İskenderun
|
İskenderun, also Iskenderon (formerly known in the west as Alexandretta, from Greek Ἀλεξανδρέττα; in Arabic الإسكندرون, al-Iskandarūn), is a district and its center in the Turkish province of Hatay. It is a growing city with metropolitan aspects and surpassing the province seat of Antakya in population. It is located on the Mediterranean coast on the eponymous Gulf of İskenderun at the foot of the Nur Mountains in the far southeast of Turkey, and has a population of 159,149 (2000 census).
History
İskenderun preserves the name, but probably not the exact site, of Alexandria ad Issum, founded by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, about 23 miles south of the scene of his victory at the Battle of Issus, to supersede Myriandrus as the key of the Syrian Gates. The importance of the place ever since has derived from its relation to this pass, the easiest approach to the open ground of Hatay and of Northern Syria. As the main outlet for the overland trade from Baghdad and India, which had great importance until the establishment of the Egyptian overland route, the place served as a great resort, first of Genoese and Venetian merchants, then West and North European merchants. The British Levant Company maintained an agency and factory here for 200 years, until 1825, in spite of appalling mortality among its employees.
After the First World War the Sanjak of Alexandretta became part of the French Mandate of Syria, under a special statute, but Turkey demanded its return as the area was ethnically divided between Turks, Sunni Arabs, and large numbers of Alawites. Republic of Hatay was formed in 1938, breaking away from the French mandate. In July of 1939, Republic of Hatay decided to join the Republic of Turkey following a popular referendum. Syria has continued to claim the region since then.
Today İskenderun is an important industrial centre. İsdemir, one of Turkey's prominent steelworks is in İskenderun.
Postage stamps
Trivia
According to the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the Holy Grail is in the "canyon of the crescent moon" outside of Alexandretta. In the movie, the Nazis offer the sultan of Hatay precious valuables to compensate for removing the Grail from his borders. He ignores the valuables, but accepts their Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Following that, we see the Jones boys head from Berlin to Alexandretta where they find the Holy Grail.
See also
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
 | Districts of Hatay |  |
|---|---|---|
Antakya | Altınözü | Belen | Dörtyol | Erzin | Hassa | İskenderun | Kırıkhan | Kumlu | Reyhanlı | Samandağ | Yayladağı | ||
</center>
Categories
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica | Districts of Hatay | Ancient Greek sites in Turkey | Port cities in Turkey | History of Syria | Coastal cities | Coastal cities in Turkey | Cities in Turkey | Port cities | Ancient Greek cities