Sürmene (; , Sourmena; , romanized as Sürmena[/e]) is a municipality and district of Trabzon Province, Turkey.Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. Its area is 166 km2, and its population is 25,281 (2026). In ancient times the town of Hyssus or Hyssos () was nearby. The mayor is Hüseyin Azizoğlu (AK Parti).
Sürmene (Humurgan) is situated some east of Trabzon. Known in antiquity also as Susarmia or Augustopolis, it lies on the River Kora (Manahoz Deresi) and is best known as the place where Xenophon and his Ten Thousand fell sick after eating wild honey, an event which was confirmed by the local people. In the village of Kastil, to the west of Sürmene, stands a ruined medieval castle as well as the impressively restored 18th-century Yakupoğlu Memiş Ağa Konağı mansion. This was formerly the seat of the Yakupoğlu family, who lived here as rulers (derebeys, hence its alternative name of Derebeyli Kale, the Castle of the Derebeys) of the surrounding region relatively free of interference from the Ottoman government in faraway Constantinople/Istanbul.
History
Sürmene (Gr: Surmena, Σούρμενα) is a seaside town and district situated approximately 30 km east of Trabzon. Before 1923, the number of Greeks living in the district was around 14,000. The settlements with large Greek communities were located close to the Monakos River (today Manahoz Stream). Some of the larger Greek settlements included Kelonsa (350 Greek families, 1 church), Tzita (350 Greek families, 2 churches), Assou (250 Greek families, 1 church) and Tsikoli (200 Greek families, 1 church).
The Greek settlements
Χουμουρκιάντων - Houmourkianton (the regional centre)
Ασού - Asou
Καρακαντζί - Karakantzi
Καταβόλ - Katavol
Κελόνσα - Kelonsa
Μεξεζί - Meksezi
Μουλκάντων (Χοτζαράντων) - Moulkanton (Hotzaranton)
Πετράς - Petras
Πύργη - Pirgi
Τσικολή - Tsikoli
Τσίτα - Tsita
Χαλανική - Halaniki
This list of the Greek villages of Pontus (or villages where Greeks resided) was compiled by the Center of Asia Minor Studies (Κέντρο Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών) which is based in Greece. The list may exclude some villages which weren't known at the time the study was completed. Source: The History of Pontian Hellenism, Christos Samouilidis, Thessaloniki 1992.
Economy Historically, Sürmene produced small amounts of manganese. The area also had mineral springs, and shipped bottled water to Istanbul. Knives bearing a geographical indication and the region’s traditional flatbread, along with city and mountain tourism, are also among the region’s sources of income.
Composition There are 37 neighbourhoods in Sürmene District:Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
Aksu Armutlu Aşağıovalı Balıklı Birlik Çamburnu Çamlıca Çarşı Çavuşlu Çiftesu Çimenli Dirlik Fındıcak Gültepe Güneyköy Kahraman Karacakaya Konak Koyuncular Küçükdere Muratlı Ormanseven Ortaköy Ortamahalle Oylum Petekli Soğuksu Üstündal Üzümlü Yazıoba Yemişli Yeniay Yeşilköy Yokuşbaşı Yukarıçavuşlu Yukarıovalı Zeytinli
Flora and fauna
According to WWF the largest amount of endemic flora is to be found in the Ağaçbaşı yayla (summer upland pasture) in Sürmene.
Zehirli biberiye (Andromeda polifolia), Böcek yiyen bitkilerden Drosera, Pamukotu (Eriophorum angustifolium ve E. latifolium), Kurtayağı (Lycopodiella inundata), Kara ot (Rhynchospora alba)
Gallery
See also Memiş Aga Mansion Memiş Agha Madur Anabasis (Xenophon) Ten Thousand Sürmene knife
References
External links
District governor's official website District municipality's official website*