Kelkit River
Encyclopedia
The Kelkit River is a river in the Black Sea Region
of Turkey
. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşil River.
It rises in Gümüşhane Province
and runs through the provinces of Erzincan
, Giresun
, Sivas
, and Tokat
before flowing into the Yeşil at the modern village of Kızılçubuk, near the site of the ancient city of Eupatoria
.
For about 150 km, from Suşehri
to Resadiye
and Niksar
, the Kelkit follows the North Anatolian Fault
.
In Hellenistic times, a major east-west road following the valley of the Kelkit led from Armenia Minor to Bithynia
.
as Phanaroea (Φανἀροια); he described it as being rich in olives and vines and having the best soil in Pontus
. There was a city called Eupatoria
in this valley. The eastern end of Phanaroea was marked by Cabira
, a stronghold of Mithridates Eupator. In the 20th century, it produced grain, fruit, vegetables, tobacco, rice, and opium poppy.
Black Sea Region
The Black Sea Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions . It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the west, the Central Anatolia Region to the south, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the southeast, the Republic of Georgia to the northeast, and the Black Sea to the north.-...
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...
. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşil River.
It rises in Gümüşhane Province
Gümüshane Province
Gümüşhane Province is a province in northern Turkey, bordering Bayburt to the east, Trabzon to the north, Giresun and Erzincan to the west. It covers an area of 6,575 km² and has a population of 129,618 in 2010. The population was 186,953 in 2000. The name Gümüşhane means silver house...
and runs through the provinces of Erzincan
Erzincan Province
Erzincan Province is a province in the eastern region of Anatolia, Turkey, and home to Erzincan, a city which was destroyed and rebuilt after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on December 27, 1939...
, Giresun
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....
, Sivas
Sivas Province
The Sivas Province is a province of Turkey. It located at the eastern part of the Central Anatolian region of Turkey; it is the second largest province in Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Yozgat to the west, Kayseri to the southwest, Kahramanmaraş to the south, Malatya to the southeast, Erzincan...
, and Tokat
Tokat Province
Tokat Province is a province in northern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast...
before flowing into the Yeşil at the modern village of Kızılçubuk, near the site of the ancient city of Eupatoria
Eupatoria (Pontus)
Eupatoria or Magnopolis was a Hellenistic city in the Kingdom of Pontus. The city was founded by Mithridates VI Eupator just south of where the Lycus flows into the Iris, the west end of the fertile valley of Phanaroea....
.
For about 150 km, from Suşehri
Susehri
Suşehri is a town and a district of Sivas Province of Turkey. The mayor is Sedat Sel .Suşehri is one of country sides of Sivas.-Name:The first localization of Suşehri is 2 km from east of city centre...
to Resadiye
Resadiye
Reşadiye is a town and a district of Tokat Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Rafet Erdem . It is near the town of Doğanşehir....
and Niksar
Niksar
Niksar is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It has been settled by many empires over the centuries, and it was once the capital city of the province.At 350 m...
, the Kelkit follows the North Anatolian Fault
North Anatolian Fault
The North Anatolian Fault is a major active right lateral-moving strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia which runs along the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the East Anatolian Fault at the Karliova Triple...
.
In Hellenistic times, a major east-west road following the valley of the Kelkit led from Armenia Minor to Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
.
Phanaroea
The valley of the last 40 km of the Kelkit before it joins the Yeşil was known by StraboStrabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
as Phanaroea (Φανἀροια); he described it as being rich in olives and vines and having the best soil in Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
. There was a city called Eupatoria
Eupatoria (Pontus)
Eupatoria or Magnopolis was a Hellenistic city in the Kingdom of Pontus. The city was founded by Mithridates VI Eupator just south of where the Lycus flows into the Iris, the west end of the fertile valley of Phanaroea....
in this valley. The eastern end of Phanaroea was marked by Cabira
Cabira
Cabira , a place in Pontus, at the base of the range of Paryadres, about 150 stadia south of Eupatoria or Magnopolis, which was at the junction of the Iris and the Lycus. Eupatoria was in the midst of the plain, but Cabira, as Strabo says , was at the base of the Paryadres...
, a stronghold of Mithridates Eupator. In the 20th century, it produced grain, fruit, vegetables, tobacco, rice, and opium poppy.