Type: | municipality |
Gümüşhacıköy | |
Coordinates: | 40.8667°N 48°W |
Province: | Amasya |
District: | Gümüşhacıköy |
Leader Party: | CHP |
Leader Name: | Zehra Özyol |
Population Total: | 14582 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Gümüşhacıköy is a town in the westernmost part of Amasya Province of Turkey, 20 km from the larger town of Merzifon. It is the seat of Gümüşhacıköy District.[1] Its population is 14,582 (2021).[2] The mayor is Zehra Özyol (CHP).
The name Gümüşhacıköy is an amalgamation of two separate villages Gümüş (silver) and Hacıköy (the village of pilgrims).
Gümüşhacıköy has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb).
The town achieved some prosperity during the 13th and 14th centuries due to the nearby silver mines. Both the Seljuks and the Ilkhans minted coins in the town, then known as Gümüşbazar (Arabic: كمشبازار).
The town grew and continued to thrive under Ottoman rule. The population shrank as the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and many men of Gümüşhacıköy were lost in the Balkan Wars and the First World War.
Today Gümüşhacıköy is a small town in attractive countryside. Successive generations migrate to larger cities in search of careers leaving an aging and shrinking population behind.