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PART 8: The Flatlands,
Samsun Turkey
The familiar mountainous landscape of the Black Sea coast comes to an abrupt end
past Unye. From here to Sinop, one has the two broad alluvial plains of the
Yeşilırmak (the Çarsamba Plain) and the Kızılırmak (the Bafra Plain) alternating
with the hill countries of the Samsun region and the Alaçam-Gerze stretch. The
eastern boundary of the former Empire of Trehi/ond is crossed
at Unye. Hazelnut gives way to tobacco fields around Çarşamba.
Near Terme are the meagre ruins of ancient Themiscyra, which classical writers
as
sociated with the Amazons, the legendary female warriors. Strabo relates that
Amazons lived among themselves in the vicinity of Themiscyra for ten months of
the year, and spent the remaining two months in the intimate company of the
neighboring Gagarians. The resulting babies were kept if they were girls, but
sent back to the fathers if boys. Amazons of a less radical variety can now be
observed hawking and haggling at the women's market of Terme.
Any combination of side roads cap be taken from the area of Terme to the
fascinating natural sanctuary of the marshlands of the Çarşamba Plain. This is
an extraordinarily fertile land of detached farms, woods, canals and lagoons
that one is tempted to compare with the Camargue or the Mississippi bayou
country. At the outer edge is the mazelike Simenlik Lagoon. posiitively teeming
with jumping kefal (grey mullet) under the surface and several hundred species
of birds, including large flocks of wild ducks, above it. Further out, one finds
an extensive and unspoiled beach, one of the finest on the whole Black Sea
coast. The region is seldom visited by tourists and locals tend to be extremely
direct and spontaneous toward the odd visitor. Most are avid fishers, hunters
and rakı-drinkers. With their help a supposedly short detour runs the risk of
stretching into a stay of a day or two, possibly at the farm of someone like
Cavit Kurnaz at Kabah village, in a secluded environ¬ment where one feels
liberated from all sense of time and location.
Samsun Map
Samsun might come as something of a shock after so much serenity. This is a
bustling port city which has grown almost 20-fold in population over the last 70
years and shed all traces of historic or esthetic value in the process. Even
Atatürk did not stay long, altthough his arrival on May 19th, 1919, is writ
large across the town The date
marked the beginning of the move¬ment of national resistance that eventually led
to the creation of the Turkish Republic. Samsun celebrates it not only with
sumptuous ceremonies on the anniversary each year, but also with a large number
of mementoes ranging from the name of the main street to the local 19 Ma yıs
kebabı which may be tasted at the restaurant of Grand Hotel Samsun. In July, the
pageant of the great commercial fair (called-what else-the 19 Mayıs Fair) may
justify a few hours' delay.
Samsun is at the center of the most important tobacco-growing region of Turkey,
as attested by the name of the country's most popular cigarette brand. But the
bustling town of Bafra is a better place to observe the authentic colors and
flavors of an oldfashioned tobacco market.
PART 1:
Hazelnut Country
PART 2:
Stately Houses
PART 3:
Texas in Turkey
PART 4:
Birds, Castles, Lost Churches
PART 5:
Cherrytown
PART 6:
Şebinkarahisar
PART 7:
Ordu to Unye
PART 8:
The Flatlands
PART 9:
A Historic Metropolis
PART 10:
Paphlagonia
PART 11:
The Tail End
Useful links
Eastern Black Sea houses, Turkey
Pumpkin recipes
UZUNGOL, Trabzon Turkey travel
Traditional Safranbolu houses, Safranbolu Turkey
Serander, Rural Architecture in the Eastern Black Sea
Region
Addresses & Phone numbers of Museums in Istanbul
Lake Efteni, Autumn
Black Lakes of Artvin province TurkeyParhars:
The Black Sea Yaylas (Plateaux) |
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