Ahtopol

Ahtopol
Ахтопол

Ahtopol's beach
Ahtopol

Location of Ahtopol

Coordinates: 42°6′N 27°57′E / 42.100°N 27.950°E / 42.100; 27.950Coordinates: 42°6′N 27°57′E / 42.100°N 27.950°E / 42.100; 27.950
Country  Bulgaria
Province Burgas
Municipality Tsarevo Municipality
Government
  Mayor Biser Kolev
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2005-09-13)
  Total 1,316
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code 8280
Area code(s) 0590

Ahtopol (Bulgarian: Ахтопол) is a town and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located on a headland in the southeastern part of Burgas Province and is close to the border with European Turkey. It is the southernmost town on the Bulgarian coast. Ahtopol lies within Strandzha Nature Park.

History

The town lies on the site of an ancient Thracian settlement, with the earliest traces of human settlement dating to the Neolithic. It was probably colonized by the Ancient Greeks around 430 BC. The Romans called it Peronticus, while the Byzantine leader Agathon reconstructed the town after barbarian invasions and possibly gave it his own name, Agathopolis (Greek: Αγαθόπολις). According to other sources, it was named thus as early as 323 BC.

Historical population
Year Population
1920 770
1934 972
1946 1,079
1956 1,058
1965 947
1975 945
1985 1,137
1992 1,204
2005 1,316

In the Middle Ages, the town frequently changed hands between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. Medieval sources mention Ahtopol as a lively merchant port where many Byzantine, Italian and other ships arrived. With the invasion of the Ottoman troops at the end of the 14th century, the town was called Ahtenbolu. The town ultimately fell under Ottoman rule as late as 1453. An Ottoman tax register of 1498 lists 158 Christian families in Ahtopol, most of which have Greek names but others evidently Slavic (Bulgarian). In 1898, Ahtopol was a town of 410 houses, of which 300 Greek and 110 Bulgarian. In the 19th century, it was still a thriving centre of fishery and overseas trade, with many locals owning their own ships and selling goods all around the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Viticulture was also well-developed.

Ahtopol has been burnt down and devastated by sea pirates (often the Caucasian Lazi) many times, with the most recent fire being in 1918, when the town was almost destroyed. Remains of the town's fortress (reaching up to 8 m in height and 3.5 m in width), the 12th-century monastery of St Yani and a fountain with a carved horseman are the only traces left from ancient times. Another landmark is the Church of the Ascension from 1796. Ahtopol was a kaza centre in Kırkkilise sanjak of Edirne Vilayet between 1878-1912 as "Ahtabolu"[1] (Ahtopol was referred as Agathoupolis in reference page). Also, Evliya Çelebi passed from here in 1663 and referred as "Ahtabolu" in 6th volume (English of "6. Cilt") of Seyahatname.[2]

After the Balkan Wars, when the area was ceded to Bulgaria by the Ottoman Empire, the town's predominantly Greek population gradually moved to Greece and was replaced by Bulgarian refugees, mostly from Eastern Thrace, specifically Bunarhisar (150 families). The Greek name of the town was Achtòpolis, Αχτοπολις or Agathùpolis, Αγαθουπολις.

Climate

Ahtopol has a mediterranean climate with very limited continental effects.

Climate data for Ahtopol (2000-2014)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3)
10.2
(50.4)
12.3
(54.1)
15.5
(59.9)
21.5
(70.7)
25.7
(78.3)
28.0
(82.4)
28.2
(82.8)
24.1
(75.4)
19.5
(67.1)
14.6
(58.3)
10.7
(51.3)
18.3
(64.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3)
6.0
(42.8)
8.0
(46.4)
11.7
(53.1)
17.5
(63.5)
22.1
(71.8)
24.3
(75.7)
24.4
(75.9)
20.8
(69.4)
15.8
(60.4)
11.3
(52.3)
6.5
(43.7)
14.4
(57.9)
Average low °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9)
2.3
(36.1)
4.2
(39.6)
7.8
(46)
13.5
(56.3)
17.8
(64)
20.1
(68.2)
20.2
(68.4)
16.7
(62.1)
12.1
(53.8)
8.0
(46.4)
3.3
(37.9)
10.6
(51.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.2
(2.764)
55.5
(2.185)
44.0
(1.732)
25.1
(0.988)
28.7
(1.13)
27.2
(1.071)
30.4
(1.197)
16.6
(0.654)
60.4
(2.378)
71.9
(2.831)
53.4
(2.102)
78.2
(3.079)
561.6
(22.11)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 9.0 8.3 6.6 4.1 3.7 4.7 2.8 2.7 4.9 6.6 5.0 9.4 67.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 114 138 170 225 264 282 322 310 240 207 136 123 2,521
Source: Stringmeteo.org
Ahtopol
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
50
 
 
9
2
 
 
45
 
 
10
2
 
 
72
 
 
12
4
 
 
97
 
 
16
8
 
 
98
 
 
22
14
 
 
106
 
 
26
18
 
 
97
 
 
28
20
 
 
99
 
 
28
20
 
 
88
 
 
24
17
 
 
71
 
 
20
12
 
 
82
 
 
15
8
 
 
71
 
 
11
3
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source:

See also

References

External links

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