Earthquakes and Natural Disasters in Çorum's History (16th-19th Century)

Because it lies within an earthquake zone and because of its geological structure, Çorum has repeatedly faced natural disasters throughout its history, including earthquakes, floods and famines. According to the chapter written by Sevgi Aktüre in Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), these disasters are counted among the main factors behind periodic declines in the city’s population and the abandonment of some of its neighbourhoods (Çorum Tarihi, p. 164).

16th-18th Century Earthquakes

According to the records cited in the book, the first major earthquake known to have struck Çorum was in 1578; it destroyed many buildings in the city, including a mosque built by the then sancakbey (district governor) Gülabi Bey, the “tahtel kale” (area below the citadel) and various shops.

In the late 17th and first half of the 18th century, the city experienced significant earthquakes in 1692, 1729, 1733, 1734 and 1758. In the 1758 earthquake in particular, the famine that followed the tremor, as well as the quake itself, caused deaths among both people and livestock — a detail drawn from the handwritten notes of Yusuf Bin Abdüllatif. Another major earthquake in 1786 left the city’s oldest and largest mosque, the Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque), in ruins (Çorum Tarihi, p. 164-165).

Late 18th and Early 19th Century

Earthquakes continued into the late 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th. In the major quake of 1793, houses were destroyed and people and livestock died; more than 800 people migrated elsewhere in its aftermath. In the 1800 earthquake, 800 houses in the city became uninhabitable and residents were forced to live in tents for a time. According to the sources cited, the last earthquake to hit Çorum in the 19th century struck in 1824; it lasted a very long time, caused great damage to the city, and once again forced residents into tents and shacks (Çorum Tarihi, p. 165).

Impact on the City’s Fabric

According to the book, it would have been impossible for the city’s population and neighbourhood structure not to be affected by these natural disasters; natural disasters can therefore be considered one of the main factors behind the fluctuations in the number of neighbourhoods — particularly the drop from 64 to 42 neighbourhoods between the late 16th and mid-17th centuries (Çorum Tarihi, p. 165). For more on population, neighbourhoods and migrant settlements in the same period, see 19th-Century Çorum: Population, Neighbourhoods and Migrant Settlements. More on the Ulu Cami of Çorum (Murad-ı Rabi Mosque), left in ruins by the 1786 earthquake, is available on its own page.

Sources

• Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), 5th Hittite Festival Committee; ed. Çorum Municipality City Archive, 3rd ed., Çorum Municipality Cultural Publications, Çorum 2020 (Chapter 3: “Çorum in the 19th and Early 20th Century,” by Sevgi Aktüre), p. 164-165. https://www.corum.bel.tr/public/uploads/2026/01/corumtarihi.pdf

Frequently asked questions

When was the last major earthquake recorded in Çorum in the 19th century?

According to Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), the last earthquake recorded in the city in the 19th century struck in 1824; it lasted a very long time, caused great damage to the city, and forced residents to live in tents and shacks.