Alucra
Encyclopedia
Alucra is a town and a district of Giresun Province
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
, 130 km (81 mi) from the city of Giresun
. She was the district of Şebinkarahisar
between 1924-1933.
name El Ücra meaning far-off' or remote.
. The weather on the Black Sea
coast is typically wet and humid but Alucra is high inland therefore much cooler in winter, when it snows, and then dry and hot in summer. The snow melts in March and April and the spring rains last until June, during these months the rivers are full. The countryside is high mountain and pasture, with fir tree cover on the north-facing mountainsides and bare southern faces. Cattle are grazed in the pastures and some wheat is grown despite the dry summers, and in general Alucra is a collection of remote villages.
Local cuisine includes:
In July there is a well-known summer festival
in ancient era. During the Middle Ages Alucra was the part of the Byzantine Empire
, disrupted by the Arab
armies of the Abbasid
caliphate.
Turks
first came to the area in their 11th century movement into Anatolia from their homeland in Central Asia
following their defeat of the Byzantines at the Battle of Malazgirt. From 1054 this area was settled by the Kipchak Turks from southern Russia
, who moved into the area along the Black Sea
coast, under the loose authority of the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks assumed direct control by defeating the Mengujekids in 1228 but their rule came to an end with their defeat by the Mongol hordes at Kösedağ in 1243.
The Anatolian beyliks remerged despite the growth of the Ottoman Empire
until the area was brought into Ottoman in 1473 with the defeat of Uzun Hasan by Sultan Mehmet II at the battle of Otlukbeli
.
) there are a number of historical sites:
Giresun Province
Giresun Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its adjacent provinces are Trabzon to the east, Gümüşhane to the south-west, Erzincan to the south, Sivas to the south-east, and Ordu to the west. The provincial capital is Giresun....
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, 130 km (81 mi) from the city of Giresun
Giresun
Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon.-Etymology:...
. She was the district of Şebinkarahisar
Sebinkarahisar
Şebinkarahisar is a town and a district of Giresun Province in the Black Sea region of eastern Turkey.-Name:The 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius writes that the Roman general Pompey captured the then ancient fortress and renamed it Colonia, in Greek Koloneia...
between 1924-1933.
Etymology
Alucra is a modification of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
name El Ücra meaning far-off' or remote.
Geography
Alucra is an inland district, high in the Giresun Mountains, in the upper reaches of the Kelkit RiverKelkit River
The Kelkit River , is a river in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşil River....
. The weather on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast is typically wet and humid but Alucra is high inland therefore much cooler in winter, when it snows, and then dry and hot in summer. The snow melts in March and April and the spring rains last until June, during these months the rivers are full. The countryside is high mountain and pasture, with fir tree cover on the north-facing mountainsides and bare southern faces. Cattle are grazed in the pastures and some wheat is grown despite the dry summers, and in general Alucra is a collection of remote villages.
Local cuisine includes:
- Fit (Düü) Çorbası - a soup made of onions and bulgur wheat
- Yağlaç - a cornflour-based polentaPolentaPolenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...
-style meal - Pancar Çorbası - beetroot soup
- Ekmek Aşı - dried bread soaked in a stew of fried meat with onions and hot pepper
- Ayran Çorbası - yoghurt soup
- Kesme Çorbası - a kind of local minestroneMinestroneMinestrone is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes....
soup with lentils and dumplings - Helle - a soupy dish of bulgur and mint
In July there is a well-known summer festival
History
This area has firstly been settled by the HittitesHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
in ancient era. During the Middle Ages Alucra was the part of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, disrupted by the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
armies of the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
caliphate.
Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
first came to the area in their 11th century movement into Anatolia from their homeland in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
following their defeat of the Byzantines at the Battle of Malazgirt. From 1054 this area was settled by the Kipchak Turks from southern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, who moved into the area along the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast, under the loose authority of the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks assumed direct control by defeating the Mengujekids in 1228 but their rule came to an end with their defeat by the Mongol hordes at Kösedağ in 1243.
The Anatolian beyliks remerged despite the growth of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
until the area was brought into Ottoman in 1473 with the defeat of Uzun Hasan by Sultan Mehmet II at the battle of Otlukbeli
Otlukbeli
Otlukbeli is a town and district of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is Abdullah Altındal .-External links:* *...
.
Places of interest
As well as walks in the high pastures (yaylaYayla
Yayla is Crimean Tatar and Turkish for alpine meadow or mountain plateau. Cognate words with identical meaning exist in other Turkic languages...
) there are a number of historical sites:
- Kamışlı Kilisesi - a church in the town centre
- Gelinkaya (Bride's Rock - site of a gruesome local legend)
- Ikizler Tepesi - two hills near the village of Pirilli