History of İskilip

İskilip October 2010

İskilip is a town with a deep-rooted history of settlement, located to the north of Çorum, in the transition belt where Central Anatolia meets the Black Sea Region. Surrounded by high mountains, the town has frequently been described by researchers as a “Museum Town” thanks to its well-preserved historical fabric, traditional architecture, and natural surroundings.

History

It is reported that the name İskilip is associated with Asklepios, the god of healing in antiquity, and that this meaning is noted in works concerning the history of the Paphlagonia region. Situated within the geography of Paphlagonia in ancient times, the area lay within the borders of Bithynia in the 2nd century AD. During the Byzantine period, İskilip is recorded as having been known by the name Neoklauniopolis.

In the course of the Turkification of Anatolia, the region was conquered in 1075 by the Seljuk commander Gümüştekin Ahmet Gazi. Remaining within the sphere of influence of the Anatolian principalities (beyliks) in the following centuries, İskilip came under Ottoman rule during the reign of Yıldırım Bayezid. Within the Ottoman administrative order, its municipal organization was established in 1872. Çorum, which until 1921 held the status of an independent sanjak, became a province after the proclamation of the Republic, and İskilip then became a town affiliated with Çorum.

Geography

İskilip is located on the border between the Central Anatolia and Black Sea regions, within the transition zone. The town lies 56 km from Çorum, 140 km from Kastamonu, 92 km from Osmancık, 124 km from Oğuzlar, 33 km from Bayat, and 26 km from Uğurludağ. Its average annual rainfall is given as 484.8 mm, its altitude as 750 m, and its surface area as 1,187 km².

The town is surrounded by high mountains; with its vegetation, historical fabric, and architectural structures that have survived to the present day, it has an authentic character. In terms of climate, it displays a transitional quality between the continental climate of Central Anatolia and the mild climate of the Black Sea: summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and rainy.

Administrative Structure and Population

There are 65 villages affiliated with the town, with 110 hamlets attached to these villages. There are 14 neighborhoods in the town center. According to the 2000 census, the population of the town center was recorded as 19,648, the population of the villages as 25,679, and the total population as 45,327.

Economic and Social Situation

The town’s economy is largely based on labor-intensive small handicrafts and agricultural activities. There are two flour mills, two feed mills, and one confectionery workshop in the town; one shoe factory exports its products abroad. Shoes and furniture produced by the District Public Education Directorate are offered to the market, and a small industrial estate is also in operation.

In the village of Çomu, private enterprises produce 110,000 tons of lignite coal annually, employing 185 people. In the affiliated villages of Yerliköy and Çukurköy, there are salt basins belonging to Tekel that are not in operation.

The town’s agricultural land covers 39,137 hectares; irrigable farmland amounts to 7,200 hectares, of which 3,960 hectares can be irrigated. The main crops grown are wheat, barley, sugar beet, green lentils, chickpeas, apples, okra, and cranberry beans. The number of cattle in the town is 23,061, and the number of sheep and goats is 7,419. Water is sufficient in the town center and 58 villages, but insufficient in seven villages; seven villages also have sewerage systems.

Traditional crafts hold an important place in the town’s economy: shoemaking, carpentry and furniture making, roasted chickpea (leblebi) production, tailoring, and coppersmithing and tinsmithing are the principal occupations. Some of the village population living in rural and rugged areas work as laborers in major city centers; those residing in forest villages make their living through forestry work and animal husbandry, while those in the plains earn their living through farming and animal husbandry.

Education, Culture, and Health

The literacy rate in the town is 96%. In the town center there is a general high school, a girls’ vocational high school, an industrial vocational high school, an imam-hatip (religious vocational) high school, a health vocational high school, a boarding regional primary school, two primary schools with dormitories, an independent kindergarten, and seven primary schools; in the villages there are seven primary schools and combined-class primary schools in 60 villages. The İskilip High School dormitory houses 125 students and the industrial vocational high school dormitory 106 students. A total of 8,209 students are educated in 326 classrooms.

In the 2002-2003 academic year, the Vocational Education Center Directorate issued a total of 209 certificates, comprising 108 journeyman certificates, 77 master certificates, and 24 master-trainer certificates. The District Public Education Center Directorate has hairdressing, weaving, shoe, and furniture workshops. The District Public Library holds 529 manuscripts and 36,304 books on record. There is one football field in the town, and construction of an indoor sports hall is underway.

In the field of health, the town is served by a 100-bed state hospital, along with health clinics in the villages of Kuzuluk, Akcasu, Yavu, Kılıçdere, and Kayaağzı.

Related Places

Among the principal historical and natural assets in the town are İskilip Castle, the İskilip Rock Tomb, the Ulu (Grand) Mosque (İskilip), and the İskilip Highlands, which reflect the region’s highland (yayla) culture. For the history of the surrounding towns, see also the History of Bayat and History of Uğurludağ pages.

ℹ️ This article has been enriched with additional historical context and editing over the original archive content.