Keşan

Humans have lived here continuously from the 30th century BC. The first inhabitants were the Proto-Thracian and Thracian tribes. Many Thracian coins of the Odrises have been found here.[7] From 580 BC to 1359 AD first it was a central part of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace, and after that was ruled by the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Roman Empire (including i.е. Byzantine Empire), the Bulgarian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire, again the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire.[8][9] The Thracian town on Via Egnatia mentioned by Klaudios Ptolemaios and by many others[10] during over of 1900 years before the Turks, have the names: Zorlanis (and Zerlanis, Zorlanae, Zorlanea), Topiris (and Topir, Topiro, Topirion), Kission (and Kissos, Kissan, Kissupolis), Rusion (and Russa, Roussa, Rossion)[2][3][4][11][12] in Greek ρουζ - rous mean rouge. Here is the place of the remarkable Battle of Rusion where the Bulgarian Tzar Kaloian defeated the Latin empire army in 1206,[13] and again spread the Bulgarian control over the fortress that begin form the first Bulgarian conquest in 538 AD and the next: of khan Zabergan in 559, Bulgarian and Slavs in 617, 623 and 626, Caesar Tervel in 705 and 717-718, Great khan Krum in 813, Tzar Simeon the Great in 896, 913, 921, 922 and 923, Bulgarian troops in 1047, Tzar Ivan Asen II in 1235-1236, Tzar Michail Shishman in 1328. The castle of Rusion was stay on the hill about 4 km southwest of center of the present Kesan and some ruins still exist around 40.826272N 26.679587E at so called "Kaletepe" (tur.- Fortress hill).[3][14]

Rusion did not fall easily to the Osman Turks, first In 1359 the fortress was taken for a short time by invaders of Gazi Süleyman Paşa before finally being permanently held in 1362 by Lala Şahin Paşa.[4][11] In the Ottoman Empire Rusion was renamed to Rusköy (tur. Rus village)[2][12] a name derived from the medieval fortress-town,[3] and later to Keşan (from gr. Kissos, Kissupolis).[15] Keşan belonged to the Galipoli Sanjak, and as such was part of the Rumelia Eyalet and then the Province of the Kapudan Pasha. It was a nahiya center in Enez kaza at first, later it was bound to İpsala kaza. It was transferred to the Eyalet of Edirne in 1530. According to the Ottoman population statistics of 1914, the kaza of Keşan had a total population of 30,644, consisting of 15.371 Greeks, 15.221 Muslims, 51 Armenians and 1 Jew.[16]

Keşan was invaded by the Russians in 1829 and in 1878, by the Bulgarians between 1912 and 1913 (on 14 November 1912 Bulgarian Hayrabol detachment commanded by colonel Petar Salabashev[17] take the town[18] and Tzar Ferdinand reside some days here[4]), by the Greeks between 30 of July 1920 and 1922. It was ceded to Republic of Turkey on 19 November 1922. Keşan district reached its present borders after the separation of nahiya of Enez in 1953. A large part of the population are Bulgarian speaking Muslims, immigrants from Bulgaria and Greece, Roma, and Turkmens.[7]

Keşan lies in the southern part of Edirne Province, at the intersection of the State roads D.550 (Edirne–Gelibolu) and D.110 (İpsala–Istanbul). The town consists of 11 quarters: Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Yenimahalle, İspatcami, Cumhuriyet, İstasyon, Yenimescit, Aşağızaferiye, Yukarızaferiye, Büyükcami, Paşayiğit and İzzetiye.[19]

• Selim Sesler (1957–2014), clarinet virtuoso of Romani heritage
• Aleko Trendafilov - volunteer in Thesaloniki detachment of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps, born and resident of Keşan[20]
• Kosta Yanev - volunteer in 3rd company of the 10th Prilep battalion of Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps, born and resident of Keşan[21]