Samsun’s history dates back to 6000 BCE, and it’s the most populous city in the Central Black Sea Region today. Samsun, which has been an important port city throughout history, was dominated by Kaskai, Hittites, Persians, Macedonians, Pontus, Romans, Byzantines, Genoese and Ottomans and in this context, it has a rich archaeological and cultural heritage.
The city is also called "The City Where the Sun Rises" and "Atatürk’s City" because during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, the flame of Türkiye’s independence, which was under occupation, was lit by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades in Samsun on 19 May 1919.
The city, which is irrigated by dozens of small streams and rivers together with Kızılırmak and Yeşilırmak, has a rich potential in terms of plateau and nature tourism as well as coastal areas with blue flag beaches.
Samsun, which is a transit route connecting the surrounding provinces with each other and abroad by road, railway, seaway and air, is an important trade, tourism and cultural center with its industry, nature and cultural richness.