Rize Province (Turkish:Rize ili) is aprovince of northeastTurkey, on the easternBlack Sea coast betweenTrabzon andArtvin. The province ofErzurum is to the south. Its area is 3,835 km2,[2] and its population is 344,016 (2022).[1] The capital is the city ofRize. It was formerly known asLazistan, however the designation of the term of Lazistan was officially banned in 1926.[3]
The name comes fromGreekρίζα (riza), meaning "mountain slopes".[6] TheGeorgian,Laz, andArmenian names respectively areRize (რიზე),Rizini (რიზინი), andRize (Ռիզե).
During the medieval era, the region was under Byzantine control, and was mainly populated by Greeks and indigenous Lazs. During the reign of theByzantine emperorJustinian I (c. 527–565), the tribes of the interior, calledSannoi orTzannoi, the ancestors of modern Laz people, were subdued,Christianized and brought to central rule.[7] Locals began to have closer contact with the Greeks and acquired variousHellenic cultural traits, including in some cases the language. Locals were under nominal Byzantinesuzerainty in thetheme ofChaldia, with its capital atTrebizond, governed by native semi-autonomous rulers, like theGabras family.[8] In 790 AD, Armenians fleeing from theArab invasion of Armenia settled in Hemshin and established thePrincipality of Hamamshen.[9] Following the invasion of theSeljuk Turks, there was a larger influx ofArmenians in the area, resulting in partial Armenization of the local Tzan population.[10]
With the Georgian intervention in Chaldia andcollapse of Byzantine Empire in 1204, theEmpire of Trebizond was established along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea, populated by a large Lazian-speaking population.[11] In the eastern part of the same empire, an autonomous coastal theme ofGreater Lazia was established.[12] Byzantine authors, such asPachymeres, and to some extent Trapezuntines such asLazaropoulos andBessarion, regarded the Trapezuntian Empire as being merely a Lazian border state.[13] Though Greek in higher culture, the rural areas of Trebizond empire appear to have been predominantly Laz in ethnic composition.[14] Laz family names, withhellenized terminations, are noticeable in the records of the mediaeval empire of Trebizond.
In 1282, the kingdom of Imeretibesieged Trebizond, however after the failed attempt to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces, and the Trebizontine province of Lazia threw off its allegiance to the king of the 'Iberian' and 'Lazian' tribes and united itself with the GeorgianKingdom of Imereti.
The Laz populated area was often contested by different Georgian principalities. Through theBattle of Murjakheti (1535), thePrincipality of Guria finally ensured control over the area until 1547, when it was conquered by resurgentOttoman forces and reorganized into theLazistan Sanjak as part ofeyalet ofTrabzon.
From the late-17th century onwards, the Ottoman administration built multiplebridges across the Fırtına River and its tributaries.
The province was a site of battles between Ottoman andRussian armies during theCaucasus Campaign ofWorld War I, and was occupied by Russian forces in 1916–1918. It was returned to the Ottomans with theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918.
Since 1924, Rize has been a province of the Republic of Turkey. Until tea plantations were established in the 1940s, the province was a poor area at the far end of the country, with only theSoviet Union beyond theIron Curtain. Many generations of people in Rize left to look for jobs inIstanbul or overseas.
In September 1935, the thirdInspectorate General (Umumi Müfettişlik, UM) was created, to which the Rize province was included.[15] Its establishment was based on the Law 1164 from June 1927,[15] which was passed in order toturkefy the population.[16] The third UM spanned across the provinces ofErzurum,Artvin, Rize,Trabzon,Kars,Gümüşhane,Erzincan andAğrı. It was governed by an Inspector General seated in the city ofErzurum.[15][17] The Inspectorate General was dissolved in 1952 during the government of theDemocrat Party.[18]
The city ofRize is a coastal town on a narrow strip of flat land between the mountains and the sea. Today, the area is wealthier, although there is a marked difference between the lifestyle of the people in the relatively wealthy city of Rize and those in the remote villages where wooden houses perch on the steep mountainside with the rain beating down. The province is known in Turkey for the production ofRize tea.[5]
Rize is located between thePontic Mountains and theBlack Sea. It is considered to be the "wettest" corner of Turkey and is the country's maintea producing region. In addition to tea, the region is also known for growing kiwi fruit. The province is largely rural and very scenic, containing many mountain valleys and elevatedyaylas (meadows). The district ofÇamlıhemşin is one of Turkey's most popular venues for trekking and outdoor holidays. Roads are scarce in some of the more remote regions, so electrical poweredcable cars have been installed to transport people and supplies into the mountains. Summers are cool (July average 22 °C) and winters are mild (January average 7 °C) with high levels of precipitation all year long.
The new Black Sea coast road has made Rize more accessible, but has drawn criticism for its negative effect on the region's wildlife. Since the early 2000s, Rize has seen an increase in visitors from outside the province, particularly tourist from urban areas. This increase in tourism has raised concerns among locals that the traditional way of life and the unblemished character of the natural surroundings is being endangered. The provincial governor, Enver Salihoglu (as of 2005) has stated his opposition to the expansion of the road network and has advocated a commercial focus on beekeeping, trout farming, and the growing of organic teas.[19]
Native plants include theCherry Laurel (Turkish:taflan or karayemiş), the fruit of which is an edible small dark plum that leaves a dark stain on the mouth and teeth. In addition, theBilberry, which are now being actively cultivated, can be found growing the region. Rize is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Part of thePontic Mountains (Eastern Black Sea Mts.), Rize was formed in thePalaeozoic period. Valleys first appeared during theCretaceous period and have since expanded due to erosion.
The region's climate is characterized by relatively mild to warm temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtypes for this climate areCfa (Humid Subtropical Climate) andCfb (Oceanic Climate).[21]
Rize tea is a major agricultural product to the region and has changed the local economy. Rize Province is also one of the largest consumers of Rize tea too.[22]
The province of Rize has prided itself of being the largest tea producer within Turkey.[23] In 2021, the Rize Commerce Exchange started the construction of a seven-floor building in the shape of the traditional tulip-shaped tea glasses calledince belli, in hopes to boost local tourism.[23]
Folk dancers performhoron energetically when it is accompanied bykemenche. However thisfolk dance can also be accompanied byTulum orkaval. Folk dancers wear traditional costumes while performing horon. Men wear shirt, vest, jacket,zipka (pants made ofwool and gathered at knees) and black boots. On their jackets are silver embroideries,amulets, andhemayils with religion expressions put inside these smallsilver containers to br protected againstevil's eye. On the other hand, women dancers wear colorful dresses and traditional hand painted head scarves including various motifs.[24]
Rize offers traditional handicrafts and handmade souvenirs to visitors. Some of them include: copper works, wicker baskets, butter churns, woven socks, shoulder bags, and spoon made ofboxwood. Linen of Rize (Turkish:Rize Bezi) is a handwoven textile and is often used as part of the under layer of a dress.[25]Kemençe is a traditional 3-stringed string instrument which is made in this province.[25]
^Simonian, Hovann (31 July 2015).Hemshin : history, society and identity in the highlands of northeast Turkey. Simonian, Hovann H. London. p. 3.ISBN978-1138874619.OCLC921268078.The foundation of Hamshen, in about AD 790, came at the end of almost a century in which the fortunes of Armenians in Armenia had steadily declined, a period and a process that culminated in the transformation of the political organization of Armenia, a transformation to which the foundation of Hamshen itself contributed.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Bayir, Derya (22 April 2016).Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Routledge. pp. 139–141.ISBN978-1-317-09579-8.
^Fleet, Kate; Kunt, I. Metin; Kasaba, Reşat; Faroqhi, Suraiya (17 April 2008).The Cambridge History of Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 343.ISBN978-0-521-62096-3.
^"How Green Is Their Valley"The Economist. 27 August – 2 September 2005
^Öztürk, Özhan."Rize".Kara Lahana. Archived fromthe original on 13 May 2008.
