Tekirdağ


Tekirdağ is a city in Turkey. It is a part of the region historically known as East Thrace, located on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. In 2019 the city's population was 204.001. There are honorary consulates of Greece and Bulgaria in Tekirdağ.

Names and etymology

Tekirdağ was called Bisanthe or Bysanthe, and also Rhaedestus in classical antiquity. The latter name was used till the Byzantine era, transformed to Rodosçuk after it fell to the Ottomans in the 14th century. After the 18th century it was called Tekfurdağı, based on the Turkish word tekfur, meaning "Byzantine lord". In time, the name mutated into the Turkish Tekirdağ, and this became the official name under the Turkish Republic. The historical name "Rhaedestos" was continuously used till today in Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical context.

Location

Tekirdağ is situated on the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara, west of Istanbul. The picturesque bay of Tekirdağ is enclosed by the great promontory of the mountain which gives its name to the city, Tekir Dağı, a spur about 2000 ft. that rises into the hilly plateau to the north. Between Tekirdağ and Şarköy is another mountain, Ganos Dağı.

Climate

Tekirdağ has a borderline mediterranean/humid subtropical climate. Summers are long, hot and humid whilst winters are cool and wet. Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two.

History

The history of the city of Tekirdağ dates back to around 4000 BC. In Xenophon's Anabasis it is mentioned to be a part of the kingdom of the Thracian king Seuthes. It is also mentioned as Bisanthe by Herodotus.
The city was a Samian colony.
Its restoration by Justinian I in the 6th century AD is chronicled by Procopius. In 813 and again in 1206, after the Battle of Rodosto, it was sacked by the Bulgarians, but it continued to appear as a place of considerable note in later Byzantine history. It was also ruled by the Venetians between 1204 and 1235. The 11th-century Byzantine historian Michael Attaleiates owned property in Raidestos which he describes in his will.
In the Ottoman period the city was successively a part of the Rumelia Eyalet, then of the Province of the Kapudan Pasha, the Silistra Eyalet, and Edirne Vilayet. After 1849 it was the seat of the Sanjak of Tekfürtaği.
In 1905, the city had a population of about 35,000; of whom half were Greeks who were exchanged with Muslims living in Greece under the 1923 agreement for Exchange of Greek Orthodox and Muslim Populations between the two countries.
In 1912, after the defeat at the Battle of Lule Burgas the retreating Turkish army set fires on several parts of the town and massacred many Christians. Even children were thrown to the flames.
Tekirdağ was for many years a depot for the produce of the Edirne province, but its trade suffered when Alexandroupolis became the terminus of the railway up the river Maritsa.

Bishopric

Rhaedestus was the name of the city during the Roman Empire and remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. The diocese belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Heraclea Sintica. Roman Catholic Church activity has long ceased, and the Greek Orthodox community ceased to exist during the last years of the Ottoman Empire.
Catholic bishops
The Tekirdağ area is the site of many holiday homes, as the city is only two hours drive from Istanbul via a new four-lane highway. The villages of Şarköy, Mürefte and Kumbağ are particularly popular with Turkish tourists. Much of this holiday property has been built in an unregulated and unplanned manner and thus much of the coast looks over-built. The Marmara Sea is polluted but there are still a number of public beaches near Tekirdağ, especially the Yeniçiftlik beaches.
Tekirdağ is a Turkish commercial town centre with a harbour for agricultural products; the harbor is being expanded to accommodate a new rail link to the main freight line through Thrace. Tekirdağ is the home port of Martas and the BOTAŞ Terminal, both of which are important for trade activities in the Marmara Region.
Most of the city's Ottoman wooden buildings have been replaced by concrete apartment blocks, but some are being restored or replaced with attractive houses in the traditional style. Except for the Rüstem Paşa Camii, built by the Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, in the 16th century, and the narrow streets that help one imagine life in the Ottoman period, the city lacks antique charm. One reason to visit is the local delicacy, the small spicy cylindrical grilled meatballs called Tekirdağ köftesi, traditionally followed by courses of a sweet local cheese and semolina pudding.
The inland areas are fertile farmland, growing crops including winter wheat, sunflowers, cherries and grapes for wine-making: thus the high quality rakı for which Tekirdağ is noted. The distilleries were state-owned until the 1990s but are now in private hands and the wine and rakı industries are undergoing a renewal. Local red wines are inexpensive and worth a taste.
Both the east–west highway and the highway north toward Muratlı and Lüleburgaz are four lanes. There is a prison next to the rakı distillery and another north of the city on the road to Muratlı.
Tekirdağ is the home of Namık Kemal University, which was founded in 2006 with three faculties. It is located at the eastern edge of the city.

Places of interest

Twin towns – Sister cities

Tekirdağ is twinned with:

  • Kavala, Greece
  • Kardzhali, Bulgaria
  • Kecskemét, Hungary
  • Pyeongtaek, South Korea
  • Sárospatak, Hungary
  • Sliven, Bulgaria
  • Techirghiol, Romania
  • Topolčani, North Macedonia
  • Bayreuth, Germany
  • Famagusta, Northern Cyprus
  • Montevago, Italy
  • Shantou, China
  • Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

    • Namesakes

  • Tekirdağ Province, which contains Tekirdağ
  • TC-JGE, a Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 which crashed as Flight 1951 on 25 February 2009

    Gallery