Alucra

Alucra
Alucra
Municipality
	Alucra Location in Turkey
	Coordinates: 40°19′N 38°46′E / 40.317°N 38.767°E
Country	Turkey
Province	Giresun
District	Alucra
Government
• Mayor	Suat Aybar (MHP)
Elevation	1,524 m (5,000 ft)
Population (2022)	3,945
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	28700
Area code	0454
Climate	Csb
Website	www.alucra.bel.tr

Alucra is a town in Giresun Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 130 km (81 mi) from the city of Giresun. It is the seat of Alucra District.^[2] Its population is 3,945 (2022).^[1] It was a district of Şebinkarahisar province between 1924-1933.

Etymology

Alucra is a modification of the Ottoman Empire name El Ücra meaning far-off or remote.^{[citation needed]}

Culture

Local cuisine includes:

Fit (Düü) Çorbası - a soup made of onions and bulgur wheat
Yağlaç - a cornflour-based polenta-style meal
Pancar Çorbası - beetroot soup
Ekmek Aşı - dried bread soaked in a stew of fried meat with onions and hot pepper
Ayran Çorbası - yoghurt soup
Kesme Çorbası - a kind of local minestrone soup with lentils and dumplings
Helle - a soupy dish of bulgur and mint
Oğlak Kebabı - yeanling kebab

In July, there is a well-known summer festival.

History

This area has firstly been settled by the Hittites in ancient times. During the Middle Ages, Alucra was the part of the Byzantine Empire, disrupted by the Arab armies of the Abbasid caliphate.

Turks first came to the area in their 11th century movement into Anatolia from their homeland in Central Asia following their defeat of the Byzantines at the Battle of Malazgirt. From 1054 this area was settled by the Kipchak Turks from southern Russia, who moved into the area along the Black Sea coast, under the loose authority of the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks assumed direct control by defeating the Mengujekids in 1228, but their rule came to an end with their defeat by the Mongol hordes at Kösedağ in 1243.

The Anatolian beyliks remerged despite the growth of the Ottoman Empire until the area was brought into Ottoman in 1473 with the defeat of Uzun Hasan by Sultan Mehmet II at the battle of Otlukbeli.

Places of interest

As well as walks in the high pastures (yayla), there are a number of historical sites:

Kamışlı Kilisesi - a church in the village of Çakrak, built by Greeks in the 1800s^[3]
Çakrak Kilisesi - a ruined church
Gelinkaya (Bride's Rock - site of a gruesome local legend)
Ikizler Tepesi - two hills near the village of Pirilli

Notable natives

Nurettin Canikli (born 1960), Turkish politician and former minister

References

^ ^a ^b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
^ İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
^ "Çakrak Kiliesi ve Köprüsü". Giresun il Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (in Turkish). Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

External links

[tuik-1] "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 13 March 2023.

[ilce-2] İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023.

[3] "Çakrak Kiliesi ve Köprüsü". Giresun il Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (in Turkish). Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

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