Çorum

Çorum (Medieval Greek: Ευχάνεια, romanized: Euchaneia) is a northern Anatolian city in Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey, and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul. It is the seat of Çorum Province and of Çorum District. Its population is 269,595 (2022). The city has an elevation of above sea level.
Çorum is primarily known for its Phrygian and Hittite archaeological sites, its thermal springs, and its native roasted chick-pea snacks known nationally as leblebi.
Toponymy
The name Çorum is of Armenian origin.
History
There is ample archaeological evidence for human presence in the area since the Paleolithic ages.
The area prospered during the Bronze Age, with the emergence of the Hittite Empire between 1650-1200 BC. Hattusa, the Hittite capital, was located in the region owing to its inherent geographic protection, and the well-established local economy as supported by the regional Karum system.
There is a hypothesis that the Byzantine town of Euchaneia was at or near the site of the modern city, but others place Euchaneia further east, at Euchaita. In Ancient Greek sources, Çorum was known as Niconia (Nikonya), and in the Byzantine period known as Evkaite.
The settlement of Çorum proper can be traced only to the 16th century. The name is of unknown origin, and is first attested in Ottoman records, in reference to a Seljuk fortress Çorum Kalesi described by Evliya Çelebi. In the mid 16th century, the fortress was divided into four mahalle or quarters. From 1867 until 1922, Çorum was part of Angora vilayet.
In 1915, its Armenian population was killed during the Armenian genocide. In 1917, during the Greek genocide, Çorum became a deportation area for Greeks from Samsun. Many died from starvation, cold, and deadly infectious diseases. Survivors were then deported to Çankırı or Ankara.
Çorum today
The town today is generally tidy and pleasant, with a locally popular countryside. As with most Central Anatolian and inland Black Sea towns, the population is largely conservative, leading to a generally more restricted nightlife that favors dry establishments, although there are some bars, pubs and cafés that offer a mix of contemporary and traditional Turkish folk music. Within the city, there is a good range of shops, cafés and restaurants, with a cuisine that includes a variety of pastries including the nationally-known Çorum Mantısı - a popular dish similar to ravioli that is slowly baked in a brick oven or steamed in a beef broth. As well as the archeological and other historic sites, the countryside surrounding Çorum offers many places for picnics, particularly near the Çomar reservoir or in the mountains around the province.
The old Ottoman houses, the 19th century clock tower, and the Çorum Museum that displays a range of artefacts from excavations in the region are popular tourist interests. An International Hittite Congress of archaeologists is held in Çorum every three years.
Economy
Although the economic output of the city has historically been relatively small with a focus on traditional crafts like coppersmithing, tanning, hand weaving, agriculture and animal husbandry, over the past two decades, the city has shown a significant growth in industrial production and light engineering that has made it among the most industrially advanced cities compared to its population size.
Originally home to about 20 tile and brick manufactories and 10 flour and feed mills, the city today produces a wide variety of products ranging from cement to automobile parts, refined sugar to dairy products, textiles to computer parts, and more recently, poultry through chicken farming.
Demographics
On the eve of the First World War, 3,520 Armenians lived in the kaza of Çorum: 1,020 in Çorum proper, 1,500 in Ekrek, 400 in Alaca, and the rest in Bozok and Hüseyinabad. Males were cut to death with axes by çetes supervised by Nureddin Pasha as part of the Armenian genocide. There were Greek inhabited settlements around Çorum (Τσορούμ/Tsoroum), including Çorum itself.
Geography
Çorum is on the northern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau. There is an attractive mountainous countryside around the city. The North Anatolian Fault line passes south of Çorum.
Climate
Çorum has a warm summer continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb or Trewartha climate classification: Dcb) with dry summers and cold, snowy winters, and mild to cool wet springs and autumns with light rain.
Twin towns – sister cities
Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, South Korea
Notable natives
Mahmut Atalay - World champion and Olympic medalist wrestler
Tevfik Kış - World champion and Olympic medalist wrestler
Cevdet Cerit - professor of mathematics at Istanbul Technical University
Komet or Gürkan Coşkun - Famous Turkish artist
Soner Yalçın - Famous Turkish journalist, arrested for Ergenekon trials
İbrahim Kaypakkaya - Founder of Türkiye Komünist Partisi/Marksist-Leninist
İsmail Beşikçi - Writer
Aşık Gülabi (Gülabi Gültekin) - Minstrel
Gen. Ahmet Çörekçi - Former Head Commander of the Turkish Air Force
Savaş Yurderi Kool Savas - a German rapper and hip hop artist
See also
Anatolian Tigers
Amasya
Chickpea noghl
Leblebi
References
External links
Pictures of the city with links to surrounding Hittite sites
Provincial municipalities in Turkey
Çorum District
Populated places in Çorum Province
Former Armenian communities in Çorum Province
Former Greek communities in Turkey