KARASU ( ENGLİSH)
- District History
Until 1316 and 1360, Karasu was under the seige of the Byzantines. In 1326, Turkish Ottman Forces under the command of the Commander Konuralp, who is the margrave of the Sultan Orhan, annexed Karasu to the Ottoman lands along with Sakarya region. Karasu under the name of Pazarsuyu as a voivodship was joined to the Kastamonu State until 1888 then to the Hüdevndigar State as an İzmit Brigade.
While Evliya Çelebi was talking about Karasu in his famous travel book ‘’Seyehatname’, he mentioned ‘’ Karasu Village was founded 300 years ago. Karasu is a town connected to the Kandıra district of the Izmit sanjak. Its population is mostly engaged in coal transportation and fishing.’’
The gathered information about Karasu history is generally based on rumors. The modern day Karasu was at the part of region that the old cemetery of Karasu village was located. Evliya Çelebi passed through these places between 1610 and 1615. In his book ‘’Seyehatname’’, He states that there had been dense and lush forests between Karasu and Kerpe( a village close by Kandıra) , he passed through a large cemetery while passing through these forests , and that there were ash trees around the cemetery. The cemetery he mentioned as in between the dense forests is the Karasu cemetery.
The people of Karasu used to live in two places to earn their living. They used to live in the place where Karasu village is located today and its soil is suitable for farming in the summer with the purpose of benefiting from fertile lands; in the place of Cennet Mahallesi on the shore of Küçükboğaz Lake during the winter months to benefit from aquaculture. The shore of the Küçükboğaz Lake, where they stayed for fishing during the winter months, became a swamp in the summer, and malaria and cholera diseases were devastating the people. For this reason, it is said that the people moved from the winter Karasu region to the summer Karasu region to be protected from these diseases. There is another narrative. An old man stops by Karasu as a passenger. He walks towards the people chatting up in the village, states that he is hungry and asks for food. None from the crowd pays attention. The old man repeats his request again loudly. Not only they ignore him but also mock him. The old man begs, but one of them insults and shoos him away. When the old man looks at this man with an angry manner, the man takes up his gun. Then the old man walks towards the Küçükboğaz lake by cursing. It is seen that the old man is walking on the lake towards the forest. Not long after this event, a malaria epidemic is seen in the winter Karasu region. The disease spreads quickly and there is no cure for the disease. The survivors also move to the summer Karasu region. After Karasu dwindled due to illness, it was first connected to the Sapanca subdivision, then to Kandıra, and from there to Adapazarı.
According to another rumor, when Karasu was a fief attached to the palace, a person from the palace would come here every year and collect crops as tithe. The people, who paid their taxes comfortably in the years when the product was abundant, could not pay their tax in a year when there was a scarcity. As a result of the insistence of the tithe official to collect taxes, the people rebelled. The officer who could not get rid of the people who marched against him during the rebellion was crushed and died there. Furthermore, the villagers did not prune a branch of the pine tree planted at the officer's grave and especially extended it. Every year, during the corn time, the villagers used to hang a corn on the long branch of the tree. They used to do this as "he couldn't become satisfied when he was healthy, now he can eat and be full" Those who wear corn on the long arm of the tree say this a lot and repeat, "You can't get enough in your health, take it, eat and be satisfied." After this incident, there was no voluntary feoffee for Karasu. Haji Abdi Bey, who was good at weapons, was sent to Karasu by the palace. After Hacı Abdi Bey came to Karasu, he gathered extensive information about the previous feoffee. He went among the people and studied the area thoroughly. He started looking for a good place to live. While stating that the water and air of summer Karasu region were not good to the public, he settled in the İncirli District of today's Karasu. The people thought that Hacı Hamdi Bey had left the summer Karasu region out of fear. Abdi Bey, after settling in İncirli, sought drinking water as his first job, brought the water used until very recently with his own means and the help of his men, and completed the settlement by completing other deficiencies in time. Hacı Abdi Bey, who completed the settlement, met with the close fief owners. Abdi Bey, together with Karaosman, who held the Adapazarı fief, organized expeditions against the landlords of Düzce and Bolu and won expeditions. As Hacı Abdi Bey won victories, the people began to gather around him. Thus, with the people in the summer Karasu region gradually moving to İncilli district, the region began to develop.
Although Adapazarı,Sapanca,Geyve was occupied by the Greeks during the War of Independence, the enemy could not enter Karasu. Although the enemy wanted to land with artillery fire, the enemy could not land as a result of the rough terrain, the people and the militia responding to the artillery fire from the part where the villages of Caferiye and Melenağzı are located.
As a result of the unity of the people with Ipsiz Recep and his friends, the enemy forces could not show any activity in and around Karasu. Therefore, Karasu did not suffer any damage during the War of Independence. Ipsiz Recep was born in the Portakallık neighborhood of Rize in 1878. From the Emiroğulları family the Ipsiz Recep goes to Istanbul to work at a young age. He starts working in the Bosphorus with his sailing ship. Ipsiz Recep overpowers the Greeks and Armenians who torture those who work with him. Such outbursts of the Ipsiz Recep, who ensures peace among the employees, are appreciated around him and cause him to become a respected and loved person. He is nicknamed ‘’Vagabond’’ because of his bravery. When the Ipsiz Recep ensures peace and starts working, the War of Independence bursts. Ipsiz Recep leaves Istanbul with 15 friends and comes to Kefken Island. He takes delivery of a foreign-flagged barley-laden ship with his friends, brings the ship to the Sakarya River and delivers it to the Karasu sub-district directorate of the time. After this incident, he established a headquarters in the Karasu and contacted Ankara. Ankara gives him the rank of Captain as the Command of the Militia Forces. After that, around 1800 to 2000 young people gather around Ipsiz Recep. With the participation of these young people, He deals with the defense of the Karasu and its surroundings.
Thanks to his honesty and bravery, İpsiz Recep Reis became an influential person, and he was given the title of ‘’emice’’ by the people. Detecting this situation of Ipsiz Recep, Ankara sent 3 intelligence officers to its command and sent orders on how to act on the state and form of warfare. Ipsiz Recep Reis, in line with the orders he received, attacked the Greek forces to prevent the Greek army, which was preparing to attack Karasu, from entering the territorial waters and repelled the Greek forces.
He achieved success by joining and helping the Geyve, Bilecik,Eskişehir militia in order to follow the defeated enemy. In addition, he was awarded the Medal of Independence for his success in the War of Independence. In the War of Independence, Ipsiz Recep Reis and the nationalists, who took advantage of the help of those who understood this issue, attacked the internal and external enemies with national feelings, did not allow the Greek forces to harm in any way with the grim struggle. Although the enemies attacked with artillery from the sea, they could not find the opportunity to land.
Ipsiz Recep Reis was one of the winners of the post-war Independence Medal. He came to Ankara with his crew and was greeted with a band. They stayed in Ankara for a week and received Atatürk's compliments. When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said to Recep Reis, "If there is another war, how many soldiers will you come with," he replied: My men are scattered now, I have a nephew with me, whenever you order, I will take my horse,weapons and come.’’
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had given a salary of 250 liras to Recep Reis. Recep Reis, who cared about everything other than money, was going to donate his salary to the Turkish aviation institution. He would leave 6 acres of the land given to him and distribute the rest to those around him.
Ipsiz Recep Reis, who continued his struggle against all kinds of difficulties in the War of Independence and fought the enemy without any hesitation in the direction of his national feelings, died in his home in Karasu Yenimahalle in 1928, and was buried in the Karasu Martyrdom Cemetery upon his will.
While our district was a sub-district center until 1933, it became a district of Kocaeli province in 1933. After Sakarya became a province on 22 June 1954, it became a district of Sakarya province.
KARASU DIVIDEND BOOKS
It is aimed to illuminate the history of Sakarya, even a little, by revealing the social, economic and democratic structure of the Karasu district according to the dividend counts of 1844. In this study, the dividend books of 10 Karasu districts in the Prime Ministry Ottoman archives were used. Apart from that, in order to have the opportunity to compare, the studies on the dividend books of different districts both close to and far from this region were used. This study was conducted by Ali Kınay, a student of Sakarya University Social Sciences Institute, in 2004 as an undergraduate thesis. In these notebooks, social, economic and democracy of the villages in and around Karasu are explained according to the 1844 dividend counts
Cultural Values of Karasu District
Remains of the family bath of Hacı Abdi Bey, the founder of Karasu, the large stone remaining from the wreckage of the old Sakarya Bridge, the remains of the city walls extending to Tuzla, the remains of the drinking water cistern, the caves in the west of the city and the Manavpınarı village, the remains of the dam in the Maden Stream, Waterfall, carved and decorated stones are among our cultural values.
In the time of Hacı Abdi Bey, in order to be protected from all kinds of dangers, since the northern side of the city is the sea, the southern part, which looks like a strait from the south, was surrounded by walls. These walls, extending from the Sakarya River to Tuzla Castle, were also used as a historical water channel protection for the drinking water brought by Hacı Abdi Bey.
Mosques
There are two mosques with the status of immovable Cultural Heritage under protection in Karasu district. However, the construction dates of these mosques do not date back to very old times. The fact that the district is not a very old settlement and therefore does not have a deep-rooted history is an important factor in this.
Merkez Mosque
It is spread over an area of 200 square meters in Merkez Cami, İncirli Mahallesi, Gürsel Caddesi No 1. It was built in 1974. Its architect is unknown. The lower floor of the building, which was built in a magnificent style, is the bazaar, and the upper floor is a prayer area. It is measured with hipped roof. It has a stone minaret. The building, whose entrance is from the east, has a rectangular plan. The place of worship is entered through a double-winged door. In the north of the prayer area, there is the gathering place (mahfil) , and in the south there is the altar (mihrab) , the pulpit (minber) and the pew (vaaz kürsüsü). The building has double windows and the upper windows are round arched.
Aziziye Cami
The mosque, which took its name from Sultan Abdulaziz, was built in the 19th century. The building located on Gürsel Street was damaged in the 17 August 1999 earthquake and its minaret was destroyed. The mosque is closed to worship. The square planned building is covered with a hipped gable roof and its facades are double-staged. The lower windows are rectangular, the upper windows are arched. The exterior of the work, which was built with stone material, is covered with liquid.
Lower Incilli Cemetery
It is located in İncirli locality, on map 19, block 442, parcel 26. It is located on the side of the Karasu-Adapazarı road in the north of the town center. There are 46 young Ottoman tombstones in the cemetery. The tombs belong to different time periods between 1113 and 1249 Hijri. They are made of local marble. There are various motifs on the tombstones and there are Ottoman inscriptions. There are also Republican Period burials around the graves. There are still burials in the cemetery.
- GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Karasu is at the end of the Western Black Sea Region and the starting point of the Marmara Region. Our city is 31 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by the Kocaali town in the east, Kaynarca town in the west, Adapazarı and Hendek district in the south the Black Sea in the north. The settlement covers an area of 457 square kilometers on rough terrain. Our city has 40 neighborhoods and 1 district municipality.
Until 1933, our district became a sub-district center, in 1933, it was connected with Kocaeli. Once Sakarya became a province on 22 June 1954, it became a district of Sakarya province. The settlement in Karasu presents a rather scattered appearance on the national lands rising from the north to the south. The settlement in Karasu presents a rather dispersed appearance on the lands inclining from the north to the south. During the settlement period, 6 neighborhoods were formed in the district.
- History
Until 1316 and 1360, Karasu was under the seige of the Byzantines. In 1326, Turkish Ottman Forces under the command of the Commander Konuralp, who is the margrave of the Sultan Orhan, annexed Karasu to the Ottoman lands along with Sakarya region. Karasu under the name of Pazarsuyu as a voivodship was joined to the Kastamonu State until 1888 then to the Hüdevndigar State as an İzmit Brigade.
While Evliya Çelebi was talking about Karasu in his famous travel book ‘’Seyehatname’, he mentioned ‘’ Karasu Village was founded 300 years ago. Karasu is a town connected to the Kandıra district of the Izmit sanjak. Its population is mostly engaged in coal transportation and fishing.’’
The gathered information about Karasu history is generally based on rumors. The modern day Karasu was at the part of region that the old cemetery of Karasu village was located. Evliya Çelebi passed through these places between 1610 and 1615. In his book ‘’Seyehatname’’, He states that there had been dense and lush forests between Karasu and Kerpe( a village close by Kandıra) , he passed through a large cemetery while passing through these forests , and that there were ash trees around the cemetery. The cemetery he mentioned as in between the dense forests is the Karasu cemetery.
During the War of Independence, although Adapazarı Sapanca and Geyve were occupied by the Greeks, the enemy could not enter into the Karasu. The leading name in the defense was İpsiz Recep. İpsiz resisted the enemy forces with his men around and the public that he gathered for the cause. With the three intelligence officers sent to him by the authorities in Ankara, necessary preparations were made against the Greek forces attacking Karasu. The victories were gained with the attacks on the Greek forces and he was rewarded with the Medal of Independence from these victories.
- GEOGRAPHY
Karasu district is at the end of the Western Black Sea Region and the starting point of the Marmara Region. The altitude of the city is 31 meters from the sea and has a surface measurement of 457 kilometers. The settlement of the city is on rough terrain. Among the main heights of the district, Demirli Mountain is located in the south of the town center between Kızılcık and Karasu neighbourhoods and Resuller Mountain is located in the west of the district center between Resuller, Kancalar and Konacık neighbourhoods.
Sakarya River,Maden Stream,Darçayırı Stream.Okçu Stream are the main and major streams. The length of the Sakarya River within the borders of the district is 43 kilometers. Excessive rainfall in the spring and autumn causes floods in the Sakarya river. Sakarya river flows into the sea in the Yenimahalle neighbourhood of our town.
Moreover , Acarlar Lake, which covers an area of 1562 hectares, is an important lake in the region. Acarlar Lake is located at the junction of Karasu and Kaynarca district borders. Acarlar lake, which is 700 meters away from the Black Sea, can be reached through our district.
- DEMOGRAPHICS
When you take a look at the district from a demographic point of view, you can encounter with a complete cultural mosaic in the district. The aborigines of the Karasu consist of Laz, Georgians and immigrant population that comes from Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina and eastern cities of the Turkey.
As of 31 December 2020, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute ADNKS data our district has a total population of 68,844 and the district center population is 46,323.There are forty neighborhoods in Karasu district, 6 of which are located in the district center.
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Karasu Beach – Sakarya
Karasu Beach, located 55 kilometers from the center of Sakarya, has the title of the second longest beaches in Turkey and there are also 2 blue Flag beaches. The length of the coast is approximately 20 kilometers. It is told that sand is beneficial for the healing of some rheumatic diseases among the folk.
Hotel and hostel management is widely carried out especially in the summer period.
White Sea Daffodil – Sakarya / Karasu
An endangered species, Sea daffodil ( Pancratiummaritimum ) is a member of family alliaceae ( Amaryllidaceae) and monotypic genus.
It grows in the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea coastal dunes in Turkey. This plant, whose flowers are white, flamboyant and very fragrant, mostly prefers stable dunes. Sea Daffodil is a heliophilous plant. For this reason, it prefers stable sand dunes where the sands are not wet and open areas where other plant species are weak. Sea daffodil spends the winter at rest and can meet its water needs from atmospheric humidity or dew formed at night in extreme summer heat. It can also use ground water from the sea, thereby it is a species with high salt tolerance. It grows naturally on the beaches within the borders of Kocaali and Karasu districts on the Black Sea coast of Sakarya.
Acarlar Longozu - Sakarya
Covering an area of 1,562 hectares, Acarlar Lake is one of the important tourism centers of Sakarya. Acarlar Lake Longoz Forest is a grade 1 natural site area. Acarlar Longoz, which is located in the conservancy district, dries up in the summer and forms ponds puddles in the winter.
The surface area of the floodplain is 1.562 hectares and its depth is up to 1.5 meters. The lands of the floodplain, whose waters are drawn in the summer, are used as agricultural land by the villagers. The area of the Longoz is completely surrounded by ash forests, and these trees occasionally stretch into the marshland of the lake.
In the vicinity animals such as pheasants, jacksnipes and wild ducks live and freshwater fishing is done. Fish species coming out of the longoz are catfish, redeye, scale carp, northern pike and horn pikes. Besides all these, many other fish species are also available.
Acarlar Floodplain hosts as a home to around 2300 plant species. Hottonia palustris, flowering rush, loddon lily and various colored lotuses are some of them. Boat and water bike tours are also available in Longoz.
