Samandağ
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| Samandağ | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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| Country |  Turkey |
| Region | Mediterranean |
| Province | Hatay |
| Elevation | 72 m (236 ft) |
| Population | |
| - Town | 106,754 |
| - Urban | 36,641 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 31 |
| Area code(s) | (0)326 |
| Licence plate | 31 |
Samandağ, is a town in Hatay Province of southern Turkey, at the mouth of the Orontes River on the Mediterranean coast, near Turkey's border with Syria, 25 km (16 mi) from the city of Antakya.
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[edit] Etymology
Samandağ was formerly known as Samanda, Yukarı Alevışık, Levşiye and Suwaidiyyah (Süveydiye) and was officially named Samandağ in 1948.
[edit] History
Samandağ lies near the site of the ancient Seleucia Pieria, founded in 300 BC by Seleucus Nicator a general of Alexander the Great, in the Seleucid era that followed Alexander's demise. Seleucia Pieria quickly became a major Mediterranean port of the Hellenistic era, although being slightly inland and therefore safer from pirates, the nearby city of Antioch eventually eclipsed Seleucia. But the port remained and was later used during the Crusades. See Seleucia Pieria for more details of the city in antiquity.
[edit] Geography
Samandağ itself is a small town of 35,000 people, close to the city of Antakya. The local economy depends on fishing and agriculture, especially citrus fruits, and Samandağ has the air of a country market town, with young men buzzing through the streets on mopeds. Around the village of Çevlik (derived from Seleucia) there is a long sandy coastline popular with daytrippers from Antakya, although the sea can be stormy. This is an important nesting area of the endangered sea turtles Caretta caretta.
Much of its population are Arabic speaking and adhere to the Alawite sect of Shia Islam. There are also Arab-Aramaic Christian communities in the district and the village of Vakıflı is Turkey's last remaining rural Armenian community. Politically Samandağ is traditionally left-leaning. In the 2009 local elections, Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) candidate Mithat Nehir was elected mayor of the ilçe (the sole victorious ÖDP candidate in the entire republic).[1]
[edit] Places of interest
- The tunnel of Vespasian, in the village of Kapısuyu , built as a water channel in the 2nd century.
- The tomb of the Muslim saint Hızır.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Governorship of Samandag
- photo album of Samandağ
- infor on Seleucia Pieria (English)
- Samandağ'ın Sesi
Coordinates: 36°05′25″N 35°58′01″E / 36.0904°N 35.9669°E
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