Corum

Çorum is a landlocked northern Anatolian city that is the capital of the Çorum Province of Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey, and is approximately 244 km (152 mi) from Ankara and 608 km (378 mi) from Istanbul. The city has an elevation of 801 m (2,628 ft) above sea level, a surface area of 12,820 km2 (4950 mi2), and as of the 2016 census, a population of 237,000.

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.

History

The history of the area around the present-day city is known to go as far back as the Paleolithic ages, with small settlements and tools from the era variously having been excavated over the past century.

The town also seems to have been an Assyrian trading post acting as a connection between Anatolia and Mesopotamia between 1950-1850 BC.

The city and surrounding area rose to prominence with the emergence of the Hittite Empire between 1650-1200 BC, under the patronage of which the arts and local economy significantly developed and prospered. Hattusa, the capital of Hittite Empire, was located in the region owing to its inherent geographic protection, and the well-established local economy as supported by the regional Karum system.

Following the collapse of the Hittites, the Phrygian Empire continued to keep stability in the region.

After the Phrygians, the city underwent various rulerships, with the most prominent being the Medes, the Persians, Macedonians, Galatians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Seljuks, and ultimately the Ottomans in the fourteenth century.

In the early twentieth century, during the Turkish War of Independence, Çorum was among the cities with the highest count of Turkish casualties, with 1510 Medals of Independence being awarded to troops from the city and its surrounding villages.

The city officially joined the Republic of Turkey following the declaration of the Republic in 1923. In 1980, radical Sunni Muslims perpetrated the Çorum Massacre against the Alevis, killing 57 and injuring more than 200.

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.

Population

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 20 km (12 mi) south of Çorum.