Şebinkarahisar

The 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius writes that the Roman general Pompey captured the then ancient fortress and renamed it Colonia, in Greek Koloneia (Κολώνεια). A Greek inscription of the ninth or tenth century found in the fortress securely identifies Şebinkarahisar with Koloneia. Curiously, the Seljuk historian Ibn Bibi and 14th century coins minted by the Eretnids record an Armenian variation of the name, Koğoniya. The historical Turkish form of this name was Kuğuniya. In the 11th century, a second name becomes associated with the place: the town retains the name Koloneia but the fortress above is called Mavrokastron, Greek for "Black Fortress". The Turkish toponym Karahisar (Greek: Γαράσαρη, actual Turkish name of the district: Gareysar), appearing first in the 14th century, is a translation of Mavrokastron. The town was later called Şapkarahisar ("Black Fortress of Alum") or Kara Hisar ı Şarkî/Şarkî Kara Hisar ("Black Fortress of the East"). The place has been known as Şebinkarahisar since the 19th century and both names were used. On 11 October 1924 Mustafa Kemal visited this town and proposed that the name Şebin Karahisar be used. In 1890, the geographical historian W. M. Ramsay indicated that the Armenians still call this city Nikopoli (from Greek Νικόπολη); so do the Pontic Greeks to this day. It should not be confused with the nearby Koyulhisar, where the ruins of ancient Roman Nikopoli lie.

The recorded history of Şebinkarahisar begins with the Third Mithridatic War. After the defeat of Mithridates VI, Pompey strengthened the town's fortifications and founded a Roman colony (colonia). In the Byzantine period, the city was rebuilt by Justinian I (r. 527–565). In the 7th century, it became part of the Armeniac Theme, and later of Chaldia, before finally becoming the seat of a separate theme by 863. It was attacked by Arab raids in 778 and in 940. Şebinkarahisar fell to the Seljuk Turks soon after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. It remained in Turkish hands since, with the exception of a short lived Byzantine recovery ca. 1106. Mehmed II took the town for the Ottomans from Ak Koyunlu in 1461, and consolidated his rule over the area in 1473 following his defeat of Uzun Hasan at the Battle of Otluk Beli. From Şebinkarahisar he sent a series of letters announcing his victory, including an unusual missive in the Uyghur language addressed to the Turkmen of Anatolia. A careful survey of the fortifications above the town has revealed that the Ottomans invested heavily in repairs to the original Late Antique Byzantine Seljuk walls and, in addition, constructed an impressive “citadel complex” at the summit. It became a sanjak centre as "Karahisar I Şarki", initially in Rum Eyalet (1473 1514 and again 1520 1555), Bayburt Eyalet (1514 1516), Diyarbekir Eyalet (1516 1520), Erzurum Eyalet (1555 1805), Trabzon Eyalet (1805 1865) and Sivas Vilayet (1865 1923). According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82 1893, the kaza of Şebinkarahisar (Karahisar i Şarki) had a total population of 35.051, consisting of 19.421 Muslims, 8.512 Greeks and 7.118 Armenians.

Şebinkarahisar was one of the few locations where Armenians actively resisted the Armenian genocide. As news of deportations and massacres in other parts of the Ottoman Empire reached the town, its Armenian population decided to make preparations for self defence. On June 15, 1915 some 300 Armenians, mostly wealthy merchants, were arrested. On the following day, after further attempted arrests, fighting erupted and barricades were erected in the town's Armenian districts. By June 18 most of those districts had fallen or been abandoned. Some 5,000 Armenians from the town and nearby villages, 75% of them women and children, retreated into Şebinkarahisar's medieval fortress. It was then surrounded by Turkish troops, who directed heavy artillery at its walls. On the night of July 11, with food, water, and ammunition almost exhausted, the Armenians decided to secretly evacuate the fortress. However, the attempt was discovered and all who had left were killed. On July 12 those still inside the fortress surrendered. A massacre then followed in which all Armenian men were killed. Women and children survivors were held prisoner in the town before being deported like those of other towns. Official Turkish records claim that during the revolt the Armenian rebels killed 403 civilian Turkish villagers.

When the republic was founded in 1923 the 10th Army was garrisoned here, bringing a boost to the local economy. Atatürk visited in 1924, on his way from seeing earthquake damage in Erzurum.

Şebinkarahisar is a quiet town, 40 km from the provincial city of Giresun, standing on the north side of the valley of the river Avutmuş in the Giresun Mountains. The town is hard to reach, the road along the riverbank is windy and narrow, and services are hard to provide. The Şebin walnut is a particular variety of walnut grown on the valley sides. Other local delicacies include a helva made from hazelnuts, a kind of cheese pudding called hoşmerim, small bread loaves called gilik, the corn and chick pea soup toyga çorbası, dolma made from the leaves of curled dock called evelik, stewed nettles and most of all the mulberry syrup, pekmez.

Şebinkarahisar has a dry summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsb), with warm, dry summers, and cold winters.