History of Sungurlu

Sungurlu October 2010

Sungurlu is a long-established settlement center located west of Çorum, within the transitional belt between Central Anatolia and the Black Sea region. The district’s territory lies at the western edge of the Çorum basin, one of the oldest settled regions of Central Anatolia, and reflects a historical continuity reaching back thousands of years.

History

The earliest settlements in the district emerged during the Chalcolithic (Stone) period (around 5000 BC). In later ages, the region came successively under the rule of the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Galatians and the Roman Empire. In this respect, the area around Sungurlu forms part of the core geography of the Hittite civilization, which founded the first centralized state of Anatolia. Indeed, within the district’s borders, the Hüseyindede Early Hittite Cult Center, a cult site dating to the early Hittite period, and Boğazköy Castle, which harbors the remains of the Hittite capital Hattuşa, are significant traces of this heritage.

Within the administrative arrangements of the Ottoman period, the district was attached to the sanjak of Yozgat in 1864, and the district center gained its municipal organization in 1866. During the Republican period, it was attached to Çorum in 1924, acquiring its present administrative status.

Geographical Structure

The district covers an area of 2,557 km², stands at an altitude of 780 meters, and lies 72 km from Çorum. A continental climate prevails in the district; summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and snowy. The annual precipitation is 438.1 mm. This climate and topography have been decisive in giving grain farming a dominant place in the district’s economy.

Administrative Structure and Population

According to the results of the 2000 General Population Census, the district’s population totaled 80,840, comprising 35,397 in the center and 45,443 in the towns and villages. The district has six townships (Arifegazili, Demirşeyh, Kaledere, Tuğlu, Yörüklü, Kavşut), 101 villages and six hamlets.

Economic and Social Conditions

The district’s location on the road connecting the Black Sea Region to the Central Anatolia, Mediterranean and Aegean regions has fostered commercial vitality. The district’s economy is based on agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. The agricultural area is 134,654 hectares, of which 11,548 hectares are under irrigated farming. The principal agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, lentils, chickpeas, dry beans, sugar beet, sunflower, spinach, watermelon, melon, white cabbage and dry onions. The district has 16,866 head of cattle and 19,470 head of sheep and goats.

While drinking water in the district center is currently sufficient, efforts to bring drinking water from the Kapılıkaya Dam are ongoing. Drinking water is insufficient in the villages. The existing sewerage system in the center is inadequate and its construction is underway. The total road length is 723 km, of which 268 km is asphalt.

Education, Culture and Health

Education in the district continues across a total of 93 primary schools, including one regional boarding primary school (YİBO), six high schools, 64 multi-grade primary schools, one kindergarten, and primary schools numbering 15 in the center and 14 in the villages. A total of 15,226 students attend these schools. The district center has an indoor sports hall with seating for 1,500 and a football field with seating for 300.

The district center has a 100-bed State Hospital and a total of 14 health centers: three in the center, and one each in the townships of Arifegazili, Demirşeyh, Kaledere, Kavşut, Yörüklü and Tuğlu, as well as in the villages of Akpınar, Alembeyli, Aşağı Fındıklı, Büyük İncesu and Salman.

Related Places

Sungurlu is a district rich in historical and cultural heritage. Among the principal structures within the district’s borders are the Sungurlu Clock Tower, the Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque, Sungurlu) and the Garib Baba Lodge, which reflects the Sufi tradition. When considered together with the history of Çorum’s other districts, the neighboring district’s History of Boğazkale offers a complementary context for those wishing to follow the traces of Hittite-period heritage.

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