İlkadım

History

Excavations have been carried out on the höyük of Dündartepe revealed a settlement of Chalcolithic age. During the early Hellenistic age there was a colony named Amisos (in Greek Αμισός) founded by the colonialists from Miletus. The colony was captured by Julius Caesar of Roman Empire in 43 BC. After 1071, the city was captured by Danishmends and Seljuks. In 1413 was incorporated into Ottoman Empire by Mehmet I. İlkadım is a part of the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality. In 1994 it was declared a municipality within the city borders of the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality. With a law in 2008, it became one of the 4 central districts of Samsun by including the lower level municipalities of Gazi and Yeşilkent. At the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, the rural part of the district was integrated into the municipality, the villages becoming neighbourhoods. Currently, it is the largest and most developed district of Samsun and the Black Sea Region in terms of population. With the growth of the region, commercial activities in the center have declined and much of the middle class of Samsun has moved to newer and more modern neighborhoods. Efforts have been made to revitalize İlkadım like the construction of the Sheraton Hotel Samsun, Piazza Samsun and the reconstruction of Samsun Saathane Square and Republic Square (Samsun). The district is also served by extensive public transit including the Samsun Tram. The district was named İlkadım because Atatürk came to Samsun and took the first step towards independence here on May 19, 1919.

Geography

İlkadım is within the city of Samsun. The district includes the port of Samsun. The name İlkadım refers to Atatürk's arrival in Samsun via sea in the ship the Bandirma in order to start the Turkish War of Independence on 19 May 1919. (İlkadım means first step).

Most-observed species

• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  349
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  311
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  281
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  262
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  259
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  231
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  215
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  208

Most recent

• M 5.3 — 2026-03-13
  15 km WNW of Niksar, Turkey
• M 4.8 — 2025-04-13
  19 km WNW of Taşova, Turkey
• M 4.1 — 2024-04-21
  17 km NNW of Yeşilyurt, Turkey
• M 4.3 — 2024-03-11
  26 km N of Samsun, Turkey
• M 4.3 — 2023-09-26
  17 km SSE of Erbaa, Turkey
• M 4.3 — 2021-09-21
  1 km SSW of Niksar, Turkey