Rize Province

Rize Province (Rize ili) is a province of northeast Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. The province of Erzurum is to the south. Its area is 3,835 km2, and its population is 344,016 (2022). The capital is the city of Rize. It was formerly known as Lazistan, however the designation of the term of Lazistan was officially banned in 1926.

The province is home to Laz, Hemshin, Turkish and Georgian communities.

Etymology
The name comes from Greek ρίζα (riza), meaning "mountain slopes". The Georgian, Laz, and Armenian names also have Greek origins: their names in respective order are Rize (რიზე), Rizini (რიზინი), and Rize (Ռիզե).

Pre-antiquity
We have little information as to the prehistory of this region, which being covered in thick forest is difficult to excavate and reveals little. Colchis, which existed from the 13th to the 1st centuries BC, is regarded as an early proto-Georgian polity that may have reached this area.

Antiquity
According to Pliny the Elder, the Aegean Ancient Greek community of Miletus established a series of trading posts along the Black Sea coast in 670 BC, of which one was Rize. In the mid-6th century BC, the tribes living in the southern Colchis (Tibareni, Mossynoeci, Macrones, Moschi, and Marres) were incorporated into the nineteenth Satrapy of Persia.

The Achaemenid Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great, but following Alexander's death, a number of separate kingdoms were established in Anatolia, including Pontus, in the corner of the south-eastern Black Sea, ruled by Mithridates. Rize was brought into the Kingdom of Pontus by Pharnaces in 180 BC. The small number of Hellenistic Greek inscriptions that have been found in Pontus suggest that Greek culture did not substantially extend beyond the coastal cities and the court. The kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire between 10 AD and 395 AD, when it passed to the Byzantines. By this time, writers such as Pliny and Arrian were describing the inhabitants as Laz.

Medieval era
During the medieval era, the region was under Byzantine control, and was mainly populated by Greeks and indigenous Lazs. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (c. 527–565), the tribes of the interior, called Sannoi or Tzannoi, the ancestors of modern Laz people, were subdued, christianized and brought to central rule. Locals began to have closer contact with the Greeks and acquired various Hellenic cultural traits, including in some cases the language. Locals were under nominal Byzantine suzerainty in the theme of Chaldia, with its capital at Trebizond, governed by native semi-autonomous rulers, like the Gabras family. In 790 AD, Armenians fleeing from the Arab invasion of Armenia settled in Hemshin and established the Principality of Hamamshen. Following the invasion of the Seljuk Turks, there was a larger influx of Armenians in the area, resulting in partial Armenization of the local Tzan population.

With the Georgian intervention in Chaldia and collapse of Byzantine Empire in 1204, the Empire of Trebizond was established along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea, populated by a large Lazian-speaking population. In the eastern part of the same empire, an autonomous coastal theme of Greater Lazia was established. Byzantine authors, such as Pachymeres, and to some extent Trapezuntines such as Lazaropoulos and Bessarion, regarded the Trapezuntian Empire as being merely a Lazian border state. Though Greek in higher culture, the rural areas of Trebizond empire appear to have been predominantly Laz in ethnic composition. Laz family names, with hellenized terminations, are noticeable in the records of the mediaeval empire of Trebizond.

In 1282, the kingdom of Imereti besieged Trebizond, however after the failed attempt to take the city, the Georgians occupied several provinces, and the Trebizontine province of Lazia threw off its allegiance to the king of the 'Iberian' and 'Lazian' tribes and united itself with the Georgian Kingdom of Imereti.

The Ottoman era
The Laz populated area was often contested by different Georgian principalities. Through the Battle of Murjakheti (1535), the Principality of Guria finally ensured control over the area until 1547, when it was conquered by resurgent Ottoman forces and reorganized into the Lazistan Sanjak as part of eyalet of Trabzon.

From the late-17th century onwards, the Ottoman administration built multiple bridges across the Fırtına River and its tributaries.

The province was a site of battles between Ottoman and Russian armies during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I, and was occupied by Russian forces in 1916–1918. It was returned to the Ottomans with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918.

Since 1924, Rize has been a province of the Republic of Turkey. Until tea plantations were established in the 1940s, the province was a poor area at the far end of the country, with only the Soviet Union beyond the Iron Curtain. Many generations of people in Rize left to look for jobs in Istanbul or overseas.

In Turkey
In September 1935, the third Inspectorate General (Umumi Müfettişlik, UM) was created, to which the Rize province was included. Its establishment was based on the Law 1164 from June 1927, which was passed in order to turkefy the population. The third UM spanned across the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Rize, Trabzon, Kars, Gümüşhane, Erzincan and Ağrı. It was governed by an Inspector General seated in the city of Erzurum. The Inspectorate General was dissolved in 1952 during the government of the Democrat Party.

Life in Rize today
The city of Rize is a coastal town on a narrow strip of flat land between the mountains and the sea. Today, the area is wealthier, although there is a marked difference between the lifestyle of the people in the relatively wealthy city of Rize and those in the remote villages where wooden houses perch on the steep mountainside with the rain beating down. The province is known in Turkey for the production of Rize tea.

Geography


Rize is located between the Pontic Mountains and the Black Sea. It is considered to be the "wettest" corner of Turkey and is the country's main tea producing region. In addition to tea, the region is also known for growing kiwi fruit. The province is largely rural and very scenic, containing many mountain valleys and elevated yaylas (meadows). The district of Çamlıhemşin is one of Turkey's most popular venues for trekking and outdoor holidays. Roads are scarce in some of the more remote regions, so electrical powered cable cars have been installed to transport people and supplies into the mountains. Summers are cool (July average 22 °C) and winters are mild (January average 7 °C) with high levels of precipitation all year long.

The new Black Sea coast road has made Rize more accessible, but has drawn criticism for its negative effect on the region's wildlife. Since the early 2000s, Rize has seen an increase in visitors from outside the province, particularly tourist from urban areas. This increase in tourism has raised concerns among locals that the traditional way of life and the unblemished character of the natural surroundings is being endangered. The provincial governor, Enver Salihoglu (as of 2005) has stated his opposition to the expansion of the road network and has advocated a commercial focus on beekeeping, trout farming, and the growing of organic teas.

Native plants include the Cherry Laurel (taflan or karayemiş), the fruit of which is an edible small dark plum that leaves a dark stain on the mouth and teeth. In addition, the Bilberry, which are now being actively cultivated, can be found growing the region. Rize is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.

Mountains
Notable mountains
 * Kaçkar (3.937 m)
 * Barut (3.251 m)
 * Ziglat (3.511 m)
 * Verçenik (3.711 m)
 * Hipot (3.560 m)

Rivers
From east to the west
 * Fındıklı Deresi
 * Büyükdere
 * Pazar Suyu
 * Karadere
 * İyidere

Districts
Rize province is divided into 12 districts, including the capital district Rize:
 * Ardeşen
 * Çamlıhemşin
 * Çayeli
 * Derepazarı
 * Fındıklı
 * Güneysu
 * Hemşin
 * İkizdere
 * İyidere
 * Kalkandere
 * Pazar
 * Rize

Geology
Part of the Pontic Mountains (Eastern Black Sea Mts.), Rize was formed in the Palaeozoic period. Valleys first appeared during the Cretaceous period and have since expanded due to erosion.

Climate
The region's climate is characterized by relatively mild to warm temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtypes for this climate are Cfa (Humid Subtropical Climate) and Cfb (Oceanic Climate).

Cuisine
The anchovy forms the basic for many of the dishes peculiar to the region. Soups, salads, pilafs and even desserts are made of anchovy. Some of the local dishes are hamsi buğulama (boiled anchovy), hamsi stew, and kamsi köfte (anchovy meatballs). Lahana çorbası (cabbage soup), muhlama (made of cheese, cornmeal and butter) and pides (pita bread topped with various fillings) are also other local delicacies.

Rize tea
Rize tea is a major agricultural product to the region and has changed the local economy. Rize Province is also one of the largest consumers of Rize tea too.

The province of Rize has prided itself of being the largest tea producer within Turkey. In 2021, the Rize Commerce Exchange started the construction of a seven-floor building in the shape of the traditional tulip-shaped tea glasses called ince belli, in hopes to boost local tourism.

Folk dances and traditional costumes
Folk dancers perform horon energetically when it is accompanied by kemenche. However this folk dance can also be accompanied by Tulum or kaval. Folk dancers wear traditional costumes while performing horon. Men wear shirt, vest, jacket, zipka (pants made of wool and gathered at knees) and black boots. On their jackets are silver embroideries, amulets, and hemayils with religion expressions put inside these small silver containers to br protected against evil's eye. On the other hand, women dancers wear colorful dresses and traditional hand painted head scarves including various motifs.

Handicrafts
Rize offers traditional handicrafts and handmade souvenirs to visitors. Some of them include: copper works, wicker baskets, butter churns, woven socks, shoulder bags, and spoon made of boxwood. Linen of Rize (Turkish: Rize Bezi) is a handwoven textile and is often used as part of the under layer of a dress. Kemençe is a traditional 3-stringed string instrument which is made in this province.

Places of interest
Sites in the province include:
 * Pokut Yaylası - The most touristic yayla in Rize Province.
 * Ayder - A yayla (high meadow) area with hot springs, hotels and restaurants, and from here you can climb up to higher and more remote meadows and villages.
 * Çamlık - riverside area of forest park
 * Fırtına Vadisi - the valley is now a protected site
 * Gelin Tülü Şelalesi - a waterfall in Yukarışimşirli, Çamlıhemşin district.
 * Palovit Şelalesi - a scenic waterfall in Çamlıhemşin district.
 * Ovit - mountain pass on the Erzurum road in Ikizdere, 2640 m, forest and mountain viewpoint
 * The village and waterfall of Palovit, high in the mountains.
 * Avup Dağı, the mountain between Rize and Çamlıhemşin, between Fırtına Deresı and Ortaköy Deresi. There are four Byzantine castles situated high on rocks on the mountainside including;
 * Kale-i Balâ and Zilkale
 * Huser Yaylası - Huser plateau is connected to Çamlıhemşin district of Rize. Huser Plateau, one of the highest plateaus of the Black Sea, must be visited with its unique view.

Other buildings of note include:
 * The watch tower, Kız Kalesi on the sea front in Pazar.
 * Zilkale, "bell tower" near the village of Şenköy in the district of Çamlıhemşin
 * Fırtına River bridges