Karadeniz Ereğli (or Ereğli) is a city and district in Zonguldak Province of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

shore. Population of the city proper is 121,237 as of 2020. The mayor of the city is Halil Posbıyık. Mehmet Yapıcı is the District Governor of Ereğli.

History

The city was a Greek city in ancient times known as '' Heraclea Pontica'' after the Greek mythical hero

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

. The Turkish name Karadeniz Ereğli means "Black Sea Ereğli" (''kara'': "black", ''deniz'': "sea" in Turkish), which distinguishes it from other places called Ereğli (the name ''Ereğli'' derives from ''Heraclea''). It was founded by a

Megarian Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken ...

colony, which soon subjugated the native Mariandynians and extended its power over a considerable territory. It was the birthplace of

Heraclides Ponticus Heraclides Ponticus ( grc-gre, Ἡρακλείδης ὁ Ποντικός ''Herakleides''; c. 390 BC – c. 310 BC) was a Greek philosopher and astronomer who was born in Heraclea Pontica, now Karadeniz Ereğli, Turkey, and migrated to Athens. ...

. According to

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

, the cave guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus is located near the town. For his final quest, Heracles is tasked with entering the cave and capturing Cerberus. The prosperity of the city, rudely shaken by the

Galatia Galatia (; grc, Γαλατία, ''Galatía'', "Gaul") was an ancient area in the highlands of central Anatolia, roughly corresponding to the provinces of Ankara and Eskişehir, in modern Turkey. Galatia was named after the Gauls from Thrace ...

ns and the

Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwe ...

ns, was utterly destroyed in the Mithridatic Wars. Then, Heraclea Pontica was part of the (Eastern) Roman Empire for more than 1000 years. The Turks ravaged the area after the Battle of Mantzikert in 1071. David Komnenos, brother of the ruler of Trebizond Alexios I of Trebizond, took Heraclea Pontica in 1205 and made it capital of his domain, called Paphlagonia; he lost it in 1214 to Theodore I Laskaris, who made it a major frontier bulwark. The Genoese had a colony there after 1261. When the Turks conquered Paphlagonia in 1360, the Genoese bought the city from the weakening Byzantine Empire. Heraclea developed as a trading centre of the Genoese, who settled there in large numbers. A ruined citadel on a height overlooking the town is a remnant of this period. The Italian name of the city was Pontarachia. The Genoese held the city until the Ottomans captured it after 1453. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Karadeniz Ereğli was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

Facts

Modern Ereğli is the home of Erdemir, an important steel plant of Turkey. It has a large natural harbour, located in the lee of Baba Burnu and therefore one of the few geographically attractive places for a harbour on the western

coast of

. Ereğli is well developed due to the presence of the steel plant and fishing is a major commercial activity in the city. Because of its Black Sea beach, Ereğli is a popular tourist destination locally. The city does not have an airport (Erdemir has a small private field) or rail station, but can be reached by automobile or bus from

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

and other places. In addition to its fishing and steel, Ereğli is also well known for its delicious

Ottoman strawberry ''Fragaria vesca'', commonly called the wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry or European strawberry, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Norther ...

. The discoverer of the northern Turkish coalfields, Uzun Mehmet, lived in the ''Kestaneci Köyü'' ("Chestnut-seller Village") section of Ereğli. The International Love, Peace, Friendship, Culture and Art Festival is held every year in Karadeniz Ereğli.

Sports

Ereğli is an active spot in women's football. Karadeniz Ereğli Belediyespor is currently competing in National Women's Football League. Furthermore, Karadeniz Ereğli Spor won Girls' U-15 Turkey Championship in 2011. Also, local men's football clubs of Ereğli compete in amateur leagues. In 2000s, Erdemirspor had several successful professional sport teams. Men's volleyball team won three Turkish Men's Volleyball League championship titles ( 2001-02, 2003-04, and

2004-05 A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the Rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with Sweep (rowing), sweep oars, without a Coxswain, coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each ha ...

), but was withdrawn from the league in 2007. Men's basketball team competed in Men's Basketball Super League for 7 seasons (2004-06, 2008-13), until Erdemir disestablished the team in 2013. It also won two championship titles in the lower basketball league. Besides, women's basketball team competed in the Woman's Basketball League in 2000s. Chess is also a popular sport in Ereğli. There are two chess clubs in the city, and Ereğli hosts around 10 local chess tournaments each year.

References

External links

Ereğli Municipality official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karadeniz Eregli Black Sea port cities and towns in Turkey Populated places in Zonguldak Province Fishing communities in Turkey Populated coastal places in Turkey Districts of Zonguldak Province

History

Facts

Sports

See also

References

External links