Darıca

For the village, see Darıca, Manyas.

Darıca (Greek: Δάριτζα, from the Byzantine τὰ Ῥίτζιον) is a municipality and district of Kocaeli Province, Turkey.^[2] The town was previously known as Aretsou (Αρετσού) in by its native Greek population. Its area is 23 km²,^[3] and its population is 225,602 (2022).^[1] The current mayor is Muzaffer Bıyık.

Darıca
District and municipality
Map showing Darıca District in Kocaeli Province
Darıca Location in Turkey Show map of Turkey Darıca Darıca (Marmara) Show map of Marmara
Coordinates: 40°45′35″N 29°23′08″E
Country	Turkey
Province	Kocaeli
Government
• Mayor	Muzaffer Bıyık (AKP)
Area	23 km2 (9 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]	225,602
• Density	9,800/km2 (25,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	41700
Area code	0262
Website	www.darica.bel.tr

History

Though Greek settlement around the Sea of Marmara dates to the first millenium BCE, the earliest reference to the Byzantine fortress of Ritzion (τὰ Ῥίτζιον) is in the works of the12th-century historian John Kinnamos. The ruins of the fortress, which gives the town its modern name, are still located in present-day Darıca.^[4]

Prior to the expulsion of Ottoman Greeks and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, a vast majority of the residents were ethnic Greeks who practiced Orthodox Christianity. Refugees from Aretsou/Darıca founded the Nea Aretsou neighborhood in Thessaloniki, Greece.^[5]

The Darıca district was created in 2008 from part of the district of Gebze, along with the districts Çayırova and Dilovası.^[6][7]

Modern town

There are 14 neighborhoods in Darıca District:^[8]

• Abdi Ipekçi
• Bağlarbaşı
• Bayramoğlu
• Cami
• Emek
• Fevzi Çakmak
• Kazım Karabekir
• Nenehatun
• Osman Gazi
• Pirireis
• Sırasöğütler
• Yalı
• Yeni
• Zincirlikuyu

Darıca is located 3 km (1.8 mi) south of Gebze, 38 km (24 mi) southeast from Istanbul and sits 10 km (6.2 mi) from Sabiha Gokcen Airport, 50 km (31 mi) away from the Atatürk International Airport and 90 km (56 mi) from Istanbul Airport in Arnavutköy. Darıca is in close proximity to large-scale transit infrastructure including the D-100 highway and the Turkish State Railway station for Kocaeli.

The district contains numerous social areas and hosts a number of festivals. It is also home to the Faruk Yalçın Zoo.^[9]

In 2021, Darıca attracted controversy for naming a park after Dzhokhar Dudayev, a Chechen seperatist leader who was the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The name was criticized by Russian-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who called Dudayev a terrorist.^[10][11]

References

1. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
2. Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
3. "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
4. Hendrix, David. "Fortress of Ritzion". The Byzantine Legacy. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
5. "Darıca". Nişanyan Yeradları. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
6. Kanun No. 5747, Resmî Gazete, 22 March 2008.
7. "İl İdaresi ve Mülki Bölümler Şube Müdürlüğü İstatistikleri - İl ve İlçe Kuruluş Tarihleri" (PDF) (in Turkish). p. 56. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
8. Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
9. "Hayvanlar – Faruk Yalçın ZOO" (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-02-24.
10. "Cevher Dudayev Parkı'na Rusya da kızdı". Serbestiyet (in Turkish). 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
11. "Turkish Decision To Name Park After Chechen Independence Leader Draws Fire And Retaliation Threats From Russia". MEMRI. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.

External links

• Official website