Sinop
Black Sea's only natural harbor drew Greek colonists, Pontic kings, and Roman colonies—later became infamous prison (1887-1997, now museum); proposed 4.8 GW nuclear plant may fundamentally transform peninsula.
Sinop exists at the Black Sea's northernmost point because harbors matter. The Boztepe Peninsula creates the only safe natural roadstead on Anatolia's north coast—a geographic advantage that drew Milesian Greeks in the 7th century BC, made Sinope capital of the Pontic Kingdom, and attracted Julius Caesar's colony in 47 BC. Diogenes the Cynic was born here; Jason and the Argonauts supposedly landed during their Golden Fleece quest. For 2,500 years, the peninsula's position converted into strategic importance.
Modern Sinop converted strategic importance into different functions. The fortress that protected ancient harbors became a prison in 1887—housing political prisoners whose literary accounts made Sinop famous for incarceration rather than trade. Authors and intellectuals served sentences within walls built by Mithridates IV; the prison operated until 1997 and now functions as a museum. The 2024 Sinopale biennial transformed the restored prison into a contemporary art venue, repurposing detention architecture for cultural production.
The nuclear proposal tests whether the peninsula will host a different transformation. After Japan withdrew from the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant project in 2018 (costs doubled to $44 billion post-Fukushima), Rosatom emerged as leading bidder. President Erdoğan invited Russian construction; South Korea's KEPCO competes with APR1400 reactors. A 4.8 GW facility would make Sinop Turkey's second nuclear site after Akkuyu, fundamentally altering the province's character.
By 2026, Sinop's identity hangs between heritage tourism (prison museum, ancient harbor, Diogenes birthplace) and energy infrastructure (proposed nuclear plant). The peninsula that drew Greek colonists for its harbor may draw power plant operators for its cooling water.