Living Witness to History: ？i？ Lake (Mesudiye, Ordu, Turkey)

The ？i？ Lake is found in the boundaries of the Day？l？ village in Mesudiye districh of Ordu City. The lake where is located at 1526 m altitude of sea level is 23 km away from the city center. The wetland located on lake was registered as a wetland having local importance in 2016. In Mesudiye district, which has a special place in the pages of history, close to 50 historical settlements have been identified in the studies carried out. Thanks to the Handeresi Antique Caravan Road passing through the edge of the Lake, ？i？ Lake was used as a place of worship and stall. The coins and antique pieces found here belonged to Mithradates VI Eupator, the last king of the last Hellenistic Pontos Kingdom, which ruled between 370-322 B.C. In this study, it is aimed to introduce the ecological value of Lake ？i？, which is not well known in the local area, as well as the historical-cultural value obtained from the literature evaluations. In this study, it is expected that the potential of cultural and natural values and recreational activities of the ？i？ Lake and its surroundings will be determined and contribute to the socio-economic development of the region