Amasra | |
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.jpg) View ofAmasra Castle | |
  Amasra Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates:41°44′58″N32°23′11″E / 41.74944°N 32.38639°E /41.74944; 32.38639 | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Bartın |
| District | Amasra |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Recai Çakır (CHP) |
| Elevation | 123 m (404 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | 6,098 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 74300 |
| Area code | 0378 |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | www |
Amasra (fromGreekAmastris Ἄμαστρις,gen. Ἀμάστριδος) is a smallBlack Sea port town in theBartın Province,Turkey. It is the seat ofAmasra District.[2] Its population is 6,098 (2021).[1]
The town today is much appreciated for its beaches and natural setting, which has made tourism the most important activity for its inhabitants. Amasra has two islands: the bigger one is called Büyük ada ('Great Island'), the smaller one Tavşan adası ('Rabbit Island'). It was annexed by theOttoman Empire after theSiege of Amasra.
Situated in the ancient region ofPaphlagonia, the original city seems to have been called Sesamus (Greek: Σήσαμος), and it is mentioned byHomer[3] in conjunction withCytorus.Stephanus[4] says that it was originally called Cromna (Ancient Greek:Κρῶμνα); but in another place,[5] where he repeats the statement, he adds, as it is said; but some say that Cromna is a small place in the territory of Amastris, which is the true account. The place derived its name Amastris fromAmastris, the niece of the lastPersian kingDarius III, who was the wife ofDionysius,tyrant ofHeraclea, and after his death the wife ofLysimachus. Four small Ionian colonies, Sesamus, Cytorus, Cromna, also mentioned in theIliad,[6] andTium, were combined by Amastris, after her separation from Lysimachus,[7] to form the new community of Amastris, placed on a small river of the same name and occupying a peninsula.[8] According toStrabo, Tium soon detached itself from the community, but the rest kept together, and Sesamus was the acropolis of Amastris. From this it appears that Amastris was really a confederation or union of three places, and that Sesamus was the name of the city on the peninsula. This may explain the fact thatMela[9] mentions Sesamus and Cromna as cities of Paphlagonia, while omitting Amastris.[10]
The territory of Amastris produced a great quantity ofboxwood, which grew on the nearbyMount Cytorus. Its tyrant Eumenes presented the city of Amastris toAriobarzanes of Pontus in c. 265–260 BC rather than submit it to domination by Heraclea, and it remained in thePontic kingdom until its capture byLucius Lucullus in 70 BC in thesecond Mithridatic War.[11] The youngerPliny, when he was governor ofBithynia andPontus, describes Amastris, in a letter toTrajan,[12] as a handsome city, with a very long open place (platea), on one side of which extended what was called a river, but in fact was a filthy, pestilent, open drain. Pliny obtained the emperor's permission to cover over this sewer. On a coin of the time of Trajan, Amastris has the titleMetropolis. It continued to be a town of some note to the seventh century of our era. From Amasra got its name an important place of Constantinople, theAmastrianum.Arrian writes that the Amastris was a Greek city, which had a port for ships. He also adds that it was 90stadia from the riverParthenius and 60 stadia from theErythini[13]
The city was not abandoned in theByzantine Era, when the acropolis was transformed into a fortress and the still surviving church was built. It was sacked bythe Rus during theFirst Russo-Byzantine War in the 830s. Speros Vryonis states that in the 9th century a "combination of local industry, trade, and the produce of its soil made Amastris one of the more prosperous towns on the Black Sea."[14] In the 13th century Amastris exchanged hands several times, first, seized by aGeorgian army,[15] led byDavid Komnenos, becoming a possession of theEmpire of Trebizond in 1204,[16] then at some point in the next ten years being captured by theSeljuk Turks, until finally in 1261, in her bid to monopolize the Black Sea trade, the town came under the control of theRepublic of Genoa. Genoese domination ended when theOttomanSultanMehmed II conquered the wholeAnatolian shores of the Black Sea.[17]
The ancient Greek writer Myronianus (Ancient Greek:Μυρωνιανὸς), was from the Amastris.[18][19]
The bishopric of Amastris was established early: according toEusebius, its congregation received a letter from the second-century bishop,Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, wherein he names their bishop, one Palmas.[20] The see was initially asuffragan of themetropolitan ofGangra, capital of theRoman province ofPaphlagonia.
In the late 8th century its bishop obtained from theByzantine Emperor its elevation to the rank of autocephalousarcheparchy. It is listed as such in theNotitia Episcopatuum attributed to Basil the Armenian (c. 840) and in that ofLeo VI the Wise (early 10th century).
In the middle of the 10th century, it obtained the rank of metropolitan see without suffragans, a rank it held until, due to the diminution in the number of Christians in the area, it was suppressed.
From the 14th century to the second half of the 15th, the town was also the seat of a bishopric of theLatin Church.[21][22][23]
No longer a residential bishopric, Amastris (Curiate ItalianAmastri) is today listed by theCatholic Church as a titular see.[24]
The diocese was nominally restored in the 19th century as a Latin Catholictitular bishopric and had the following incumbents of the episcopal (lowest) rank :
In 1929 it was promoted totitular archbishopric. It is vacant as such since decades, having had the following incumbents of the archiepiscopal (intermediary) rank :
With its architectural heritage, Amasra is a member of theNorwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions.[25]
Archaeological Museum: there is a fine medium-sized archaeological museum by the sea with remains from both land and underwater. Of particular interest is a statue of the snake god Glykon, a fraudulent creation of a local entrepreneur during Roman imperial times.
Amasra Castle was built during the Roman period. The walls of the castle were built by the Byzantines. The front walls and gates were built by the Genoese in the 14th and 15th centuries.[26] Though located on a narrow peninsula, a tunnel under the castle leads to a fresh water pool.
It was originally built as a Byzantine church in the 9th century AD. The churchnarthex section consists of three parts. After the Ottoman SultanMehmed II conquered Amasra in 1460, it was converted to a mosque. It is open to prayers. There is also a chapel on the same street but it is closed to prayers since 1930.[26]
Bird's Rock Road Monument was created between AD 41-54 by the order ofBithynia et Pontus Governor Gaius Julius Aquila. It was a resting place and monument. At the time whenClaudius was the Roman Emperor, Aquila was the commander of the building army in the eastern provinces.[26] It is located a little outside Amasra, and is easily accessed by steps leading from the roadside.
In 2009, a coal-fired power station of 2640 MWe (or 1200 MWe) was proposed by a subsidiary ofHattat Holding,[27] but after concerns were raised about the effect on air quality,[28] marine ecology,[29] and ash[30] it was not built. They now propose just a coal mine.[31]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Amastris".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.| Municipalities | |
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