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Loving a City (Samsun)
By Miraç Morçöl
Loving a city is not just about living there. It means getting lost in its streets, breathing in the scent of the sea, listening to its history, and recognizing the voice of its people. Samsun is such a city. On the rugged coast of the Black Sea, it is a place where you can form a heartfelt connection with its history, nature, and people.
To love Samsun is to follow the trace of the Bandırma Ferry. It is to feel the spirit of the independence struggle that began when Atatürk set foot in this city on May 19, 1919. Every corner of Samsun is covered with history. While walking through the Gazi Museum, you feel not like you are inside a building, but as if you are walking in the very heart of history.
Samsun deserves to be loved not only for its history but also for its nature. Observing thousands of bird species at the Kızılırmak Delta Bird Sanctuary, watching the sunset at Atakum beach, writing poems… Or finding peace in the silence of Lake Ladik… These are just a few of the unique beauties this city offers. Samsun is one of the rare cities where you can find the blue of the sea and every shade of green together.
To love Samsun is to connect not only with a city, but with a history, a culture, a nature, and its people. Perhaps loving Samsun is also, in a way, loving Turkey. Because this city witnessed the birth of a nation as the place where the national struggle began.
Sometimes loving a city means loving its chaos, its rain, and its wind as well. Samsun has its stubborn rains and foggy mornings. But it carries a spirit you cannot feel in any other city. That is why Samsun is not just a city, but a way of life.
Sometimes an indescribable bond forms between you and a city. You don’t know when or how it began, but every street feels familiar, every view revives a memory. Those streets whisper traces of the past and inspire damp, emotional poems.
The people of this city are helpful, warm, and sincere. They touch each other’s lives quietly, yet deeply.
I have seen other cities and walked through other streets. But Samsun has always had a special place in my heart. It is where I fell in love, argued, played football in gardens, stumbled, and scraped my knees… Perhaps it is where I made peace with myself and became who I am. Maybe that is why I love this city so much. Sometimes loving a city begins with loving yourself.
I have been from Samsun since birth. A lifetime, easy to say… I’m not talking about a temporary affection or a short habit. For me, Samsun is not just a city I live in; it is my childhood, my youth, my maturity… my whole life. I grew up here, learned, fell in love, felt sadness and happiness, and got married here.
My favorite times in this city are sitting by the shore as the sun slowly sets. Listening to the gentle murmur of the sea, thinking a little, staying silent a little… Samsun also has this calm side. It may not be loud or flashy, but it is sincere, warm, and genuine. Just like how some things quietly settle into your heart, this city settles into your life without you even noticing.
Sometimes I complain about the rain, sometimes the wind messes up my hair, but still, Samsun’s air is different. That coolness tells you more than you expect. Especially when you look at the city from a high place, you feel like you are on a movie set.
Samsun is a city that grows with small happinesses. With a cup of tea, a friendly conversation, a walk by the sea… it embraces you. Everyone has their own corner here. For some, it is Atakum beach; for others, Doğu Park or Amisos Hill. Each place turns into a memory over time—just like my own past memories.
The people of Samsun are neither too talkative nor distant. They are balanced. Helpful, yet modest—just like the city itself. A city without showiness but carrying a whole world in its heart.
Samsun has changed, of course, like every city. But one thing has remained the same: its sincerity. The familiar expressions on people’s faces, the warmth of making eye contact while greeting each other…
Years ago, the coast was not so organized, but it had a soul. There were no bike paths or modern cafes, but the sea was always the same. Even today, whenever I walk along that shore, I return to the past. The shadow of my youth falls on the pavements. I catch the scent of my beloved in the northern winds.
This city has given me so much over the years. But I can clearly say this: Samsun has settled deeper into me with each passing day. Loving this city is not just about its beauty. It is about the memories you lived, the steps you took hand in hand with your loved one, the sincerity you found in its people. This is how I loved Samsun—slowly, deeply. And I am still grateful every morning I wake up in this city.
Samsun is no longer just a city for me. It is like a life companion… neither lacking nor excessive. Just as it is—loved, embraced, and owned. It is the place of my loved ones, where I see footpri