miqdad ibn Aswad, and the central Mersin Grand Mosque. The Old Mosque was built by Sultan Abdul Aziz in 1865 next to a foundation (vakıf).

The Mersin Interfaith Cemetery, sometimes also called Tolerance, is renowned for being a common cemetery of all religions. It includes graves of Muslims, Christians and Jews.^[12][13]

The city is home to the Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua.

Economy and transportation[]

Historically, Mersin was a major producer of cottonseed oil.^[14] The rural area around Mersin is famous for citrus and cotton production. Banana, olive and various fruits are also produced.

The biggest shopping mall of the city, is home to more than 100 shops.^[15]

The Port of Mersin is the mainstay of city's economy. The port is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries, and is currently^[when?] being operated by PSA International. There are 45 piers, a total port area of 785,000 square metres (194 acres), with a capacity of 6,000 ships per year.

Adjacent to the port is Mersin Free Zone established in 1986, the first free zone in Turkey, with warehouses, shops, assembly-disassembly, maintenance and engineering workshops, banking and insurance, packing-repacking, labelling and exhibition facilities. The zone is a publicly owned center for foreign investors, close to major markets in the (Middle East, North Africa, East and West Europe, Russian Federation and Central Asia. The trading volume of the free zone was USD 51.8 billion in 2002.

Mersin Train Station

Mersin has highway connections to the north, east and west. Mersin is also connected to the southern railroad. Adana Airport is the main airport serving the city and located 69 kilometres (43 mi) outside of Mersin's city centre. Mersin railway station is the main railway station in the city. The station is located in the district of Akdeniz and in use since 1886. Mersin Bus Terminus is the newly built bus terminus of Mersin for intercity bus service. Opened on 28 February 2015, it replaced the former bus terminus, which served from 1986. A metro system is planned, with 11 stations and a length of 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi).^[16]

Turkey had planned to construct Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which would become its first nuclear power plant, some 80 miles west of Mersin.^[17] In March 2008, Turkey opened the bidding for the construction of the plant. Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, has opposed the construction.^[17] As of 2020 the plant is still under construction.

Media[]

Local TV channels

• Kanal 33
• İçel TV
• Sun RTV
• Güney TV

Local radio channels

• Radyo Metropol (101.8)
• Tarsus Süper FM (91.1)
• Tempo 94 FM (94.3)
• Örgün FM (94.7)
• Tarsus Star FM (95.5)
• Tarsus Radyo Time (97.7)
• Flaş FM (98.3)
• Mix FM (91.6) (sadece yabancı müzik, 1993-günümüz)
• Kent Radyo (98.5)

Culture[]

Mersin Archaeological Museum

Because the city has been a crossroads for centuries, the local culture is a medley of civilizations. Mersin has a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara. Mersin International Music Festival was established in 2001 and takes place every October.

Mersin Halkevi

The photography associations (MFD) and Mersin Olba Fotoğraf Derneği (MOF) are amongst the most popular and active cultural organizations in the city. Some cultural activities are sponsored by the İçel Sanat Kulübü (i.e. Art Club of Mersin) and Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club.

There are six museums within the Mersin's urban area; Mersin Museum, Mersin Atatürk Museum, Mersin Naval Museum, Mersin State Art and Sculpture Museum, Mersin Urban History Museum, Mersin Water Museum.

Cuisine[]

Tantuni served with Şalgam.

The local cuisine of Mersin is well-known in Turkey, and restaurants specializing on Mersin's cuisine can be found all over Turkey. The provincial cuisine includes specialties such as:

• , (liver on mangal), typically served on lavaş with an assortment of meze at 12 skewers at a time,
• Tantuni, a hot lavaş wrap consisting of julienned lamb stir-fried on a sac on a hint of cottonseed oil,
• Bumbar or mumbar, lamb intestines filled with a mixture of rice, meat and pistachios, that are served either grilled or steamed, famous throughout the Levant
• Cezerye, a lokum made of sweet carrots, covered in ground pistachios or coconuts,
• , a variety of shaved ice served with pekmez or honey as toppings,
• Künefe, a wood-oven baked dessert based on a mixture of cheese and pastry; known all throughout the Levant,
• , a shortbread filled with pistachio paste, also famous throughout the Levant,
• Şalgam suyu, a beverage made of fermented red carrots, very popular in Southern Turkey.

Sports[]

The city was formerly home to Mersin İdman Yurdu, a football club that played in the Süper Lig as recently as the 2015–16 season. The men's basketball team of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. plays in the Turkish Basketball League while its women's basketball team plays in the Turkish Women's Basketball League.

The city has two football stadiums: Mersin Arena, with a seating capacity of 25,534, and Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,128. The men's and women's basketball teams of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. play their home matches at the Edip Buran Sport Hall, which has a seating capacity of 2,700.

Mersin hosted the 2013 Mediterranean Games. For this purpose, eleven new sports venues were built. The Servet Tazegül Arena, the fourth biggest indoor arena of Turkey with its 7,500 seating capacity, hosted the men's basketball events and the volleyball finals of the Games.^[18] The athletics and paralympic athletics events were held at the Nevin Yanıt Athletics Complex.^[19]

• 

  Mersin Gymnastics Hall

• 

  Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool

• 

  Mersin Arena

• 

  Sporthall in Mersin

Education[]

Mersin University Dorms

Mersin University was founded in 1992 and started teaching in 1993–1994, with 11 faculties, 6 schools and 9 vocational schools. The university has had about 10 thousand graduates, has broadened its current academic staff to more than 2,100 academicians, and enrolls 22,000 students.

Toros University, a non-profit private foundation university is also established in Mersin since 2009.

International relations[]

Twin towns – sister cities[]

Mersin is twinned with:^[20]

Notable people[]

• Evelyn Baghtcheban – one of the pioneers of opera and choral music in Iran
• Anton Christoforidis – NBA Light Heavyweight Champion
• Muazzez İlmiye Çığ – academic and writer
• Haldun Dormen – theatre & film actor and director
• Musa Eroğlu – composer, musician
• Uğur Ersoy – engineering academic
• Reşit Galip – former minister of National education
• Ahmet Mete Işıkara – scientist
• Müfide İlhan – first woman mayor in Turkey in the 1950s
• Gencay Kasapçı – painter
• Ahmet Kireççi (aka Mersinli Ahmet) – Olympic medalist wrestler
• Nevit Kodallı – composer
• Seyhan Kurt – poet, writer, sociologist
• Cemal Mersinli – a pasha of the Ottoman Empire
• İpek Ongun – writer
• Macit Özcan – former mayor
• Fikri Sağlar – former Minister of Culture
• Suna Tanaltay – writer and psychologist.
• Nevin Yanıt – female sprinter (European champion in 100 m hurdles)
• Atıf Yılmaz – film director and producer
• Mabel Matiz – pop music singer-songwriter
• Tuğba Şenoğlu – volleyball player
• Emre Demir – footballer

See also[]

References[]

Notes[]

• Blue Guide, Turkey, The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts (ISBN 0-393-30489-2), pp. 556–557.
• Blood-Dark Track: A Family History (Granta Books) by Joseph O'Neill, contains a detailed and evocative history of the city, viewed from the perspective of a Christian Syrian family long resident in Mersin.
• Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (ISBN 0-691-03169-X), p. 66
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Zephyrium". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

External links[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mersin.

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Zephyrium.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mersin.

• Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites
• Catholic Encyclopedia "Zephyrium"

v t Largest cities or towns in Turkey TÜİK's address-based calculation from December 2017.
	Rank	Name	Province	Pop.	Rank	Name	Province	Pop.
Istanbul Ankara	1	Istanbul	Istanbul	14,744,519	11	Mersin	Mersin	1,005,455	İzmir Bursa
	2	Ankara	Ankara	4,871,884	12	Urfa	Şanlıurfa	921,978
	3	İzmir	İzmir	2,938,546	13	Eskişehir	Eskişehir	752,630
	4	Bursa	Bursa	2,074,799	14	Denizli	Denizli	638,989
	5	Adana	Adana	1,753,337	15	Kahramanmaraş	Kahramanmaraş	632,487
	6	Gaziantep	Gaziantep	1,663,273	16	Samsun	Samsun	625,410
	7	Antalya	Antalya	1,311,471	17	Malatya	Malatya	618,831
	8	Konya	Konya	1,130,222	18	İzmit	Kocaeli	570,077
	9	Kayseri	Kayseri	1,123,611	19	Adapazarı	Sakarya	492,027
	10	Diyarbakır	Diyarbakır	1,047,286	20	Erzurum	Erzurum	422,389