Editing Isaccea

{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type               = town
|county             = Tulcea
|official_name      = Isaccea
|image_skyline      = Town hall of Isaccea.jpg
|image_caption      = Town hall of Isaccea
|image_map          = Isaccea jud Tulcea 1.png
|map_caption        = Location in Tulcea County
|image_shield       = ROU TL Isaccea CoA.jpg
|leader_name        = Anastase Moraru<ref name=mayor2020>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale27092020/romania-pv-final |title=Results of the 2020 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=15 June 2021 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|leader_term        = 2020&ndash;2024
|leader_party       = PSD
|coordinates        = {{coord|45|16|11|N|28|27|35|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation          = 15
|elevation_min      = 
|elevation_max      = 
|area_total         = 103.97
|population_as_of   = 
|population_total   = auto
|population_footnotes = 
|postal_code        = 825200
|area_code          = (+40) 02 40
|website            = {{URL|http://www.isaccea.ro}}
}}

[[Image:Isaccea road map.jpg|thumb|221px|Map showing the nearby localities and roads]]

'''Isaccea''' ({{IPA|ro|iˈsak.tʃe̯a|lang}}) is a small town in [[Tulcea County]], in [[Northern Dobruja]], [[Romania]], on the right bank of the [[Danube]], 35&nbsp;km north-west of [[Tulcea]]. According to the 2021 census, it has a population of 4,408.

The town has been inhabited for thousands of years, as it is one of the few places in all the Lower Danube that can be easily [[ford (river)|forded]] and thus be an easy link between the [[Balkans]] and the steppes of Southern [[Ukraine]] and [[Russia]], north of the [[Black Sea]]. The Danube was for a long time the border between the Romans, later Byzantines and the "barbarian" migrating tribes in the north, making Isaccea a [[border town]], conquered and held by dozens of different peoples.

==Geography==
The town has under its administration 103.97&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, of which 3.69&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> are inside the residential areas.

{|  class="wikitable"
|+Land use in Isaccea<ref>[http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie/agricultura.html Isaccea city hall website - Agriculture] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207225044/http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie/agricultura.html |date=2008-02-07 }}</ref>
|-
! Type of usage
! Area
! Notes
|-
! agricultural use
| 45.02&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
| cereals, orchards, vineyards and pastures
|-
! floodplain
| 32.97&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
| along the Danube
|-
! forest
| 22.76&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
|-
! built-up areas
| 2.92&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
| buildings and roads
|}

The town is divided into three settlements: Isaccea proper (4,789 inhabitants) and two villages, Revărsarea (563 inhabitants) and Tichilești (10 inhabitants).

The Tulcea &ndash; [[Brăila]] roadway ([[European route E87|DN22/E87]]) crosses the town.

The town is located in near to the [[Măcin Mountains]] and [[Dobruja Plateau]] (in the south) and the Danube (in the north). Many lakes could once be found in the town, but some of them were desiccated by the [[Communist Romania|Communist authorities]] in order to use the terrain for [[agriculture]]. This initiative lacked success, since the soil of the area proved to be not very [[fertility (soil)|fertile]]. Some larger lakes still remain: Saun, Telincea, Rotund, Ghiolul Pietrei, Racova. In April 2006, the [[Dike (construction)|dyke]] which protected this terrain failed and the Danube flooded again the areas which used to be wetlands.

Along the Danube there is a [[floodplain]], which gets inundated every spring, bringing fresh water to the lakes and the marshlands.<ref name="nis">[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|National Institute of Statistics]], "[http://www.tulcea.insse.ro/phpfiles/Cap1_2GeogrMeteoMediupopulatia.pdf Anuarul statistic al judeţului Tulcea 2006"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305040633/http://www.tulcea.insse.ro/phpfiles/Cap1_2GeogrMeteoMediupopulatia.pdf |date=2009-03-05 }}, p. 6</ref> The largest lake in Isaccea is "Lacul Rotund" (literally, Round Lake), having an area of 2.19&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and a volume of 2.0 million m<sup>3</sup>.<ref name="nis"/>

===Tichilești===
{{Main|Tichilești, Tulcea}}
Tichilești was founded as a monastery of Tichilești, with time becoming a [[leper colony]]. A legend says the monastery was founded by one of the [[Cantacuzino]] princesses who was affected by leprosy. Another theory of the history the settlement is that a group of Russian refugees (see [[Lipovans]]) settled there and founded the monastery, but soon became outlaws who were eventually caught. In 1918, a part of the lepers moved to Bessarabian town of [[Izmail]]. Following a 1926 newspaper article, a hospital was built in 1928 at the monastery. In 1998, there were 39 people in the settlement, and according to the 2002 census, there were 22 people, most of them having an age of more than 60 years.<ref>[http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?data=2006-03-21&id=196153 "Ultimul lazaret"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212723/http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?data=2006-03-21&id=196153 |date=2021-06-02 }}, in ''[[Ziua]]'' March 21, 2006</ref> By 2019, there were only 9 people.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-09|title= Tichilești: Viața ultimilor bolnavi de lepră din România |url= https://zin.ro/09/08/2019/administratie/tichilesti-viata-ultimilor-bolnavi-de-lepra-din-romania/|access-date=2021-05-23|newspaper=Ziarul de Investigații|language=ro}}</ref>

===Revărsarea===
Revărsarea was founded after the 1877 War of Independence, being settled by war veterans and colonists, the village being built in the place of a forest which has been cleared. It had several other names since: ''Piatra Calcată'', ''Principele Nicolae'' (named after [[Prince Nicholas of Romania]]) and ''Ștefan Gheorghiu'' (named after [[Ștefan Gheorghiu (trade unionist)|Ștefan Gheorghiu]], a trade unionist).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070120072004/http://www.isaccea.ro/index.php/pg/ohtml_asezare.html Primăria Isaccea: Aşezare] (at the website of the city hall)</ref>

==Name==
Possibly the earliest mentioning is in [[De Administrando Imperio]] (around 950) of [[Constantine Porphyrogenitus]]. It talks about six [[ghost town|deserted cities]] between the [[Dniester]] and [[Bulgaria]], among them being Saka-katai, ''katai'' being most likely a transcription of a [[Pecheneg language|Pecheneg]] word for "city". The name ''Saka'' could in turn be derived from Romanian ''sacă/seacă'', meaning "barren", however both the identification of the city with Isaccea and the etymology are mere speculations.<ref>Stelian Brezeanu ''Toponymy and ethnic Realities at the Lower Danube in the 10th Century'', in "Annuario. Istituto Romeno di Cultura e Ricerca Umanistica, Venezia", 2002, ({{OCLC|85762872}}), p. 41–50</ref>

The first clear reference to this name was in the 11th century, when there was a local ruler from ''Vicina'' named Σακτζας (''Saktzas'', probably ''Saccea / Sakça''), for the first time used by Byzantine [[Anna Comnena]] in her ''[[Alexiad]]''.<ref>''Alexiad'', Book Six</ref> [[Nicolae Iorga]] presumed that the ruler was Romanian,<ref>[[Nicolae Iorga]], ''Les premières cristallisations d'état des Roumains,'' Acadèmie Roumaine, Bulletin de la Section Historique ({{OCLC|73198609}}), V-VIII (1920), p. 33-46</ref> however "-ça" (-cea) could also indicate a Turkic suffix.

The 14th-century Arab geographer [[Abu'l-Fida]] mentions the town under the name "Saecdji", which was a territory of the "Al-Ualak" ([[Wallachia|Wallachs]]).

The initial "i" in the name was added during the Ottoman domination, due to the same feature of the [[Turkish language]] that transformed "Stanbul" to "[[Istanbul]]". Some local legends claim that the town was named after a certain Isac Baba, however the other explanation is more likely to be true, as the name of the town initially lacked the "i".

Other historical names include:
* Noviodunum (Latin); Νοβιόδοῦνος, Noviodounos (Greek) - ancient name of [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] origin, meaning "New Fort" ("[[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Celtic/nowyos|nowyo(s)]]" means "new", while "[[dun (fortification)|dun]]" is Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement").<ref name="celts"/><ref>Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, ''The Celts: A History'', [[Boydell & Brewer|Boydell Press]], 2002, {{ISBN|0-85115-923-0}}, p. 153</ref>
* Genucla - [[Dacian language|Dacian]] name of a possibly nearby settlement, derived from [[wikt:Appendix:List of Proto-Indo-European nouns#Body parts|Proto-Indo-European *genu]], knee.
* Oblucița (Romanian); Облучица, Obluchitsa (Bulgarian); Obluczyca (Polish) - [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] name derived from the word "oblutak", that means a rock that was shaped by water into a rounder form.
* [[Vicina (town)|Vicina]] - [[Genoese dialect|Genoese]] name of a port built by Genoese traders as an outpost of the Byzantine Empire. Its location is still unknown, but one of the theories is that it was around Isaccea.

==History==

===Ancient history===
{{see also|Noviodunum (castra)}}
[[File:Scythia Minor map.jpg|thumb|250px|Map showing [[Noviodunum]] during the Roman Empire]]
[[File:Noviodunum-Tabula.jpg|thumb|300px|The town, as "Novioduni xli", on the Roman map [[Tabula Peutingeriana]]]]
[[File:Isacceanoviodumun01.JPG|thumb|300px|Ruins of the Noviodunum fortress; the tall latticed towers form part of the [[Vetrino–Isaccea–Yuzhnoukrainsk powerline]]]]

The land where the town is now has been inhabited since [[Prehistory|prehistoric]] times: the remains of a [[Neolithic]] settlement, belonging to the [[Boian-Giulești culture]] (4100–3700 BC) were found in the northwestern part of the town, in a place known as "Suhat".<ref name="inthist">[http://integratio.univeur.org/dobrogea_de_nord/default_en.asp?id=261&id_art=834 Integratio: Dobrogea de Nord: Isaccea: History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929230518/http://integratio.univeur.org/dobrogea_de_nord/default_en.asp?id=261&id_art=834 |date=2007-09-29 }}, a project of the ''Centro Universitario Europeo per i Beni Culturali'', accessed December 2006.</ref><ref name="haita">Constantin Haită. "Studiu sedimentologic preliminar pe situl neolitic Isaccea-Suhat. Campania 1998", ''Peuce'' ({{ISSN|0258-8102}}), 2003, 14, p.447-452.</ref>

The Neolithic culture was succeeded by the [[Getae]] culture with [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic]] influences.<ref name="haita"/> The [[Celt]]s expanded their territory from Central Europe, reaching Isaccea in the 3rd century BC (see [[Gallic invasion of the Balkans]]) and giving the ancient name of town, "Noviodunum", as well as of other names in this region, such as [[Aliobrix]], on the other side of the Danube and [[Durostorum]] further south in Dobruja.<ref name="celts">D.M. Pippidi et al., (1976) ''Dicționar de istorie veche a României'', Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică ({{OCLC|251847977}}), p 149; entry: ''Celți''</ref><ref name="barneaI">Alexandru Barnea, [http://www.zf.ro/ziarul-de-duminica/noviodunum-azi-isaccea-i-3073058/ "Noviodunum, azi Isaccea (I)"], ''[[Ziarul Financiar]]'', August 17, 2007</ref>

In 514 BC, [[Darius I of Persia]] fought here a decisive battle against the [[Scythians]]. A [[trade post]] was also built in this town by the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]]. Greek authors such as [[Ptolemy]] and [[Hierocles (author of Synecdemus)|Hierocles]] name it a "[[polis]]".<ref name="istorieveche"/>

The town was taken by the Romans in 46 AD and became part of the [[Moesia]] province.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/noviodunum/2000-2002 |title=Archeological research on Noviodunum |access-date=2011-09-02 |archive-date=2015-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223024439/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/noviodunum/2000-2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was fortified and became the most important military and commercial city in the area, becoming a [[municipium]].<ref>Bărbulescu et al., p. 73</ref> Its ruins are located 2&nbsp;km to the east of modern Isaccea on a hill known as ''Eski-Kale'' (Turkish for "Old Fortress").<ref name="inthist"/> 

Noviodunum fort was the main base of the lower Danube [[Roman Navy|Roman fleet]] named ''[[Classis Flavia Moesica]]'', then temporarily the headquarters of the Roman [[Legio V Macedonica|Legio V ''Macedonica'']] (106-167), [[Legio I Italica|Legio I ''Italica'']] (167-) and [[Legio I Iovia|Legio I ''Iovia'']].<ref name="inthist"/><ref>J. J. Wilkes, "The Roman Danube: An Archaeological Survey", ''The Journal of Roman Studies'',  {{ISSN|0075-4358}}, Vol. 95, 2005, p.217</ref>

Around 170 AD, the Roman settlements in Dobruja were attacked by the Dacian tribe of the [[Costoboci]], who lived in what is now [[Moldavia]], their attack being visible in the archeological remains of Noviodunum.<ref>Bărbulescu et al., p. 57</ref> Further attacks continued in the 3rd century, this time by the combined forces of the Dacian tribe of the [[Carpi, Emilia-Romagna|Carpi]] and of the [[Goths]], the decisive battle being probably in 247.

The violent invasions of the Carpi, who plundered the cities and enslaved their inhabitants, left behind many archaeological traces, including buried coin [[hoard]]s and signs of destruction.<ref name="Bărbulescu et al., p. 60">Bărbulescu et al., p. 60</ref> The fortress of Noviodunum was probably destroyed during the raids of the [[Goths]] and [[Heruli]], during the rule of [[Gallienus]] (267), buried hoards being found near it, including a larger treasure containing 1071 Roman coins.<ref name="inthist"/><ref name="istorieveche">D.M. Pippidi et al., (1976) ''Dicționar de istorie veche a României'', Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică ({{OCLC|251847977}}), p 431-432; entry: ''Noviodunum''</ref> The raids left Noviodunum, like other urban centres in the area, depopulated, only returning to its original state toward the end of the 3rd century.<ref name="Bărbulescu et al., p. 60"/>

During the rule of [[Constantine I]] (306-337), the Noviodunum fortress was rebuilt as part of a bigger project of restoring the Empire's borders along the Lower Danube.<ref name="Constantinus">D.M. Pippidi et al., (1976) ''Dicționar de istorie veche a României'', Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică ({{OCLC|251847977}}), p 185; entry: ''Constantinus''</ref>

By the 4th century, the town also became a Christian centre. The tomb of four Roman Christian [[martyr]]s, discovered in September 1971 in nearby [[Niculiţel]], bears the names Zotikos, Attalos, Kamasis and Philippos. They were probably killed in Noviodunum during [[Persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire|campaigns of persecutions of early Christians]] by [[Diocletian]] (303-304) and [[Licinius]] (319-324),<ref>Mircea Păcurariu, "Sfinți daco-romani și români", Editura Mitropoliei Moldovei și Bucovinei, Iași, 1994, {{ISBN|973-96208-6-8}}, p.25</ref> being taken out of the city and buried as martyrs by the local Christians.<ref name="barneaI"/>

In 369 [[Battle of Noviodunum|an important battle]] was fought between the Romans, led by emperor [[Valens|Flavius Valens]] and the [[Thervings|Thervingi]] led by [[Athanaric]]. Valens' army crossed the river at Noviodunum (Isaccea) using a [[boat bridge]] and met the Gothic army in [[Bessarabia]]. Although Valens obtained a victory for the Romans, they retreated (possibly because of the lateness of the season)<ref>Michael Kulikowski, ''Rome's Gothic Wars'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-84633-2}}. p.116</ref> and the Goths asked for a peace treaty, which was signed in the middle of the Danube, the Goths taking an oath to never set foot on Roman soil.<ref>[[Ammianus Marcellinus]], ''The Later Roman Empire, AD 354-378'', translated by Walter Hamilton (Penguin {{ISBN|0-14-044406-8}}), book 15</ref>

After the division of the Roman Empire, it became part of the [[Byzantine Empire]] and it was the most important Byzantine naval base on the Danube. [[Valips]], a chieftain of Germanic [[Rugians]] (who were allies of the [[Huns]]), took Noviodunum sometimes between 434 and 441 and it was included in the Hunnish Empire,<ref>E. A. Thompson, ''The Huns'', Blackwell Publishing, 1999, {{ISBN|978-0-631-21443-4}}, p.269-270</ref> the area becoming a fiefdom of the Hunnish leader [[Hernac]] after Attila's death.<ref name="Bărbulescu et al., p. 103">Bărbulescu et al., p. 103</ref>

The Slavs began to settle in early 6th century and possibly the earliest reference to their settlement in the town is [[Jordanes]]' book (written in 551) [[The Origin and Deeds of the Goths]], which mentioned Noviodunum as an extremity of the region were the "Sclaveni" lived.<ref>[[Jordanes]], [http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html ''The Origins and Deeds of the Goths''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424044148/http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html |date=2006-04-24 }}, translated by [[Charles C. Mierow]], V. 35</ref> The town continued to be under Byzantine rule, but it suffered the raids from other nomadic peoples, such as the [[Kutrigurs]] (559) and [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]] (561-562).<ref name="Bărbulescu et al., p. 103"/> In the mid-6th century, [[Justinian I]] built new fortifications and made it an [[episcopal see]].<ref name="istorieveche"/>

During the rule of [[Phocas]] (602-610), a massive number of [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]] and Slavs crossed the Byzantine border and although their presence protected the empire from other nomads, their control became just formal, until in 681, the Byzantines recognised the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] and gave up their claims for the Scythia Minor province.<ref name="Bărbulescu et al., p. 103"/> For more than 300 years, Isaccea faded from history and there is no historical or archaeological evidence that the place was even inhabited.<ref>Kiel, p. 288</ref>

===Mediaeval history===
Around 950, [[Constantine VII|Constantine Porphyrogenitus]] talks of six desert cities in the area, one being named Saka-katai, which could be the earliest mentioning of the town after it was lost to the migrating people during the Dark Age.

In 971, Isaccea was once again included in the Byzantine Empire and the walls of [[castra|kastron]] were reinforced. In 1036, the [[Pechenegs]] being driven southward by the [[Cumans]], settled in [[Scythia Minor (Roman province)|Scythia Minor]], including in this city, fact backed by archeological evidence, such as leaf-shaped [[pendant]]s, characteristic to them.<ref>[http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/ideologie/5.htm "Observaţii asupra revoltei din Paradunavon din 1072-1091"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323071138/http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/ideologie/5.htm |date=2009-03-23 }}, in ''Istorie și ideologie''. Editura Universității din București, 2002, {{ISBN|973-575-658-7}}, p.34-46.</ref> The Pechenegs traded with the Byzantines, which led to a growth in the economic life of the region, as shown by the number of coins found in Isaccea, reaching 700 coins for the period of 1025–1055.<ref>Paul Stephenson, ''Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204'', Cambridge University Press, 2005, {{ISBN|0-521-77017-3}}, p. 86</ref> However, the Pechenegs were eventually assimilated and faded from history.

The Byzantines regained control of Isaccea toward the end of the 10th century: a seal of [[Leo Nicerites]], the governor of [[Paristrion]], was found at Isaccea.<ref>Stephenson, p.103</ref> Around 1100, a double-curtain wall was built in Isaccea.<ref>Curta, p.302</ref>
[[Image:Isaac II Angelos Noviodunum.jpg|thumb|Seal of Isaac II Angelos, found in Isaccea]]
In the mid-12th century, Isaccea was devastated by Cuman attacks and it was completely rebuilt. In the second half of the 12th century it became the most important Byzantine military base in the region, suggested by the number of imperial seals found there: a seal of [[Isaac II Angelos]] (1185–1195) and one of [[John Komnenos Vatatzes|John Vatatzes]], the head of the Imperial Guard under [[Manuel I Komnenos]] (1143–1180).<ref>Curta, p.319-320</ref>

According to Arab chronicles, the Nogai Tatars settled in the town in the late 13th century.<ref>Stănciugel et al. p. 45</ref> Between 1280 and 1299, the town was [[Nogai Khan]]'s base of operation in his campaigns against the Bulgarian city of [[Tarnovo]]. At the time, the city was a local Muslim centre and the residence of the famous Turkish dervish [[Sarı Saltuk]], who has been associated with Nogai Khan's conversion to Islam.<ref>Kiel, p. 289</ref>

Arab geographer [[Abulfeda]] mentioned the town, placing it in the territory of the "Al-Ualak" ([[Wallachia|Wallachs]]), having a population mostly Turkic and being ruled by the Byzantines.<ref>Stănciugel et al. p. 55</ref> A Byzantine [[despotate]] existed in Northern Dobruja with Isaccea as its centre, which sometimes between 1332 and 1337 became a [[vassal]] of the [[Golden Horde]] of [[Nogais]] under the name "Saqčï".<ref>Vasary, p.90</ref>

The [[Tatars]] held an important mint in Isaccea, which minted coins marked with Greek and [[Arabic]] letters between the years 1286 and 1351. Various types of silver and copper coins were minted, including coins bearing the mark of the Golden Horde with the names of the khans as well as the names of [[Nogai Khan]] and his son [[Chaka of Bulgaria|Čeke]] (minted between 1296 and 1301).<ref>Vasary, p.89-90</ref>

In the late 14th century it was ruled by [[Mircea cel Bătrân|Mircea the Elder]] of [[Wallachia]] (c. 1355–1418), being held until one year before his death. In 1417, the town was conquered, together with other fortresses on the Danube, by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]],<ref>Colin Imber, ''The Crusade of Varna, 1443-45'', 2006, Ashgate Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7546-0144-7}} p. 4-5</ref> who built a fort defended by a garrison as part of the Danubian frontier established by [[Mehmed I]].<ref>David Turnock, ''The Making of Eastern Europe'', Taylor & Francis, 1988, {{ISBN|0-415-01267-8}}, p. 138</ref>

The town was regained by [[Vlad the Impaler]] of Wallachia in 1462 during his campaigns against the [[Ottoman Empire]], massacring the local Muslim Bulgarian, Tatar and Turkish population (who were expected to side with the Turks), killing 1350 people in Isaccea and Novoselo,<ref>Kurt W. Treptow, ''Dracula: Essays on the Life and Times of Vlad Țepeș'', [[Columbia University Press]], 1991, {{ISBN|0-88033-220-4}}</ref> from a total of more than 23,000 victims in all  of [[Ottoman Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]. In a letter to [[Matthias Corvinus]], dated February 11, 1462, he stated:

{{cquote|I have killed men and women, old and young, who lived at Oblucița [old name of Isaccea] and Novoselo, where the Danube flows into the sea, up to Rahova, which is located near [[Kiliya, Ukraine |Kilia]], from the lower Danube up to such places as {{ill|Samovit|ro|Somovit, Plevna}} and [[Gigen]]. We killed 23,884 Turks and Bulgars without counting those whom we burned in homes or whose heads were not cut by our soldiers....Thus your highness must know that I have broken the peace with him [the Sultan].<ref name = "Dracp134">[[Radu Florescu|Radu R. Florescu]], [[Raymond T. McNally|Raymond McNally]], ''Dracula: Prince of many faces - His life and his times'', [[Little, Brown and Company|Back Bay Books]], 1990, {{ISBN|0-316-28656-7}}, p. 134</ref>}}

In 1484, it was taken again by the Ottomans under [[Mehmed II]], being included in the [[Silistra Province, Ottoman Empire|Silistra (Özi) Province]], which comprised [[Dobruja]], much of present-day [[Bulgaria]], and later also [[Budjak]] and [[Yedisan]].

Țepeș's [[massacre]] and destruction completely changed the ethnic composition and the appearance of Isaccea, which remaining throughout the 16th century a small, largely Christian, village.<ref>according to the Ottoman ''[[defter|tahrir defterleri]]'' (tax registers) of 1528, 1569/1570 and 1597/1598; in Kiel, p. 289</ref> [[Bayazid II]]'s capture of Kilia and [[Akkerman]] removed the danger from the north, as did [[Mehmed II]]'s victories against Wallachia remove the threat from the west, and as such, the Sultan saw no reason to rebuild the fortress of Isaccea, nor for the positioning there of a garrison.<ref>Kiel, p. 289-290</ref>

In 1574, Voivode [[John III the Terrible]] of Moldavia sent [[Burgrave]] [[Ieremia Golia]] with an army to Obluchitza (Isaccea) to prevent the Ottoman army from fording the river. However, Golia betrayed John for a sum of 30 gold bags, thus leading to the defeat of the Moldavian army and the execution of John.<ref>[[Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu]] (1865), [http://ro.wikisource.org/wiki/Ioan_Vodă_cel_Cumplit ''Ioan Vodă cel Cumplit'']</ref>

By the beginning of the 16th century, a new danger arose for the Ottoman border on the Lower Danube: the [[Cossacks]] from Ukraine who, in 1603, crossed the Ottoman border, reached Oblucița and set the town on fire.<ref>Nicolae Iorga  (1900), ''Studiĭ istorice asupra Chilieĭ și Cetățiĭ-Albe'', Institutul de arte grafice C. Göbl, p. 217</ref> Sultan [[Osman II]] began a series of campaigns against the Cossacks and, as part of his fortification of the border, in 1620, a new fort was built in Isaccea, but in a different place.<ref>Kiel, p. 291</ref>

On 6 October 1598, [[Michael the Brave]] defeated the Ottoman army at Oblucița, recapturing the town. Following March, the Ottoman army took back the town and started conducting incursions into Wallachia, with Michael's response being to again cross the Danube and attack Oblucița.<ref>Ileana Căzan, Eugen Denize (2001), ''[http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/mari_puteri/Capitolul%20XI6.htm Marile puteri şi spaţiul românesc în secolele XV-XVI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142203/http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/mari_puteri/Capitolul%20XI6.htm |date=2011-07-28 }}'', Bucharest: Editura Universității, {{ISBN|973-575-597-1}}, p. 276</ref> After Michael's death in 1601, the town was regained by the Ottomans.

In December 1673, at the [[Ottoman Army]] camp in Isaccea, [[Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino]] was chosen [[Prince of Moldavia]].<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Valentin Gheonea, [http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi1997/current12/mi35.htm "Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino - Un fanariot pe tronul Moldovei în secolul XVII"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010050044/http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi1997/current12/mi35.htm |date=2007-10-10 }}, ''Magazin Istoric'' ({{ISSN|0541-881X}}), December 1997</ref>

===Modern history===
During the [[History of the Russo-Turkish wars|wars between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire]] of the 18th and 19th centuries, Isaccea was occupied by each side for several times, being several times set on fire and almost completely destroyed and left abandoned by both sides.

During the [[Pruth River Campaign|Prut River Campaign]] (1711), the Russians tried to block the Ottomans crossing of the Danube at Isaccea, but failing to do so, the two armies clashed at [[Stănilești]], on the [[Prut|Prut River]].<ref>John, P. LeDonne, ''The Grand Strategy of the Russian Empire, 1650-1831'' [[Oxford University Press]], 2005, {{ISBN|0-19-516100-9}}, p. 40</ref>

Isaccea was besieged three times in the 1770s: in 1770, 1771 and 1779: in 1771, it was conquered by the [[Russian Empire|Russians]] in the wake of the [[Battle of Kagul]], the Russians destroying the fortifications and the [[mosques]]. Unlike many other settlements in the region, it was not razed, but after ten years of devastating war, only 150 houses were still standing.

Near Isaccea, the Russian [[flotilla]] commanded by [[José de Ribas]] clashed with and captured the Ottoman flotilla during the [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)]]. The Ottoman defenders of Isaccea fled, destroying the fortifications left behind. After a while, the Ottomans regained it, being recaptured by Lieutenant-General [[House of Golitsyn|Galitzine]] in March 1791.<ref name="brockhaus"/>

[[File:Hector de Béarn - Isaccea, 1828.jpg|thumb|300px|Isaccea in a lithograph by Hector de Béarn, 1828]]

During the [[Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)]], the Russian Army crossed the Danube at Isaccea, but the Ottoman garrison of the Isaccea fortress [[Surrender (military)|surrendered]] without resistance.<ref name="brockhaus"/> A local legend explains the existence of a mound near the old bridge this way: during the Russo-Turkish wars an Ottoman general accused of treason was buried alive (horse included), each of his soldiers being forced to bring a [[fez (clothing)|fez]] full of dirt and throw it over the general.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

In 1853, during the [[Crimean War]], it was besieged again by the Russians, before the war theatre moved to [[Crimea]]. In December of that year, ''[[The Times]]'' of London noted that "Isaktchi" had a fortified castle and a garrison of 1500 men, but that it was simply a "port of observation" on the river.<ref>[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1853-12-29-08-004&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1853-12-29-08 "The Seat of War on the Danube," ''The Times,'' December 29, page 8]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

After the war, a European Danube Commission was established, which decided to clear the [[silt]] at the mouths of the Danube, between Isaccea and the Black Sea; however, the increased trade on the Danube affected Isaccea but little.

At the beginning of the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878]], the Russians were able to take advantage of Romania's railways and mass a great number of troops in [[Galați]]. 4000 Russian troops crossed the Danube 14&nbsp;km south of [[Măcin]] and were victorious on June 22, 1877, against the Ottoman garrison. The Russian victories intimidated the Ottoman commander of the Isaccea garrison and the Ottoman troops withdrew from the town, leaving the whole northern part of [[Dobruja]] to the Russian armies.<ref name="reid"/> Many of the Muslims in the towns of this area fled from the early days of the conflict as the Russian-Romanian army advanced.<ref name="reid">James J. Reid, ''Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse 1839-1878'', Franz Steiner Verlag, 2000, {{ISBN|3-515-07687-5}} p. 317</ref> The city was captured without battle on June 26, 1877, by the 14th Army under the leadership of Major-General Yanov.<ref name="brockhaus">{{in lang|ru}} ''[[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]'' (Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона), I.A. Efron, 1906, vol. 13, Page 364; [http://www.vehi.net/brokgauz/all/045/45433.shtml ''Isakcha''(Исакча)]</ref>

Following the Russian-Romanian victory in the war against the [[Ottoman Empire]], Russia took back from Romania the Southern [[Bessarabia]] region and as compensation, the newly independent state of Romania received the region of Dobruja, including the town of Isaccea.<ref>[[Keith Hitchins]], ''Rumania : 1866-1947 (Oxford History of Modern Europe)''. 1994. [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-19-822126-6}}, p. 47-48</ref>

In 1915, Nicolae Iorga described Isaccea as "a gathering of small and humble houses spread over a hill slope".

During [[World War I]], Dobruja was in the areas of operation of a force formed by the Russian and Romanian armies. The first Russian unit crossed the Danube at Isaccea on the day when war was declared (August 27, 1916) and began their deployment toward Bulgaria, an ally of the Central Powers.<ref name="torrey">Glenn Torrey, "Indifference and Mistrust: Russian-Romanian Collaboration in the Campaign of 1916", ''[[The Journal of Military History]]'', Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr., 1993), pp. 284, 288</ref>

Following the failure of the [[Flămânda Offensive]], the Russians began retreating,<ref name="torrey"/> soon as north as Isaccea. The town was defended by the Romanian and Russian troops against the German offensive, but it was lost on December 24, 1916.<ref>"Russians still retire in Dobrudja", ''New York Times'', December 25, 1916, pg. 3</ref> Following its defeat, Romania signed the [[Treaty of Bucharest (1918)|Treaty of Bucharest]], by the term of which, Romania ceded the southern part of Dobruja to Bulgaria, while the rest (including Isaccea), was ceded to the [[Central Powers]].<ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/routreat.html Treaty of Bucharest, 7 May 1918] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223024635/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/routreat.html |date=23 February 2013 }}, article X</ref> The Treaty was voided by the terms of the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice of November 11, 1918]] and Isaccea was thus returned to Romania.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [[wikisource:Convention d’armistice du 11 novembre 1918|Convention d’armistice du 11 novembre 1918]] (wikisource)</ref>

In February 2022, during the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], thousands of [[Ukrainians]] crossed by [[ferry]] into Romania at Isaccea in search of refuge.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/27/romania-thousands-of-ukrainians-arrive-to-isaccea-in-search-of-refuge|title=Romania: Thousands of Ukrainians arrive to Isaccea in search of refuge|first=Cameron|last= Hill|publisher=[[Euronews]]|date=February 27, 2022|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|1828|784
|1912|4112
|1930|4576
|1948|4653
|1956|5203
|1966|5059
|1977|5347
|1992|5639
|2002|5374
|2011|5026
|footnote = <ref>[http://www.tulcea.insse.ro/phpfiles/ComunicatPresaDateProvizoriiRPL2011Tulcea.pdf Recensământul Populaţiei 2011]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>}}

The majority of the population is formed by [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] [[Romanians]], but there is also a 4% minority of Muslim [[Turkish people|Turks]]. In 1516, it was a purely Christian village, with 163 households;<ref name="Kiel, 294">Kiel, 294</ref> in 1518, there were 256 Christian houses.<ref name="beldiceanu">{{in lang|fr}} Nicoară Beldiceanu; Jean-Louis Bacque-Grammont; Matei Cazacu, ''Recherches sur les Ottomans et la Moldavie ponto-danubienne entre 1484 et 1520'', Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London ({{ISSN|0041-977X}}), Vol. 45, No. 1. (1982), pp. 55.</ref> By the end of the 16th century, the town grew to 332 Christian households and 25 Muslim households, of which half were new converts.<ref name="Kiel, 294"/>

[[Image:Ethnic map Northern Dobruja 1861.jpg|thumb|330px|An 1861 map shows the ethnic groups of northern Dobruja. Around Isaccea (''Isaktcha''), most of the inhabitants were Romanians ("Moldavians" on the map, in blue)]]

===Ethnic structure===
In 1828, there were 363 Romanians, 183 Turks, 163 Cossacks, 29 Greeks, 20 Jews and 3 Armenians.<ref name="inthist"/>

According to the 2011 Romanian census, the ethnic structure of the population of Isaccea was the following:
{| class=wikitable
!Ethnicity
!Number
!Percentage
|-
| Romanian
| 4,638
| 93.6%
|-
| Turkish
| 90
| 1.81%
|-
| Ukrainian
| 11
| 0.22%
|-
| Roma
| 209
| 4.21%
|}

===Religion===
[[Image:Moske Isaccea.jpg|right|thumb|170px|Isaccea Mosque]]
{| class="wikitable"
!Religion
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|Orthodoxy
|5,099
|94.88%
|-
|Islam
|223
|4.14%
|-
|Baptists
|30
|0.55%
|-
|[[Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church|Old Calendarists]]
|14
|0.26%
|-
|Other/none
|8
|0.17%
|}

==Government==
The city government is headed by a mayor (''primar''), while the decisions are approved and discussed by the local council (''consiliu local'') made up of 15 elected councillors. From 1996 to 2012, the mayor of Isaccea was Ilie Petre, from the [[Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)|Democratic Liberal Party]], who was re-elected for a fourth term in the 2008 local elections, winning in the second round by earning 61.46% of votes against Anastase Moraru, a candidate of the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]].<ref>Biroul Electoral Central, [http://www.beclocale2008.ro/documm/ora18TUR2/moc_tur2.pdf Primari pe municipii, oraşe şi comune]</ref> At the 2012 local elections, Moraru defeated Ilie.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Claudia Petraru, [http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/tulcea/Rezultate_alegeri_locale_2012_Tulcea_orase_primari_0_716928472.html "Tulcenii au votat schimbarea. Trei primari de oraşe au fost înlocuiţi"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617145128/http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/tulcea/Rezultate_alegeri_locale_2012_Tulcea_orase_primari_0_716928472.html |date=2012-06-17 }}, ''Adevărul'', June 11, 2012</ref> Moraru was re-elected in 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2016bec.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SIAL2016_P_Lista_Moc-2.xlsx |title=Results of the 2016 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=2020-04-03 |df=dmy-all |archive-date=15 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815225319/http://www.2016bec.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SIAL2016_P_Lista_Moc-2.xlsx |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 2020.<ref name=mayor2020/>

Since September 2020, the local council members belong to the following parties:<ref name=mayor2020/>

*[[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]]: 5
*[[PRO Romania]]: 4
*[[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]]: 4
*[[USR PLUS]]: 2

==Economy==
[[File:Isaccea Cariera de piatra 6.JPG|thumb|The Isaccea stone quarry]]
The town has long been a station in the trade between the eastern Mediterranean and the continental eastern Europe. The Greeks built their first trade post around 2700 years ago and trade continued after the Roman and later Byzantine and Ottoman takeovers. In the 16th century, the town was located on the [[Moldavia]]n-Ottoman border and its [[bazaar]] was one of the four most important trading posts in the Dobruja, with tradesmen coming from distant places, such as [[Chios]] or [[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusa]].<ref>Stănciugel et al. p. 138</ref> The main traded goods were cattle, sheep, wine, cloth and wood.<ref name="beldiceanu"/> The town lost its influence in the 19th century, as the sea and river transport was mostly replaced by train and later road transport and as the Danube traffic navigates on the [[Danube-Black Sea Canal]].

Much of the local economy is based on agriculture, especially [[animal husbandry]] and [[fishing]]. The town's farms have a number of 2595 sheep, 728 cows, 510 pigs, 240 horses and 16,000 birds.<ref>[http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie.html Isaccea city hall - Economic data] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802114501/http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie.html |date=2008-08-02 }}</ref> Industry is based on extraction of rock from a nearby [[quarry]] and [[woodworking]], a tobacco processing factory and a [[winery]].

Since 2004, the town is also home for a [[Beluga (sturgeon)|beluga]] reproduction research station, financed by the Romanian state. The world's first [[in vitro fertilisation]] research station for the beluga, it is [[Fish farming|fish farm]], but also raises beluga to be freed into the Danube, freeing around 3000 belugas.<ref>[http://www.romanialibera.ro/a87515/fabrica-de-caviar.html "Fabrica de caviar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218122552/http://romanialibera.ro/a87515/fabrica-de-caviar.html |date=2009-12-18 }}, ''România Liberă'', February 19, 2007</ref>

The town is also a port on the Danube, having two [[Mooring (watercraft)|mooring]] places for ships. It is mostly used for loading [[cereals]] and stone onto cargo ship.<ref>[http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie/infrastructura.html "Economie: Infrastructura"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207225101/http://isaccea.romclub.ro/economie/infrastructura.html |date=2008-02-07 }}, Primăria Orașului Isaccea</ref>

Isaccea is the entry point in Romania of the Isaccea-[[Negru Vodă, Constanța|Negru Vodă]] [[gas pipeline]] (built between 2000 and 2002 to replace a smaller pipeline built in the 1980s) linking [[Ukraine]] and [[Bulgaria]], bringing natural gas from Russia to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. It has a diameter of 1200&nbsp;mm and a capacity of 28 billion m<sup>3</sup>/year.<ref>[http://www.capital.ro/articol/proiectul-nabucco-promite-afaceri-uriase-pentru-firmele-romanesti-110096.html "Proiectul Nabucco promite afaceri uriaşe pentru firmele româneşti"], ''Capital'', July 9, 2008</ref> The town is also the entry point of the 400 kV Isaccea-[[Vulcăneşti]] [[Electric power transmission|electrical transmission line]], through which Romania imports electricity from the Russian-owned [[Cuciurgan power station|Cuciurgan]] powerplant in the [[Transnistria]] region of [[Moldova]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20110522164454/http://www.adevarul.ro/articole/2007/de-la-rusi-vine-curentul-ieftin.html "De la ruşi vine curentul ieftin!"], ''Adevărul'', July 16, 2007</ref>

A [[sewage treatment]] plant is going to be built in Isaccea by 2012, funded 80.2% from the [[Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds|Cohesion Funds]] from the [[European Union]].<ref>[http://www.bursa.ro/on-line/?s=print&sr=articol&id_articol=41372 "Oraşele Măcin şi Isaccea vor avea primele staţii de epurare din 2012"], ''[[Bursa (Romanian newspaper)|Bursa]]'', January 12, 2009</ref>

==Local attractions==
*The 2000-year-old ruins of the Roman [[fortress of Noviodunum]]
*The [[Isaccea Mosque]], a 17th-century Ottoman mosque, that has a 25-meter high [[minaret]]
*The 18th century "Saint George" Orthodox Church
*Isaac Baba's grave, believed by the local Muslims to be the founder of the town.
*The [[Cocoș Monastery]], located 6&nbsp;km south of the town centre

==Natives==
* [[Paul Barbă Neagră]] (1929–2009), film director
* [[George Curcă]] (born 1981), footballer
* [[Cristian Munteanu]] (born 1974), footballer

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{in lang|ro}} Eugen Panighiant, ''Delta Dunării și Razelmul'', Bucharest, 1960
* István Vásáry, ''Cumans and Tatars'', Cambridge University Press, 2005, {{ISBN|0-511-11015-4}}
* {{in lang|ro}} Robert Stănciugel and Liliana Monica Bălașa, ''Dobrogea în Secolele VII-XIX. Evoluție istorică'', Bucharest, 2005
* Curta, Florin, ''Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-521-81539-8}}
* {{in lang|ro}} Mihai Bărbulescu, [[Dennis Deletant]], [[Keith Hitchins]], [[Șerban Papacostea]], Pompiliu Teodor, Istoria României, ed. Institutul de Istorie Nicolae Iorga, 1998, {{ISBN|973-45-0244-1}}
* Machiel Kiel, "Ottoman Urban Development and the cult of a Heterodox Sufi Saint: Sarı Saltuk Dede and towns of Isakçe and Babadagin the Northern Dobrudja" in Gilles Veinstein, "Syncrétismes Et Hérésies Dans L'Orient Seljoukide Et Ottoman (XIVe-XVIIIe Siècles): Actes Du Colloque Du Collège de France, Octobre 2001", Peeters Publishers, 2005, {{ISBN|90-429-1549-8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Isaccea}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070117125745/http://www.isaccea.ro/ Isaccea: Official site]
* [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/noviodunum/index.htm Noviodunum Archaeological Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100907075958/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/noviodunum/index.htm |date=2010-09-07 }} Archaeological project being run on the outskirts of the town.
* [http://www.strateg.org.ro/ STRATEG. Defensive strategies and cross border policies. Integration of the Lower Danube area in the Roman civilization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025193802/http://strateg.org.ro/ |date=2020-10-25 }}

{{Tulcea County}}
{{Dacian cities}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Isaccea| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Romania]]
[[Category:Towns in Romania]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Romania]]
[[Category:Byzantine sites in Romania]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Danube]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Romania]]
[[Category:Populated places in Tulcea County]]
[[Category:Localities in Northern Dobruja]]
[[Category:Roman harbors in Romania]]