Mersin
Encyclopedia
Mersin today
Mertim
Mertim, an acronym for Mersin Ticaret Merkezi is the tallest building in Mersin, Turkey. It was the tallest building in Turkey between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers in Istanbul, and still remains the tallest building in the country outside of Istanbul...
, which was the tallest skyscraper in Turkey for 13 years between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
), huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban amenities, although still nothing like the long-established nightlife and culture of İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
or İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
.The seaside of Mersin is the longest seaside in Turkey as well as in Eastern Mediterranean. The population of the city is 843,429 (with all provinces 1,647,899) according to 2010 estimates. The population in the intercity municipalities is shown below:
| Name of the municipality | Population 2010 |
|---|---|
| Akdeniz | 276,094 |
| Mezitli Mezitli Mezitli is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders... |
126,112 |
| Toroslar Toroslar Toroslar is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four intracity municipalities in addition of Greater Mersin municipality... |
250,034 |
| Yenişehir | 191,189 |
The Metropolitan Municipality is now trying to rescue the sea front with walkways, parks and statues, and there are still palm trees on the roadsides especially where the young generation like to hang out in the cafés and patisseries of smart neighbourhoods such as Pozcu or Çamlıbel. These are established neighbourhoods where there are many well-known shops and restaurants with years of experience and reputations to protect. The city centre is a maze of narrow streets and arcades of little shops and cafes, with young people buzzing around on scooters. The old quarter near the fish market is where you will find the stalls selling tantuni and grilled liver sandwiches.
One of the most distinctive features of the city as a whole is the solar heating panels, they are everywhere, on top of every building.
Turkey now plans to construct its first nuclear power plant some 80 miles west of Mersin. In March 2008, Turkey opened the bidding for the construction of the plant. Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, oppose this plan.
Cuisine
The local cuisine is famous, and restaurants specializing on the Mersin Region can be found all over Turkey, and includes specialties such as:- Ciğer KebapKebabKebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
, (Liver on MangalMangalMangal is the name for Turkish barbecue. In a more social context, it resembles braai of South Africa.Mangal is popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and countries in the Levant...
), typically served on lavaşLavashLavash is a soft, thin flatbread popular in several countries of the northern parts of the Middle-East and the southern parts of the Caucasus.Traditionally the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of a clay oven....
with an assortment of mezeMezeMeze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
at 12 skewers at a time, - Tantuni, a hot lavaşLavashLavash is a soft, thin flatbread popular in several countries of the northern parts of the Middle-East and the southern parts of the Caucasus.Traditionally the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of a clay oven....
wrap consisting of juliennedJulienningJulienne is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, not unlike matchsticks. Sometimes called 'shoe string', e.g. 'shoestring fries'...
lamb stir-fried on a sac on a hint of cottonseed oilCottonseed oilCottonseed oil is a cooking oil extracted from the seeds of cotton plant of various species, mainly Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium herbaceum...
, - Bumbar, lamb intestines filled with a mixture of riceRiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, meatMeatMeat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
and pistachioPistachioThe pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
s, that are served either grilled or steamed, - CezeryeCezeryeCezerye is a semi-gelatinous Turkish confectionery made from carrot, packed with nuts or pistachios and sprinkled with shredded coconut. Cut into roughly 1" x 1.5" rectangular chips and served on special occasions, it is somewhat akin to Turkish Delights and the Chinese walnut candy known as hetao...
, a lokumLokumLokum or Nokul is a type of puff pastry. Lokum is a type of pastry eaten in Turkey and Bulgaria with variations. Lokum is sometimes served hot as an appetizer instead of bread.It consists of a rolled sheet of yeast dough onto which a feta,walnut or poppy seed is sprinkled over a thin coat of butter...
made of sweet carrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s, covered in ground pistachioPistachioThe pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
s or coconutCoconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, - Karsambaç, peeled ice, (or even snow) served with a topping of pekmezPekmezPekmez or dibs is amolasses-like syrup obtained after condensing juices of fruit must, especially grape, fig or mulberry, by boiling it with a coagulant agent. It is used as a syrup or mixed with tahini for breakfast....
or honeyHoneyHoney is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, - Künefe, a wood-oven baked dessert based on a mixture of cheese and pastry; famous all throughout the LevantLevantThe Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, - Kerebiç, a shortbread filled with pistachio paste, also famous throughout the LevantLevantThe Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, - Şalgam suyuTurnip juiceŞalgam is a popular beverage from southern Turkey's city of Adana. Although the Turkish word şalgam literally means "turnip", şalgam is actually made with the juice of red carrot pickles, salted, spiced, and flavoured with aromatic turnip fermented in barrels with the addition of ground bulgur...
, a beverage made of fermentedFermentation (food)Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
red carrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s, very popular in Southern Turkey, that is known somehow to cure hangoverHangoverA hangover describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the...
.
Economy
The port is the mainstay of Mersin's economy. There are 45 piers, a total port area of 785000 square metres (194 acre), with a capacity of 6,000 ships per year.Adjacent to the port is Mersin Free Zone established in 1986, the first free zone in Turkey, with warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s, shops, assembly-disassembly, maintenance and engineering workshops, banking and insurance, packing-repacking, labelling and exhibition facilities. The zone is a publicly owned center for foreign investors, close to major markets in the (Middle East, North Africa, East and West Europe, Russian Federation and 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...
. The trading volume of the free zone was USD 51,8 billion in 2002.
Mersin has highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
connections to the north, east and west. Mersin is also connected to the southern railroad. Adana airport is 69 kilometres (42.9 mi).
70% of the male population and 46% of the female population is employed. Unemployment is about 6.7%.
Mersin port is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries.Its now operated by PSA.
Mersin University
Mersin UniversityMersin University
Mersin University is a state university, built in 1992 in Mersin province, Turkey. The university has about 25,000 students, 1,405 academic staff and a number of foreign and guest academic staff....
was founded in 1992 and started teaching in 1993–1994, with 11 faculties, 6 schools and 9 vocational schools. The university has had about 10 thousand graduates, has broadened its current academic staff to more than 2,100 academicians, and enrolls 22,000 students.
Culture
Because the city has been a crossroads for centuries, the local culture is a medley of civilizations. Mersin has a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
and Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. Mersin International Music Festival was established in 2001 and takes place every October. The photography association Mersin Fotograf Derneği (MFD), is one of the most popular and active cultural organizations in the city. Some cultural activities are sponsored by the İçel sanat kulübü
İçel sanat kulübü
Art Club of İçel - Activities :*Each year, the club hosts conferences by celebrated academicians from various universities and literary circles of Turkey. It also hosts series of conferences on specific topics such as archaeology, mythology, philosophy etc...
(i.e., Art club of Mersin) There is a great museum in the city centre.
The municipal cemetery is interesting as people of all faiths and denominations can be buried here.
The City hosts the Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua
Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua, Mersin
The Co-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua in Mersin is a Co-Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Anatolia....
.
In order to swim in clean water you need to get out of town, perhaps an hour along the coast. The beaches at Kızkalesi
Kızkalesi
Kızkalesi is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. The town, known in Antiquity as Corycus or Korykos , is named after the ancient castle built on a small island just facing the town.- Geography :...
, Ayaş, Susanoğlu (app. 50–70 km west) are popular with families while young people prefer Akyar, Yapraklı koy, Narlıkuyu
Narlıkuyu
Narlıkuyu is a small coastal town in Mersin Province, Turkey. - Geography :Narlıkuyu at is situated on the Mediterranean coast, south west of Mersin. It is a part of Silifke district which is in turn a part of Mersin Province...
or quieter bays along the coast, some of which are very attractive indeed.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Mersin is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Kushimoto, Japan
LatakiaLatakiaLatakia, or Latakiyah , is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages...
, SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....- West Palm Beach, United States of America
OberhausenOberhausenOberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
, Germany
Notable natives
- KaracaoğlanKaracaoglanKaracaoğlan is a 17th century Ottoman folk poet and ashik. His exact dates of birth and death are unknownbut it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680...
- 16th century folk poet - Musa EroğluMusa EroğluMusa Eroğlu is a Turkish folk musician and bağlama virtuoso.He was born in the Mut county district of Mersin. He completed his secondary education...
- Composer,musician - Cemal Mersinli - (aka Mersinli Cemal Paşa) - General and OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
minister of defense - Doğan Akça - Artist (painter)
- Hüseyin Gezer - Artist (sculptor)
- Etem Çalışkan -Artist (painter)
- Yavuz Donat - Journalist
- Haldun DormenHaldun DormenHaldun Dormen is a famous Turkish theatre, movie and TV series actor and film director. Dormen is of Turkish Cypriot descent.- Biography :...
- Theatre & film actor and director - Seyhan KurtSeyhan Kurt- Biography :Born in Grenoble, Isère, France, he started his primary education at La Verpillere, Ecole Les Marronnier and completed it at Ecole Jean Jaures in Lyon. He graduated from Dumlupinar High School in Mersin and continued his education in Selcuk University in Konya and studied French...
- Poet,writer,sociologist - Güzide Duran - Model
- Müfide İlhanMüfide İlhanMüfide İlhan was a former mayor of Mersin, Turkey in the early 1950s. She is known as being the first woman mayor in Turkey.-Life:...
- First woman mayor in Turkey in the 1950s - Özdemir İnce - Author
- Ahmet KireççiAhmet KireççiAhmet Kireççi , was a Turkish sports wrestler, who won the Olympic medal twice, the bronze medal in the Middleweight class of Men's Freestyle Wrestling at the 1936 Olympics and the gold medal in the Heavyweight class of Men's Greco-Roman category at the 1948 Olympics.Born in the southern...
(aka Mersinli Ahmet) - Olympic medalist wrestler - Nevit KodallıNevit KodalliNevit Kodallı is a Turkish composer of western-influenced classical music including operas and ballets. In 1948 he travelled to Paris where he studied with Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulanger...
- Composer - Turhan Oğuzbaş - Poet
- Ümit Yaşar Oğuzcan - Poet
- Kayhan Sağlamer - Journalist
- Fikri Sağlar - Politician (4 terms Minister of Culture before 1996)
- Nevin YanıtNevin YanıtNevin Yanıt, is a Turkish female sprinter competing in hurdling, especially in 100 m hurdles. Currently, she is majoring in Physical Education at Mersin University, and a member of the Fenerbahçe S.K. athletics club...
- Female sprinter (European champion in 100 m hurdles) - Atıf YılmazAtif YilmazAtıf Yılmaz Batıbeki was a renowned Turkish Kurdish film director, screenwriter and film producer. He was almost a legend in the film industry of Turkey with 119 movies directed. He also wrote 53 screenplays and produced 28 movies since 1951. He was active in almost every period of the Turkish...
- Film director and producer
See also
- Adana-Mersin Metropolitan AreaAdana-Mersin Metropolitan AreaAdana-Mersin metropolitan area lies in the core area of Çukurova and with a population of 3 million, it is one of Turkey's major business and cultural centres. The metropolitan area stretches over 100 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south and includes the cities of Mersin, Tarsus,...
- ÇukurovaÇukurovaÇukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
- AkdenizAkdeniz (Mersin)Akdeniz is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of the 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four intracity municipalities in addition to Greater Mersin municipality.- History...
, intercity municipality of Mersin - MezitliMezitliMezitli is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders...
, intercity municipality of Mersin - ToroslarToroslarToroslar is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four intracity municipalities in addition of Greater Mersin municipality...
, intercity municipality of Mersin - YenişehirYenişehir (Mersin)Yenişehir is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of the 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders...
, intercity municipality of Mersin - Cilicia War
- GözneGözne- Geography :Gözne at is north of Mersin. It is situated in the southern slopes of Toros Mountains. The average altitude is . In some locations of the town, both Mersin and the Mediterranean Sea can be viewed...
- Soli, CiliciaSoli, CiliciaSoli was an ancient city and port in Cilicia, in present day Turkey, a part of Mezitli municipality which in turn is a part of Greater Mersin. It was a colony of Rhodes, founded c. 700 BC. Soli was destroyed in the 1st century BC, and rebuilt by Pompey the Great. Thereafter, it was called...
- YumuktepeYumuktepeYumuktepe is a tumulus at within the city borders of Mersin, Turkey. In 1936 the tumulus was at the outskirts of Mersin. But after the rapid increase of population, now the tumulus is in the Toroslar municipality of Mersin....
- KazanlıKazanlı-Geography:Kazanlı is approximatelly east of Mersin center at . It is a Mediterranean coastal town. East of the town, there are small settlements surrounded by fields. Towards west and north of the town there are industrial plants and some quarters of Mersin....
- Chronology of the Turkish War of IndependenceChronology of the Turkish War of IndependenceThis chronology of the Turkish War of Independence is a timeline of events during the Turkish War of Independence . The timeline also includes the background events starting with the end of the First World War. The events are classified according to the campaigns and parties involved...
- List of mayors of Mersin
- Mersin İdmanyurduMersin İdmanyurduMersin İdmanyurdu is a Turkish sports club from Mersin in Eastern Mediterranean Region. The club is especially known for its football team which was playing in Süper Lig, Turkey's first level division by 2011–12 season. The team played in first division for 11 seasons previous to 1984...
, footbal team of the city, attending top level division in 2011-12 season. - Gulf of MersinGulf of MersinGulf of Mersin is one of the widest gulfs in Turkey. It is in the northeast of the Levantine Sea between the gulfs of İskenderun and Antalya. - Location :...
- Mersin Grand MosqueMersin Grand MosqueMersin Grand Mosque is a mosque in Mersin, Turkey. - The building :The mosque is in Akdeniz intracity district of Mersin . It is at the intersection of the main streets. Atatürk Park is to the south and business quarter of the city is to the north and west...
- Mersin HarborMersin HarborMersin Harbor is a seaport facility in Mersin, southern Turkey. As one of the largest harbors in the country, it is Turkey's main gateway to the Mediterranean Sea...
- Mersin railway stationMersin Railway StationThe Mersin Railway Station is the main train station in the city of Mersin, Turkey. The station is located in the district of Akdeniz. The station is in use since 1886.- The railway :...
- Mersin HalkeviMersin HalkeviMersin Halkevi is a building in Mersin, Turkey originally built within the scope of the project Halkevleri, but currently used as a cultural center and opera house.- History :...
- MertimMertimMertim, an acronym for Mersin Ticaret Merkezi is the tallest building in Mersin, Turkey. It was the tallest building in Turkey between 1987 and 2000, until the completion of the İş Bankası Towers in Istanbul, and still remains the tallest building in the country outside of Istanbul...
- Mersin FeneriMersin FeneriMersin Feneri is located at the Mediterranean coast in the city of Mersin, Turkey.- Geography :Mersin lighthouse is within the Mersin urban fabric and is situated at the west of the mouth of Müftü River at . It is surrounded by walking tracks and on the west there is a group of restaurants. The...
- Muğdat MosqueMuğdat MosqueMuğdat Mosque is a large mosque in Mersin, Turkey. It is named after Miktat bin Esved, one of the early Muslims.- Geography :The mosque was built in 1980s in the Yenişehir intracity district of Mersin. Although the official name of the neighbourhood is Gazi, it is usually called Muğdat after the...
- Atatürk Parkı