Urban History of Çorum: The City Period by Period
This page brings together, in chronological order, the urban history pages written from six books published by the Çorum Municipality City Archive. Each page cites the full reference of its book and the page range used, and gives the book page next to facts and figures in the text. All six books can be read online on the municipality’s website.
From antiquity to the 17th century
- Ancient Çorum: From the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period: Çorum’s city-states, Assyrian trading colonies, Phrygian, Persian and Hellenistic/Galatian administration, production and road network, per Çorum Tarihi.
- Çorum in the Byzantine, Danishmendid, Seljuk and Beylik Periods: Çorum’s Byzantine-era identity (the Euchaita debate), the Danishmendid conquest, the Seljuk ‘sleepy town’ era, and the Eretna and Kadı Burhaneddin beyliks.
- 15th-17th Century Çorum: Population, Government and Sanjak: Population growth in Çorum from Ottoman census registers, the sanjak-kaza structure, and officials such as the sancakbeyi, kadı, muhtesip and dizdar.
- Guilds, Bazaars and Houses in Ottoman Çorum (16th-17th Century): Per 16th-17th century court registers, Çorum’s nearly twenty bazaars, its covered market, its guilds from wool-weaving to tanning, and how houses changed hands.
- Agriculture and Urban Food Supply in Ottoman Çorum: How wheat, barley and vegetable production changed in 16th-century Çorum per Ottoman census registers, and the role of tax-farmers in feeding the town.
The 19th century
- 19th-Century Çorum: Population, Neighbourhoods and Migrant Settlements: Çorum dropped from a sancak (district) centre to a kaza (sub-district) centre before being raised again in 1891; the city’s population grew from 7,600 (1835) to 18,858 (1907), and the İcadiye, Hamidiye, Selimiye and Mahmudiye migrant quarters were founded.
- Çorum’s First Municipality (1876) and 19th-Century City Services: Çorum’s first municipal organisation was founded in 1876. The Government House, a reserve-army barracks, ten madrasas, new schools and a growing number of shops all record the city’s rapid transformation in the late 19th century.
- Tanning and Leatherworking in Çorum: By the early 20th century Çorum had 73 tanneries; the city’s oldest production trade was concentrated in the Tabakhane (Tannery) Quarter and organised through a guild tied to the Ahi Evran tradition.
- Weaving, Coppersmithing and Blacksmithing in 19th-Century Çorum: Çorum had about 2,000 weaving looms in 1907; coppersmithing declined for lack of raw material while blacksmithing rose in the early 20th century on the back of trade through the port of Samsun.
- The Cehri (Buckthorn Dye) Trade in Çorum: the ‘Golden Tree’: The natural dye extracted from the fruit of the cehri shrub that once covered Çorum’s hills was sought in Europe as ‘Turkish cehri’; its high profits earned the plant the name ‘Golden Tree.’
- Earthquakes and Natural Disasters in Çorum’s History (16th-19th Century): According to Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), the city suffered a series of earthquakes from 1578 to 1824; the 1793 and 1800 quakes destroyed hundreds of homes and forced residents into tents.
- Çorum in the Ottoman Provincial Yearbooks (1869-1908): Ottoman provincial yearbooks show Çorum and its districts split between the Ankara, Kastamonu and Sivas provinces, 1869-1908: population, institutions, output.
- Çorum’s Districts in the Late 19th Century According to the Yearbooks: İskilip, Osmancık, Sungurlu, Mecitözü: Ottoman provincial yearbooks on İskilip, Osmancık, Sungurlu and Mecitözü in the late 19th century: population, administrative structure, institutions, output.
The National Struggle and the Republic
- Çorum in the National Struggle (1918-1923): Çorum’s Müdafaa-i Hukuk organisation, its Sivas Congress delegates, its defence against the Yozgat-Zile uprisings and the Tekâlif-i Milliye levy, 1918-1923.
- Çorum in the Early Republic (1923-1950): Transport, Economy and Population: Roads and railway links, farming and industry, trade and population in Çorum, 1923-1950: an economic history of the province’s first quarter-century.
- Building Çorum (1923-1950): Planning, Electricity, Water, Health and Education: Urban planning attempts, electricity and water networks, health institutions and schools in the town of Çorum, 1923-1950: the Republic’s first quarter-century.
- The Birth of Industry in Çorum (1950-1980): Roof Tiles, Machinery and Food: Based on the book Çorum Tarihi: how Çorum’s flour, cement, brick-tile and food industries emerged in 1950-1980, alongside farming, forestry and mining.
- Çorum’s Urban Development (1950-1980): Planning, Electricity, Water, Buses and Municipal Services: Based on the book Çorum Tarihi: the city’s zoning plans, electricity, water and sewer networks, bus services and municipal services between 1950 and 1980.
- The Growth of Health, Education and Sports Facilities in Çorum (1950-1980): Based on the book Çorum Tarihi: hospitals, schools and sports facilities in Çorum, 1950-1980, including the birth of the old stadium and first sports clubs.
Archives, press and oral culture
- Çorum in the Ottoman Archives Catalogue: Records on disasters, migration, buildings, education, health, roads, security, trade and excavations from the Ottoman Archives Çorum catalogue.
- Çorum in the Republican Archives Catalogue: Records on public works, education, health, industry, disasters, administrative changes and excavation permits from the Republican Archives Çorum catalogue.
- The Press History of Çorum: From the First Newspaper to Today: From Çorum’s first print shop (1921) to today: Müstakil Çorum, Fikret, Çorum Haber and Çorum Hakimiyet — ninety years of local press history.
- Magazines and Halkevi Publications in Çorum: From Çorum’s first magazine Hale (1922) to Çorumlu, the Halkevi’s flagship magazine (1938-46): a documented history of magazine publishing in Çorum.
- Çorum Proverbs and Idioms: From Can Yoksul’s collection of over 27,000 sayings: a selection of Çorum proverbs and idioms on work, neighborliness, family, farming, weather and humor.
- Çorum Praises, Curses, Oaths and Comparisons: A selection from Can Yoksul’s collection: Çorum praises (maşallah expressions), curses, oaths and comparisons, each with its page in the book.
Source books
- Çorum Tarihi, 5. Hitit Festivali Komitesi; yay. haz. Çorum Belediyesi Kent Arşivi, 3. baskı, Çorum 2020, ISBN 978-605-84272-4-2. corumtarihi.pdf
- Mehmet Çanlı, Ankara, Kastamonu, Sivas Osmanlı Vilayet Salnamelerinde Çorum (1869-1908), Çorum 2013. osmanli-vilayet-salnamelerinde-corum.pdf
- Osmanlı Arşivi Çorum Belgeleri Kataloğu, yay. haz. İrfan Yiğit, Çorum 2017, ISBN 978-605-82689-3-7. orum-belgeleri-osmanli-arsivleri.pdf
- Cumhuriyet Arşivi Çorum Belgeleri Kataloğu, yay. haz. İrfan Yiğit, Çorum 2017, ISBN 978-605-82689-5-1. orum-belgeleri-cumhuriyet-arsivleri.pdf
- Abdulkadir Ozulu, Çorum Basın Tarihi Notları, Çorum 2012, ISBN 978-975-00946-2-0. ozulu-kitap-son.pdf
- Can Yoksul, Çorum Yöresi Sözlü Kültürü, Çorum 2013, ISBN 978-605-64210-0-6. corum-yoresi.pdf