HİSTORY

Çankırı is the centre of the province with the same name, located in the Central Anatolia Region in Turkey. Çankırı's name was written by some western travellers as "Çangırı" or "Çengiri". The city was founded at the site of the old city Gangra. Previously it was part of Paphlagonia. Then it became part of the Pontus state, and then Galatia. Deiotarus, the king of Galatia made Gangra the capital. Absorbed by Roman empire in 25 BC, the area was a detention colony for a period during Byzantines. Gangra is considered to be the city referred to as Germanicopolis in some sources. Although attacked several times by Islamic armies the castle could not be conquered by Umayyads.

Çankırı and the environment, were seized by Danışmendoğulları after the victory of Malazgirt in 1071.
Crusaders at the command of Raymond de Toulouse headed in 1101 from Istanbul to save Bohemond, the Antioch ruler who put in Niksar castle after he was captured in Malatya by Seljuks, seized Ankara and headed for Çankırı but could not enter the castle. Encountering the Seljuk army near Amasya Crusaders were defeated. Although Ioannes Komnenos, the Byzantine Emperor captured the castle after heavy clashes in 1134, the Danishmends recaptured the castle after he returned. Later Seljuks dominated the region. Çankırı and the environment were incorporated to the Ottoman land during Murad I. Although Timur gave Çankırı to former owners in 1402, Mehmet I took it back in 1439.

Çankırı which was a centre of a Liva ( a brigade) under Anatolian principality was centre of a sanjak (district) under Kastamonu province before the proclamation of the Republic. Çankırı played an important role as an intermediate centre in the material and human transports from Istanbul to Ankara via İnebolu during the War of Independence. It became a center of the province in the republic period.

The population which is estimated to be about 16 thousand at the end of the 19th century was seen to have dropped below 10 thousand in the first years of the Republic of Turkey. (8.847 in 1927). Going again beyond 10 thousand (10.235) in 1940, population exceeded 25 thousand in 1970 (26.124). and reached 45.496 in 1990.
The word (Kengır) began to be written as (Çankırı) by a proposal led by A. Talat Onay, Çankırı Deputy, given to Turkish Grand National Assembly ([1])

Çankırı, the centre of the province, was founded at the junction of Tatlıçay and Acıçay, the tributaries of Kızılırmak river. It is 700-800 m above the sea level. Çankırı was a castle city long before. Later the city has spread to the south, resting its back to the castle. Nowadays, it is scattered on both sides of Tatlıçay. Neighborhoods on the outskirts of the castle constitute the core of the city. These neighborhoods have narrow streets.  The new part of the city has a more modern appearance.