İkizdere

Formerly known as Dipotamos and Kuray-ı Sab, İkizdere means "twin streams" in both the Pontic Greek and Turkish languages, and indeed the Çamlık and Cimil Rivers meet here to form the İkizdere.

There are four ethnic group in the district: Greeks, Turks, Laz and Hemshin. The non-Turkic natives converted into Islam during the Ottoman period, and during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the natives stayed in the area.

This is hilly countryside inland from the Black Sea, forest-covered steep mountainside separated by narrow valleys, with areas of high pasture. The İkizdere is formed from streams running out of the Rize Mountains and continues down to the Black Sea, it is dammed for hydro-electric power and for irrigation. There is snow on the high peaks and lots of glacial formation. The climate is typical of the Black Sea region i.e. it rains all the time. There is broad-leaf forest at lower elevations and pine higher up.

İkizdere is an agricultural district, growing tea on the hillsides and potatoes in the valley, and now some kiwi fruit are being planted also. Cattle and sheep are grazed on the hillsides, going up to the high pastures (yayla) in summer. Beekeeping is another important source of income, particularly in the village of Anzer. And this very attractive countryside is now attracting tourists, on trekking holidays. However, on the whole İkizdere is not a wealthy region and the younger generations migrate to Turkey's larger cities in search of jobs.

The town of İkizdere is on the river bank, 56 km (35 mi) from the city of Rize on the road to Erzurum.

See Rize Province for a history of this area, once part of the Byzantine Empire and later the Empire of Trebizond, during which periods there was a monastery there in İkizdere.The area was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire by Mehmet II in 1461.

In 67 BCE, Pompey the Great (Pompey) led a Roman military campaign against the Heptakometes today’s ikizderelian Ancestors in what is presently known as İkizdere in Turkey’s Rize province. According the Roman historians whom was traveling with the army The Heptakometes were barbarians living in the ikizdere valley. They were Familiar with the effects of Mad Honey, they set out honey pots for the invading army to find. Most of the Roman soldiers consumed the honey, became intoxicated. Then suddenly attacked and killed by Heptakometes. Over 1800 Roman soldier's was killed during the attack. The Mad Honey was World’s first known biological weapon to be used in battle by Heptakomets.

İkizdere was occupied by Russia for two years during the First World War.

• Merkez Camisi - The central mosque
• The mosque in the village of Şimşirli
• The mosque of Hacı Şeyh in the town of Güneyce
• Güneyce bridge
• The mineral water springs of Şimşirli and Ilıcaköy

There are also a number of interesting wooden houses from the Ottoman period, and many areas of high meadow for walking and trekking, including:

• Çağrankaya Plateau
• Black Grouse Bird Watching in Sivrikaya
• the forest area of Çamlık
• the honey-producing Anzer Yaylası
• Ovit and other areas of high pasture

This is a list of the villages in İkizdere districts, Turkish name first, followed by its original name in Romeyika, Laz or Homshetsi:

• Güneyce köyü (Varda), Rüzgârlı köyü (Mize), Kirazlık köyü (Manle),
• Şimşirli Köyü (Komes), Ilıca Köyü (Vane), Demirkapı (Homeze), Yağcılar (Veliköy), Sivrikaya-Çamlık köyleri (Köhser)
• Gölyayla köyü (Kabahor), Çağrankaya köyü (Kafkame), Cevizlik köyü (Plakorum), Tulumxar (Tulumpınar), Anzer "Ancer", Ayvalık köyü (Kapse),
• Bakırköy köyü (Koylav), Tozköy (Mahura), Yerelma köyü (Cevatoz), Meşeköy (Petran). Ortaköy-Başköy (Cimil),
• Eskice-Çataltepe (Haya), Gürdere köyü (Ethone), Diktaş köyü (İksenit),
• Ballıköy-Çiçekli Köy- Köseli Köyü (Anzer).

• (in Turkish) District governor's official website