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Samsun... Samsun (418 km northeast of Ankara) is a modern industrial city that has served as a major port for centuries. Products from all over the region are exported from this city, which annually hosts the Samsun Trade and Industrial Fair. Samsun found itself at the center of the Turkish War of Independence on May 19 th, 1919, when Atatürk landed here to organise the defence of Anatolia. The Atatürk Museum houses many objects and documents relating to the war. An equestrian statue honouring the founder of the Republic stands in a prominent place in the city park. The 14 th century Pazar Mosque and the 19 th century Büyük Mosque reflect two different Turkish architectural styles and are interesting to compare. The Archaeology Museum not only displays the fends from Ikiztepe but also artifacts from Dündartepe and Amisos, as Samsun was known in ancient times. Samsun is the largest city on the Black Sea coast and it is a major commercial port and an industrial city. It is an ancient city which has been totally modernized and has all the traits of a commercial port. The city, with the name Amissos in ancient times, is the port where products of the whole region are exported and it hosts the annual Samsun Trade and Industry Fair. Samsun was important during the Turkish Independence War as the spot where Ataturk landed on May 19 th, 1919 to organize the defense of the country. The extraordinary equestrian statue of Ataturk at the city park stands as a memorial of that day. At the Ataturk Museum, there are many memorial objects from the Turkish War of Independence. In the other museum of the city, the Archaeological and Ethnographical Museum, there are many finds from the environs and ancient Samsun (Amissos), especially of importance are the artifacts and jewelry. At Ikiztepe, there was an significant excavation, and an archaeological site from the Early Bronze Age was found. It is important since it displays the history of the Black Sea Region. Bafra, a little town to the west of Samsun is famous for its tobacco, caviar and thermal springs. You can see a 13 th century Turkish Bath (Hamam), a mosque-mausoleum-medresse complex from the 15 th century, the Paphlagorian Rock Tombs and the ruins of Asar Fortress. Lake Simenik at Terme is a birds' paradise.