Hopa
Encyclopedia
Hopa is a city and district of Artvin Province
in northeast Turkey
. It is located on the eastern Turkish Black Sea
coast about 67 km (42 mi) from the city of Artvin
and 18 kilometres from the border with Georgia
.
and 18km from the Sarp border gate on the Georgian border. The land climbs sharply from 10m above sea level in the coastal areas up into the Sultan Selim Mountains, the hillsides are well watered and green with alder, chestnuts, hornbeams and other deciduous trees. The highest point is Mt Yavuz Sultan Selim at 1513m. The climate is mild and wet, although only July and August are warm enough to be called summer. There is annual snowfall in winter.
settled in the Artvin area in 2000 BC and were succeeded by the Urartu
civilisation, based in Lake Van
. Later, the area was part of the kingdom of Colchis
but was always vulnerable to invasions, first the Scythians from across the Caucasus
, then the Muslim armies led by Habib, son of Caliph Uthman who controlled the area from 853 AD to 1023 when it was conquered by the Byzantines
from the Sac Emirate allied to the Abbasids. The Seljuk Turks led by Alparslan conquered the area in 1064. With the collapse of the Seljuks, the Artvin area came under the control of the Ildeniz
, one of the Anatolian Turkish beyliks
Ottoman Sultan Selim I
brought it into the Ottoman Empire during his campaign against the Crimea that took place in 1490-1512. Lala Mustafa Pasha made it part of the Çıldır Eyalet formed in 1578. The area was captured by Russia following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and many people of Hopa moved westwards away from the Russian-controlled zone. Hopa was returned as part of the Brest Litovsk Agreement in 1918 and formally joined Turkey in 14th March 1921. The Sarp border gate was opened in 31 August 1988 with the "International Road Transport Agreement" between Soviet Union and Turkey and gave a big boost to Hopa in trade and tourism.
There is currently a high rate of cancer in Hopa, attributed to fall-out from the disaster at Chernobyl
, across the Black Sea
from here. Between 2001-2004, cancer cases sharply increased in the Black Sea region, especially in Hopa, with 47.9% of all deaths during this time being due to cancer.
, nut
s (especially Hazelnuts) and kiwi
. There are two tea factories, the Black Sea Copper Works, a Thermal Pwoer Planet, the Hopa port and the Hopa Vocational School. It has direct railway connections to Trabzon, Rize, Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, Erzurum and Sarp which go on to Georgia. The Sarp border gate was opened in 31 August 1988 with the "International Road Transport Agreement" between Soviet Union
and Turkey and gave a big boost to Hopa in trade and tourism. The Hopa Port is managed by a privately by Hopa Limani and is active in international trade.
Artvin Province
Artvin Province is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia.The provincial capital is the city of Artvin.-Geography:...
in northeast 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...
. It is located on the eastern Turkish 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 about 67 km (42 mi) from the city of Artvin
Artvin
-History:See Artvin Province for the history of the region.-Places of interest:* Artvin or Livana castle, built in 937There are a number of Ottoman Empire houses and public buildings including:* Salih Bey mosque, built in 1792...
and 18 kilometres from the border with Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Geography
Hopa is on the Black Sea Coast 65 km from ArtvinArtvin
-History:See Artvin Province for the history of the region.-Places of interest:* Artvin or Livana castle, built in 937There are a number of Ottoman Empire houses and public buildings including:* Salih Bey mosque, built in 1792...
and 18km from the Sarp border gate on the Georgian border. The land climbs sharply from 10m above sea level in the coastal areas up into the Sultan Selim Mountains, the hillsides are well watered and green with alder, chestnuts, hornbeams and other deciduous trees. The highest point is Mt Yavuz Sultan Selim at 1513m. The climate is mild and wet, although only July and August are warm enough to be called summer. There is annual snowfall in winter.
History
The HurriHurrians
The Hurrians were a people of the Ancient Near East who lived in Northern Mesopotamia and adjacent regions during the Bronze Age.The largest and most influential Hurrian nation was the kingdom of Mitanni. The population of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia to a large part consisted of Hurrians, and...
settled in the Artvin area in 2000 BC and were succeeded by the Urartu
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
civilisation, based in Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
. Later, the area was part of the kingdom of Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
but was always vulnerable to invasions, first the Scythians from across the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, then the Muslim armies led by Habib, son of Caliph Uthman who controlled the area from 853 AD to 1023 when it was conquered by the Byzantines
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...
from the Sac Emirate allied to the Abbasids. The Seljuk Turks led by Alparslan conquered the area in 1064. With the collapse of the Seljuks, the Artvin area came under the control of the Ildeniz
Ildeniz
Shams al-Din Ildeniz, Eldigüz or Shamseddin Eldeniz was an atabeg of the Seljuq empire and founder of the dynasty of Eldiguzids , which held sway over Caucasian Albania, Iranian Azerbaijan, and most of northwestern Persia from the second half of the 12th century to the early decades of the 13th.A...
, one of the Anatolian Turkish beyliks
Ottoman Sultan Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
brought it into the Ottoman Empire during his campaign against the Crimea that took place in 1490-1512. Lala Mustafa Pasha made it part of the Çıldır Eyalet formed in 1578. The area was captured by Russia following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and many people of Hopa moved westwards away from the Russian-controlled zone. Hopa was returned as part of the Brest Litovsk Agreement in 1918 and formally joined Turkey in 14th March 1921. The Sarp border gate was opened in 31 August 1988 with the "International Road Transport Agreement" between Soviet Union and Turkey and gave a big boost to Hopa in trade and tourism.
There is currently a high rate of cancer in Hopa, attributed to fall-out from the disaster at Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
, across 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...
from here. Between 2001-2004, cancer cases sharply increased in the Black Sea region, especially in Hopa, with 47.9% of all deaths during this time being due to cancer.
Economy
The economy is based on trade, fishing and agriculture, mostly teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s (especially Hazelnuts) and kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
. There are two tea factories, the Black Sea Copper Works, a Thermal Pwoer Planet, the Hopa port and the Hopa Vocational School. It has direct railway connections to Trabzon, Rize, Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, Erzurum and Sarp which go on to Georgia. The Sarp border gate was opened in 31 August 1988 with the "International Road Transport Agreement" between Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Turkey and gave a big boost to Hopa in trade and tourism. The Hopa Port is managed by a privately by Hopa Limani and is active in international trade.
Well-known citizens
- Adem BüyükAdem BüyükAdem Büyük is a Turkish professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Manisaspor in the Süper Lig. He is also a youth international for Turkey, earning caps with the U-18 and U-21 squads.-Club career:...
(born 1987), footballer - Kazım KoyuncuKâzim KoyuncuKâzım Koyuncu was a Turk folk-rock singer, song writer, and activist of Laz ethnicity....
(1971-2005), rock guitarist and singer - Tolga ZenginTolga ZenginTolga Zengin is a Turkish football goalkeeper. He currently plays for Trabzonspor, a Turkish club. Standing at 192 cm and weighing 81 kg , he wears the number 29 jersey...
(born 1983), footballer - Levent yazıcı (born 1970), photographer
- M.Naci Dedeal (born 1959), artistic director, animator