Alaçam - History

History :
The district has a very old history. In the periods B.C., the Phrygians, the Kimmers, the Lydians and the Persians reigned in Alaçam.The nations coming from the Middle Asia in the 5th century B.C., named Zelikus there. In the period of Danishmends, it was called Tralköy. The Seljuk changed the name Tralköy to Uluköy and in 1385, İlhanlı period, it had the name Alaçam.
It is said that the name Alaçam got its name from the huge pines called Uluçam near the river Uluçay which flows through the middle of the town.In the period of the Anatolian Principalities, it was conquered by Kadi Burhanettin which was the following of Eratna principality and then Candaroğulları and İsfendiyaroğulları gained the control (1390). Alaçam which was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1398 was conquered again by Candaroğulları in 1420 after the collapse of Anatolia Turkish Union.The Ottoman had Alaçam after Çelebi Mehmet seized the Canik region and this sovereignty was secured in the period of Murat the Second. Alaçam which had been a Turkish town since the Ottoman became the 8th district of Samsun in 1st September 1944.

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION :
Alaçam is an adorable coastal town surrounded by the Black Sea in the north, Yakakent in the west, Vezirköprü in the south and Bafra districts in east. Its surface area is 632 km² and its elevation from sea level is approximately 15 m. It is 78 km to Samsun. The highest dunes of the district are Katran and Tingaz mountains and their piedmonts are upland.

SOCIO-ECONOMICAL STRUCTURE :
The economy of the district is generally based on agriculture. Also, stock breeding and fishery are carried out. The primary agricultural product is tobacco. This is followed by wheat, paddy and corn production. Besides, all kinds of vegetable and fruit are grown. In stock breeding, bovine and ovine breeding is carried out.

TRANSPORTATION:
Alaçam is on Samsun-Sinop state highway. Thus, there is no transportation problem. It is 78 km to Samsun. But, in heavy weather, the transportation to the villages becomes difficult.
HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL VALUES :
In the district, there are Sivritepe, Elçitepe, Gökçeboğaztepe and Dedetepe mounds. In Sivritepe, Dedetepe and Gökçeboğaztepe, some settlements belonging to the Hittite period were discovered. The excavations in Gökçeboğaztepe were performed in 1955. In addition, in the excavations performed in Sivritepe, some ceramics that are indicated to belong to Miletus were found. And also there is an historical castle on the mountainside and forestland in the south of Yakakent and Alaçam. The Anatolian Governor Şadi Bey Mosque (1515) and the Yeni (New) Mosque that was built in 1887 (Rumi 1303) are among the historical buildings in Alaçam.
Promenades and Recreation Spots:
On the seaside in 2 km north of the district, there is Geyikkoşan recreation spot with its clean beach and beautiful coppice forest consisting of plane, poplar and euonymus trees.

FOLKLORIC VALUES:
As 60% of the people in the center of Alaçam district are refugee, generally Rumelian dances (Zigaş, Debreli Hasan, Vardar Ovası and Topal Ağa) gain importance in weddings. Also, there are some welcoming dances like “kasap” (a folk dance of the eastern Black Sea coastal region). The handicrafts in the district are rug weaving, wattling and woodworks.