In ancient times, Anapa was the site of a major seaport and a capital of the Sindi people. In the 6th century BC, it was settled by Greeks, who called it Gorgippia. In later centuries, the settlement came under the control of Genoa and then the Ottoman Empire. In 1781, a fortress was constructed there, which became the site of multiple sieges during the Russo-Turkish wars. It was finally annexed by the Russian Empire in 1829, after several occupations.
The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport (Sinda) and then the capital of Sindica. The colony of Gorgippia (Greek: Γοργιππία) was built on the site of Sinda in the 6th century BC by Pontic Greeks, who named it after a king of the Cimmerian Bosporus.
In the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, Gorgippia flourished as part of the Bosporan Kingdom, as did its guild of shipowners, which controlled maritime trade in the eastern part of the Black Sea. A fine statue of Neokles (a local potentate, son of Herodoros) was unearthed by Russian archaeologists and is now on exhibit at the Russian Museum.
An inscription from the ancient city, dated to c. 60 AD, mentions individuals described as "Jews by race".
Gorgippia was inhabited until the 3rd century AD, when it was overrun by neighbouring native tribes. These tribes, of Circassian or Adyghe origin (specifically of the Natkhuay tribe[citation needed]), gave Anapa its modern name.
Middle Ages
Later the Black Sea littoral was overrun by successive waves of Asiatic nomads, including the Sarmatians, Ostrogoths, Huns, Avars, Gokturks, Khazars, Tatars and Circassians who are native to the Northwestern Caucasus. The settlement was renamed Mapa by the Genoese at the turn of the 14th century. Genoese domination lasted until the arrival of an Ottoman fleet in 1475.
Modern period
In 1781, during the reign of Abdul Hamid I, French engineers built a fortress at Anapa for the Ottomans.
The fortress was repeatedly attacked by the Russian Empire and was all but destroyed during its last siege in 1829. The town was passed to Russia after the Treaty of Adrianople (1829). See Russian conquest of the Caucasus §Black Sea Coast. It was included in Black Sea Okrug of Kuban Oblast and was granted town status in 1846.
Commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia with a face of Anapa of 10 rubles (2014)
Tourism
The town boasts a number of sanatoria and hotels. Anapa is served by the Anapa Airport. Anapa seldom attracts tourists from outside Russia due to its modest infrastructure and its inconvenient accessibility from Europe via Moscow or Krasnodar.
Transportation
Train station in Anapa
Anapa Airport
Transportation facilities include an international passenger port for small-tonnage ships, the Anapa Airport, a railway station, a bus station, and a network of highways.
Climate
Anapa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) with mediterranean (Csa) influences at the lower elevations. Compared to cities further south along the coast like Novorossiysk and Sochi, Anapa receives considerably less rainfall but has somewhat colder winters.
Climate data for Anapa (1991–2020, extremes 1959–present)
The Town Theater of Anapa is located on Krymskaya Street. It was opened after the reconstruction of the Town Cultural Center. There are twenty-nine public libraries, including four for children. In 2010 the libraries of Anapa received more than 8,000 books, and magazines and newspapers were ordered costing more than 1,000,000 rubles; in addition, nine hundred CDs were purchased.
The only remaining gates of an Ottoman fortAnonymous ruler of the city of Gorgippia (Anapa) in the Bosporan Kingdom, c. 180 AD, during the period of Roman Crimea. Or alternatively the Roman Emperor at that time, Marcus Aurelius.
There is museum of Local History (Краеведческий музей) on Protapova Street.
↑Minorsky, V. (2012) [Originally published 1960]. Bearman, P. (ed.). "Anapa". Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Brill. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
↑Поселенные итоги переписи 1926 г. по Северо-Кавказскому Краю (in Russian). Rostov-on-Don: Северо-Кавказское краевое статистическое управление, Отдел переписи. 1929. p.330.
↑Жданович, Николай (September 15, 2010). Знаковый момент[Moment of significance]. Рэспубліка (in Russian). Belarus. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
Управление по взаимодействию с органами местного самоуправления Администрации Краснодарского края.Справочная информация№34.01-707/13-03от23 мая 2013 г. «Реестр административно-территориальных единиц Краснодарского края». (Department of Cooperation with the Organs of the Local Self-Government of the Administration of Krasnodar Krai.Reference Information#34.01-707/13-03ofMay23, 2013 Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units of Krasnodar Krai. ).
Законодательное Собрание Краснодарского края.Закон№676-КЗот1 апреля 2004 г. «Об установлении границ муниципального образования город-курорт Анапа и наделении его статусом городского округа», в ред. Закона №1756-КЗ от3 июня 2009 г«О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Краснодарского края об установлении границ муниципальных образований». Вступил в силусо дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Кубанские новости", №64–65, 17 апреля 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Krasnodar Krai.Law#676-KZofApril1, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formation of the Resort City of Anapa and on Granting It the Status of an Urban Okrug, as amended by the Law#1756-KZ ofJune3, 2009 On Amending Several Legislative Acts of Krasnodar Krai on Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations. Effective as ofthe day of the official publication.).
Совет муниципального образования город-курорт Анапа.Решение№544от16 апреля 2015 г. «О принятии Устава муниципального образования город-курорт Анапа». Вступил в силупосле официального опубликования, за исключением отдельных положений, вступающих в силу в иные сроки. Опубликован: "Анапское Черноморье", №62–66, 30 мая 2015 г. (Council of the Municipal Formation of the Resort Town of Anapa.Decision#544ofApril16, 2015 On Adopting the Charter of the Municipal Formation of the Resort Town of Anapa. Effective as ofafter the official publication, with the exception of clauses which take effect on different dates.).
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