Tekirdağ (pronounced[teˈciɾdaː]) is a city in Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022.[1]
Tekirdağ is a commercial centre with a harbour for agricultural products (the harbour is being expanded to accommodate a new rail link to the main freight line through Thrace). It is also home to Martas and the BOTAŞ Terminal, both of them important for trade activities in the Marmara Region. The town's best known product remains Tekirdağ rakı although it is also known for its cherries, celebrated with a festival every June.[2]
The proximity of the Greek and Bulgarian borders means that there are honorary consulates for both countries in Tekirdağ.
Ferries from Tekirdağ sail to the nearby Marmara Islands during the summer.[3]
Tekirdağ was called Bisanthe or Bysanthe (Greek: Βισάνθη/Βυσάνθη),[4][5] and also Rhaedestus (Ῥαιδεστός) in classical antiquity. The latter name was used until the Byzantine era,[6] and transformed into Rodosçuk after it fell to the Ottomans in the 14th century (in western languages it is usually rendered as Rodosto). After the 18th century it was called Tekfurdağı, based on the Turkish word tekfur, meaning "Byzantine lord". In time, the name mutated into the Turkish Tekirdağ, and this became the official name under the Turkish Republic. The historical name "Rhaedestos" (transcribed also as Raidestos) is still used in the Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical context (e.g. the Bishop of Raidestos,[7] the Metropolitanate of Heraclia and Raidestos).[8]
The history of the city of Tekirdağ dates back to around 4000 BC.[9] In Xenophon's Anabasis it is mentioned as part of the kingdom of the Thracian king Seuthes. It is also mentioned as Bisanthe by Herodotus (VII, 137). The city was a Samian colony.[10]
In December 1934, a convoy of 1,583 Turkish speaking Muslims from Dobruja and Ada Kaleh settled in Tekirdağ.[16]
For many years Tekirdağ served as a depot for the produce of Edirne province. However, its trade suffered badly when Alexandroupolis became the terminus of the railway up the river Maritsa.
Carlos Horacio Ponce de Léon 9 June 1962 28 April 1966
Location
Süleymanpaşa park, Tekirdağ
Tekirdağ is situated on the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara, 135 kilometres (84 miles) west of Istanbul. Its picturesque bay is backed by the promontory of the mountain which gives its name to the city, Tekir Dağı (ancient Combos), a spur of about 2000 ft. that rises into the hilly plateau to the north. Between Tekirdağ and Şarköy is another mountain, Ganos Dağı.
Climate
Tekirdağ has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa, Trewartha: Cs). Summers are hot and humid whilst winters are cool and wet. Snowfall is somewhat common, with a week or two of snow between the months of December and March.
Highest recorded temperature:40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on 27 June 2007 Lowest recorded temperature:−13.5 °C (7.7 °F) on 3 January 1942[18]
Climate data for Tekirdağ (1991–2020, extremes 1940–2023)
The Tekirdağ area is the site of many holiday homes, as the city is only two hours drive from Istanbul via a new four-lane highway. The villages of Şarköy, Mürefte and Kumbağ are particularly popular with Turkish tourists. The Marmara Sea is polluted but there are still a number of public beaches near Tekirdağ, especially the Yeniçiftlik beaches.
Most Ottoman wooden buildings have been replaced by concrete apartment blocks although some are being restored or replaced with attractive replicas. Except for the , and the narrow streets that help one imagine life in the Ottoman period, the city lacks antique charm. One reason to visit is the local delicacy, the small spicy cylindrical grilled meatballs called Tekirdağ köftesi, traditionally followed by courses of a sweet local cheese and semolina pudding.
The inland parts of Tekirdağ province offer fertile farmland suitable for winter wheat, sunflowers, cherries and grapes for wine-making.
Both the east–west highway (the Via Egnatia of Roman times) and the highway north toward Muratlı and Lüleburgaz are four lanes. There is a prison next to the rakı distillery and another north of the city on the road to Muratlı.
On the eastern edge of the city is the Namık Kemal University, founded in 2006, which has three faculties.
Tekirdağ rakı
This part of Turkey is well known for its high quality rakı. State-owned until the 1990s, the distilleries are now in private hands and the wine and rakı industries are undergoing a renewal despite being hampered by high taxation on alcohol.[22]
Attractions
In Tekirdağ
The Rüstem Paşa Mosque, built by the Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, in 1553[23]
The Rakoczi Museum is an 18th-century Turkish house, where the Hungarian national hero, Francis II Rákóczi lived during his exile from 1720 until his death in 1735. Today, it is the property of Hungary.[23]
Of all Turkey's many statues of Atatürk, the one in Teikrdağ town centre is the only one that was made exactly life-size.
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