History & People
The history of Çorum and its 14 districts, the origin of its name, its geography, and the scholars, mystics and artists the region produced.
This section gathers the content that tells Çorum's identity: the province's general history and geography, the naming debate from its old names Nikonya and Yankoniye to today's, the population's ties to the Oghuz tribes, and the separate histories of the fourteen districts. It also covers figures associated with the region — such as Ebussuud Efendi, Akşemseddin and Koyun Baba — and the museums that keep their memory alive.
Çorum's history and identity
About Çorum
Where Çorum is, what it is known for, key facts.
The Old Name and Etymology of Çorum
Nikonya, Yankoniye and the origin of the name Çorum.
Which Turkic Tribe Do the People of Çorum Descend From?
The Oghuz tribes and the Alayuntlu settlement.
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 sancakbey…
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 cit…
Ahmet Feyzi Efendi
Çorum's mufti Ahmet Feyzi Efendi (1839-1909) founded a 6,112-volume library that became the core of today's Çorum Provin…
Ahmet Hamoğlu
Çorum-born industrialist and hotelier Ahmet Hamoğlu (1948-2022) founded the Klassis Hotel and Golf Club and Istanbul's M…
Akşemseddin and Koyun Baba: Two Saints of Osmancık
The traces left in Osmancık and İskilip by Akşemseddin, tutor of Fatih Sultan Mehmed; and the legendary and historical i…
Ancient Çorum: From the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period
Çorum's city-states, Assyrian trading colonies, Phrygian, Persian and Hellenistic/Galatian administration, production an…
Âşık Hüseyin Çırakman
Folk poet Âşık Hüseyin Çırakman (1930-2013), from Sungurlu's Körkü village, is known for his verse "Hoş Geldiniz Erenler…
Âşık Paşa
Poet of the Garibnâme, Âşık Paşa (1272-1332) lived and died in Kırşehir; his Çorum tie runs through his son Elvan Çelebi…
Âşıkpaşazade
Author of Tevârîh-i Âl-i Osmân, one of the earliest standard Ottoman chronicles, Âşıkpaşazade was born around 1400 in El…
Aycan Önel
Çorum-born athlete Aycan Önel competed in the 100 metres at the 1960 Rome Olympics and set numerous Turkish national rec…
Celal Ada
Çorum-born taekwondo athlete Celal Ada won bronze at 52 kg at the 1982 European Taekwondo Championships, one of the earl…
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 E…
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 prov…
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 th…
Çorum in the Ottoman Archives Catalogue
Records on disasters, migration, buildings, education, health, roads, security, trade and excavations from the Ottoman A…
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-…
Çorum in the Republican Archives Catalogue
Records on public works, education, health, industry, disasters, administrative changes and excavation permits from the …
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, administr…
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 …
Ebussuud Efendi
One of the Ottoman Empire's most influential şeyhülislams, from a family rooted in İskilip: the legal and exegetical aut…
Elvan Çelebi
Âşık Paşa's son Elvan Çelebi founded a lodge in Mecitözü in 1352 that gave the village his name, and wrote a key source …
Geography
Çorum lies in the inner Central Black Sea area, covering 12,820 km². It borders Amasya, Yozgat, Çankırı, Sinop, Samsun a…
History
The history of Çorum in brief: known as Nikonya (Yankoniye) under Byzantium, taken by the Danishmendids, a province sinc…
İskilip's Scholars
Names that shaped Ottoman scholarship and statecraft from İskilip: astronomer Ali Kuşçu's family, Şeyh Yavsî, Molla Cafe…
İsmail Beşikçi
Sociologist and writer İsmail Beşikçi, born in İskilip in 1939, is known for his academic research on the social and eth…
İsmet Eker
Çorum-born MP İsmet Eker presided, as deputy speaker, over the 29 October 1923 TBMM session that declared the Republic o…
Kara Halil Efendi
Kara Halil Efendi (1804-1880), born in Mecitözü, became şeyhülislam in 1877, drafted Sultan Abdülaziz's deposition fetva…
Koca Mehmet Paşa
Koca Mehmet Paşa of Osmancık became grand vizier under Murad II in 1429; the mosque and baths he had built in his hometo…
Komet (Gürkan Coşkun)
Known in the art world as Komet, painter and poet Gürkan Coşkun (1941, Çorum – 2022, Istanbul) blended fantasy and reali…
Mahmut Atalay
Çorum-born wrestler Mahmut Atalay (1934-2004) won gold in freestyle wrestling at 78 kg at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Nazmi Avluca
Greco-Roman wrestler Nazmi Avluca, born in Kargı, is one of Turkish wrestling's most successful athletes, with two world…
Notable People of Çorum
28 people born in or closely tied to Çorum: scholars, statesmen, artists, writers and Olympic champion athletes, each wi…
Şahinkaya Dil
Poet Şahinkaya Dil (1931 Çorum - 1993 Ankara) published twelve poetry collections and the magazine Çağdaş, contributing …
Sait Maden
Sait Maden (1931, Çorum – 2013, Istanbul) was a poet, translator and graphic designer, known for translating Aragon, Lor…
Salim Uslu
Trade unionist and politician Salim Uslu, born in Alaca, is a former President of the Hak-İş Confederation and served as…
Şekip Şahadoğru
Folk poet Şekip Şahadoğru (1932-1995), from Çorum's Evci Ortakışla village, is known for the song "Şikayet Olmasın".
Sun'ullah Efendi
Son of an İskilip-born kazasker, cousin of Ebussuud Efendi, and four-time Ottoman şeyhülislam: the turbulent career of S…
Tevfik Kış
Wrestler Tevfik Kış (1934-2019), born in Kargı, won gold in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Tuncer Cücenoğlu
Tuncer Cücenoğlu (1944-2019), born in Çorum, was an award-winning Turkish playwright whose plays were staged in dozens o…
Turhan Kılıçcıoğlu
Dr. Turhan Kılıçcıoğlu (1931-1994) led Çorum as mayor for a total of 16 years across two terms and was the founding pres…
Urban History of Çorum: The City Period by Period
25 pages based on Çorum Municipality's cultural publications: urban history from antiquity to 1980, crafts, yearbooks, a…
Yedi-Sekiz Hasan Paşa
Çorum-born officer Hasan Paşa is known for guarding Beşiktaş and building Çorum's clock tower; research shows his nickna…
Yusuf Bahri Efendi
Hadith scholar Yusuf Bahri Efendi studied under al-Zabidi in Cairo, then spent over 40 years teaching and running a libr…
District histories
History of Alaca
Alaca, Çorum: population 28,989 (TÜİK 2025), 50 km from the city, altitude 950 m. Home of Alacahöyük; history and key fa…
History of Bayat
Bayat, Çorum: population 13,312 (TÜİK 2025), 83 km from the city, altitude 625 m. Separated from İskilip in 1958; histor…
History of Boğazkale
Boğazkale, Çorum: population 3,587 (TÜİK 2025), altitude 1036 m. District of the Hittite capital Hattusa and Yazılıkaya;…
History of Dodurga
Dodurga, Çorum: population 5,036 (TÜİK 2025), altitude 510 m. A lignite district named after the Oghuz tribe Töturga; hi…
History of İskilip
İskilip, Çorum: population 28,132 (TÜİK 2025), 56 km from the city, altitude 750 m. The 'Museum Town' of timber houses a…
History of Kargı
Kargı, Çorum: population 15,119 (TÜİK 2025), 113 km from the city, altitude 450 m. Kızılırmak valley, highlands and the …
History of Laçin
Laçin, Çorum: population 4,094 (TÜİK 2025), 29 km from the city, altitude 720 m. Kapılıkaya rock tomb and the Kırkdilim …
History of Mecitözü
Mecitözü, Çorum: population 12,911 (TÜİK 2025), 37 km from the city, altitude 750 m. Vineyards and orchards on the Çorum…
History of Oğuzlar
Oğuzlar, Çorum: population 4,610 (TÜİK 2025), altitude 650 m. Famous for walnuts, on the Obruk Dam; history and key fact…
History of Ortaköy
Ortaköy, Çorum: population 6,491 (TÜİK 2025). District of Šapinuwa and the İncesu Canyon; history and key facts.
History of Osmancık
Osmancık, Çorum: population 42,673 (TÜİK 2025), 56 km from the city, altitude 430 m. Koyun Baba Bridge, Kandiber Castle …
History of Sungurlu
Sungurlu, Çorum: population 49,079 (TÜİK 2025), 72 km from the city, altitude 780 m. Gateway to Hattusa, the province's …
History of Uğurludağ
Uğurludağ, Çorum: population 5,992 (TÜİK 2025). Originally named Kızılören, Uğurludağ became a township in 1929, took it…
People and their museums
Alpagut (Dodurga)
The village of Alpagut lies 7 km from the centre of Dodurga district; it held municipal (belde) status from 1989 to 2013…
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu Culture and Art Museum
Painter and poet Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu spent two weeks in İskilip in 1942; a museum opened in his name there in 2009, alo…
Museum of İskilip Scholars
Opened in 2017 and promoted as the first of its kind in Turkey, this museum tells the story of İskilip's scholars — Ebus…