Sungurlu


Sungurlu is the largest and wealthiest district of Çorum Province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey, located 72 km south-west of the city of Çorum. The population is about 59,283, of which 34,159 live in the town of Sungurlu. The mayor is Abdulkadir Şahiner.
Sungurlu is on the main road from the Turkish capital Ankara to the Black Sea city of Samsun, and is a popular stop for soup or snacks, including Çorum's famous roasted chick peas, when traveling that route by bus.
Sungurlu has been settled by Hittites, Assyrians, Phrygians, Cimmerians, Alexander the Great, Galatians, Ancient Romans, and Pontic Greeks. Following the defeat of Byzantium by the Turks at the battle of Malazgirt in 1071, the area was settled by Danishmend lords.
Many of Turkey's leading socks manufacturers are from Sungurlu.
There is a clock tower in the town, built in 1891.

History

Sungurlu formerly was a village in Yozgat District of Sivas Province of Ottoman Empire. In 1872-73, there were 310 Armenian households, 250 Turkish households and 30 Greek households in the village. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 1275 Armenians living in the village. Armenians were engaged in crafts, art and agriculture, especially blacksmithing and tailoring. There was Sb. Astvadzadzin Church in the village, while at the end of 19th century, the Armenian Haygazian collage had 200 students. The Armenians of the village were massacred or dislocated during the Armenian Genocide.