Zonguldak Province ( tr, ) is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

along the western

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 ...

coast region 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 ...

. The province is 3.481 km in size and has a population of 619,703. Its adjacent provinces are

Düzce Düzce is the capital city of Düzce Province, the eighty-first Province in Turkey. The population is 367,087 and in 2009 was 125,240, an increase from 61,878 in 1990. Overview Düzce is the eighty-first and the newest province of Turkey ...

to the southwest,

Bolu Bolu is a city in Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province. The population is 131,264 (2012 census). The city has been governed by mayor Tanju Özcan (Republican People's Party, CHP) since 2019 Turkish local elections, local electi ...

to the south,

Karabük Karabük is a town and the capital district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2009 census, population of the city is 108 167. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of . Karabü ...

to the southeast, and

Bartın Bartın is a city in northern Turkey and the central district of the province of Bartın. Formerly a district of Zonguldak Province, Bartın was made into a province seat in 1991 with the constitution of its province, including four districts: ...

to the east. The capital is

Zonguldak Zonguldak () is a city and the capital of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It was established in 1849 as a port town for the nearby coal mines in Ereğli and the coal trade remains its main economic activity. According to the ...

. Its

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

is Erdoğan Bektaş. Since the discovery of coal in the province, Zonguldak has become a major

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

production center.

Districts

Zonguldak province is divided into 8

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(capital district in bold): * Alaplı *

Çaycuma Çaycuma is a town and district of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Bülent Kantarcı ( CHP). The population of Çaycuma is 115,000, but the centre population is 21,300. Çaycuma is well known for yogurt Yog ...

* Devrek * Ereğli (

Heraclea Pontica __NOTOC__ Heraclea Pontica (; gr, Ἡράκλεια Ποντική, Hērakleia Pontikē), known in Byzantine and later times as Pontoheraclea ( gr, Ποντοηράκλεια, Pontohērakleia), was an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asi ...

) * Kilimli * Kozlu *

Gökçebey Gökçebey is a forested district of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Former name of her was Tefen until 1963. She had a township in Devrek Devrek is a town and district in Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea Region of T ...

Sites of interest

Ilıksu, Kapuz, Göbü beaches, National Sovereignty Forest, Lake (Göl) Mountain, Plateau, Kocaman, Bostanözü, Çamlık, Baklabostan and Gürleyik forest recreation areas, Cumayanı, Kızılelma, Mencilis caves.

Museums

The Ereğli Museum, located in the town of Ereğli, is the only museum in the city.

Ereğli

Ereğli was founded during the 6th century B.C. by the Mariandynians, who were the successors of the

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empir ...

ns. Ereğli was an important commercial wharf (), which takes its name from the famous mythic hero,

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

(Heracles). The city preserved its importance during the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, Seljuk, and

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 ...

periods. Important historical

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

in the region include the Acheron Valley ruins, in which the Cehennem Ağzı caverns are located, along with Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman ruins, Ereğli Castle, Heracles Palace, Çeştepe Lighthouse tower, Byzantine water cisterns, Krispos mausoleum, Byzantine church and Halil Paşa Mansion.

Beaches

Many natural and sandy beaches may be found along a fifty-mile (80 km) stretch of the coast. Beginning from the east, these beaches include: Sazköy, Filyos, Türkali, Göbü, Hisararkası, Uzunkum, Tersane, Kapuz, Karakum, Değirmenağzı, Ilıksu, Kireçlik, Armutçuk, Black Sea Ereğli, Mevreke, Alaplı and Kocaman.

Promenade

The boroughs of the city are used as daily recreation areas for leisurely hikes by regional residents. Boroughs are

artificial lakes A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

intended to provide drinking water or serve other industrial purposes. These boroughs are: Ulutan Dam Lake at the center, Kızılcapınar Dam Lake, and Gülüç Dam Lake in Ereğli, Dereköy Pond at Çatalağzı borough and Çobanoğlu Pond (18 ha.) at Karapınar borough. The most important waterfalls of the city are: Harmankaya at Center Kokaksu site, Değirmenağzı at Kozlu borough and Güneşli waterfalls at Ereğli, and their environs are also used for trekking.

Caves

Cehennemağzı Cave, Gökgöl, Kızılelma, İnağzı and Cumayanı are the notable

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

rns.

National and Natural Parks

* Zonguldak Nature Protection Area

Local celebrations

* April 3 - Anniversary of Ground Breaking for Iron and Steel Works Karabük * June 4–11 - International Black Sea Ereğli Ottoman Strawberry Culture Festival * June 11–13 - Festivals: Black Sea Ereğli Culture and

Strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

Festival * June 21 - Commemoration day for Uzun Mehmet Zonguldak * June 21–26 - Zonguldak Black Diamond Black Sea International * July 1 - Maritime Day Ereğli * July 1 - Cabotage Celebrations * July 1–31 - International Youths Interchange Program * July 8–9 - Walking Stick Festival Devrek * August 26 - Visiting of Atatürk - Commemoration Day * September 3–9 - 16th Traditional Wrestling * September 3–9 - Alaplı

Hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according ...

, Culture, Art and Sports Festival * November 8 - Commemoration for Uzun Mehmet and Coal Celebrations Ereğli * December 4–9 - World Miners' Day * Çaycuma Yogurt Culture & Art Festival Çaycuma

Festivities

* June 18 - Freedom from Occupation Days: Freedom Day - Ereğli * June 18–24 - Music Feast * June 21 - Freedom Day * July 5–7 - Traditional Yenice Wrestling Competitions (Yağlı and Karakucak) Yenice * July 16–22 - Devrek Walking Stick and Culture Festival * July 23–29 - Circumcision Feast * August 26 - Arrival of Atatürk at Zonguldak * August 31 - September 1 - Traditional

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

Festivities Alaplı * September 3–9 - Circumcision Feast

Coal mining

History

The discovery of coal in the Ereğli (Heraclea) region (known today as the

Zonguldak basin The Zonguldak basin of northwestern Turkey is the only basin in Turkey with mineable coal deposits. It has been mined for coal since the late 1800s. The basin takes its name after Zonguldak, Turkey, and lies at approximately 41° N. It is roughly ...

) dates back to the reign of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

, and its extraction to Sultan

Abdülmecid ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد المجيد) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Majīd'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to t ...

's reign. The first specimen of Turkish coal was brought from Ereğli to Istanbul in 1822, but nothing was done for exploration and exploitation of this coal. However, in 1829, another specimen of coal was brought to Istanbul by Uzun (Long) Mehmet, a sailor and native of the village of Kestaneci, near Ereğli. This time attention was given to the discovery and the sailor received a reward of a life pension, but before he could benefit from this reward he was murdered. The first miners requested and delivered from the Austrian Government are the Austrian Croats known to have been employed in the Ereğli Coal Mines. The correspondence between Istanbul and the embassy in Vienna show that coal production in the Ereğli Basin predates the March 1837 request by 18 months and that production started around September 1835. An investigation of Hazine-i Hassa (Ottoman Imperial Treasury Department) records in the Ottoman archives shows that regular mining activities in the Ereğli Basin started in February 1841. This is confirmed by a newspaper article published in the 14 February 1841 issue of Ceride-i Havadis. Ereğli Coal Company, chartered by six partners (Ahmed Fethi Pasha, Rıza Pasha, Safveti Pasha, Tahir Bey Efendi, Izzet Pasha and Mustafa Efendi), excavated the coal in the Ereğli Coal Basin, initially under the auspices of Darphane-i Amire and later transferred to Hazine-i Hassa when the latter was established in 1849.

Timeline of the administration of the Ereğli coal mines after 1845

*1848-1854 Administration by Hazine-i Hassa *1849-1854 English (and Galata goldsmiths) Coal Company’s Management *1854-1856 Temporary administration by the English during the

Crimean war The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

*1856-1861 Administration by Hazine-i Hassa *1856-1859 Operated by Trust Administration *1859-1860 Operated by Zafiropulos *1860-1861 Operated by the English Coal Company *1861-1865 Administration by Hazine-i Hassa *1865-1908 Administered by the Ministry of Navy *1865-1882 Operated by Shipbuilding Administration *1882-1940 Operated by local and foreign capital companies *1908-1909 Administered by Nafia Nezareti (Ministry of Public Works) *1909-1920 Administered by the Ministry of Forestry, Agriculture and Mineral Trade *1914-1922 Period of World War I and the National Liberation War *1920-1940 Administered by the Ministry of Economics *1926-1940 Operated by

Türkiye İş Bankası 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 in ...

(Ankara) *1937-1940 Operated by ETIBANK (Ankara) and EKI *1940-1957 Administered by ETIBANK and EKI (Ereğli Komurleri Isletmesi - Zonguldak) *1957-1984 Administered by TKI (Ankara) *1984–present Administered by TTK (Turkiye Taşkomuru Kurumu - Zonguldak) In 1851, the Company’s production fields are mentioned in the accounting records as "coal mines administered by the Company under the irade-i seniyye in Ereğli, Amasra and various places". "Various places" mentioned in the records are not known for sure. Records of the period after the Sultan’s participation in the firm mention "coal mines administered by the Company in Bezekli, Amasra, Karaburun areas and various places". (The name Zonguldak did not yet exist in 1851.) After 1865, one of these "various places" is named as Zone-Goul-Dagh or Zon-Goul-Dak, with mixed Turkish-French pronunciation. References on internet document of http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/ web site: :Ports des mines d'Héraclée (19) :89 AQ 1703 Documentation et correspondence sur la construction du port de Zongouldak (20). 1893-1896 :89 AQ 1704 Etudes et projets des ports de Zongouldak et de Koslou par A. Guérard. 1891-1897 :89 AQ 1705 Projet du port de Zongouldak. 1897 :89 AQ 1706 Projet du port de Zongouldak. 1897-1898 :89 AQ 1707 Projet du port de Zongouldak. 1898-1899 :89 AQ 1708 Arbitrage entre la Société des ports d'Héraclée et la Compagnie de Fives-Lille (21). 1898 Zone-Goul-Dagh was born as a port town of east Ereğli Coal Mines. Its name was probably given by miners/administrators who speak French. (Société d'Héraclée !?) (Probably, the first name of the town was "Sea Port of Zone-Goul-Dagh"... Because, Goul mountain is about 2-3 kilometers far from sea side...)

Coal mining today

;Current

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

/extraction zones of Zonguldak province/region :Armutçuk (Ereğli), Kozlu (Kozlu), Üzülmez (Zonguldak), Çaydamar (Zonguldak), Baştarla (Zonguldak), Kilimli (Kilimli), Karadon (Kilimli-Çatalağzı), Gelik (Çatalağzı), Amasra (Amasra, Bartın Province) ;Coal washing/treatment plants: Zonguldak and Çatalağzı Coal Treatment Plants. ;Coal transport (delivery and import) *Ports: Zonguldak Sea Port (transport to Ereğli and Istanbul direction), Amasra Port, Ereğli Port *Other usable port for mine transport: Bartın Port (coal, cement etc.) *Railway: Zonguldak-Ankara Railway (transport to Karabük and Ankara direction) ;Thermic power plants: Çatalağzı Thermoelectric Power Plant units (use coal powder), in Işıkveren ward. ;Iron-steel plants:Ereğli (

Erdemir Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları T.A.Ş. is a Turkish steel producer. The name is a contraction of the Turkish language ''Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları'', which means "Ereğli Iron and Steel Factories". Erdemir occupies the 43rd place ...

) Iron and Steel Works, Karabük ( Kardemir, Karabük province) Iron and Steel Works. ;Average heat capacity of Zonguldak coals: 7000 kcal/kg.

Mining disasters

Several mining disasters have occurred in the Zonguldak mines: *1992: A gas explosion killed 270 workers. This was Turkey’s worst mining disaster. *2008: In a mine collapse, one miner died. *2010: In the 2010 Zonguldak mine disaster, an explosion in the state-operated Karadon mine, at least 28 miners were killed.

References

External links

*
Zonguldak governor's official website
*
Zonguldak municipality's official website
*
Zonguldak weather forecast information
{{Authority control