TREB'IZOND (Turkish Tirabzon or Tara burun; Lat. Trapezus: Gk. Tparcro6s, Trape zeus, probably so called because founded on a table-land, from rpArera, trapeze, table). A city of Asia Minor, capital of the Turkish Vila yet of Trebizond (Slap: Turkey in Asia, H 2). It is on the Black Sea coast near its eastern end, 570 miles east of Constantinople. The city has a remarkable location, being built on a small table-land falling in steep precipices on either side toward two deep parallel valleys which run out to the coast. The highest portion is crowned by an ancient castle, and the city is still surrounded by Byzantine walls. The streets are narrow, but the city has a wide. extent, nearly every house being surrounded by gardens. There are numerous churches and mosques, some of the latter being old Byzantine churches. The bazaars are mostly situated outside of the walls in the Christian quarters, the intramural portion being reserved for the Slohanunedan population. The industries include wool, silk, and linen weaving, tanning, dyeing, and filigree nmnufaetures. The harbor is an exposed roadstead, but the geo graphical position of Trebizond has for many cen turies made it the chief entrepM. for the transit
trade between Persia and Europe. It is the terminus of the main caravan route to Persia via Erzurum. The transit trade has, however. greatly declined since the opening of the Russian railroad to Patum. In 1900 the exports, which chiefly consist of cattle, hazel-nuts, tobacco, and carpets, were valued at $3,696,850„ while the imports amounted to nearly twice as much. The population is estimated at about 35,000, of whom considerably more than half are Moham medans, the rest being chiefly Greek and Arme nian Christians.
Trapezus was founded by Greeks about B.C. 700 as a colony of Sinope. It was a flourish ing city when Xenophon and his Ten Thousand reached it after the famous retreat. In 1204, after the occupation of Constantinople by the Crusaders, Prince Alexius of the Comnenian family established the Empire of Trebizond, and made the city his capital. This empire lasted until 1461, when it was overthrown and the city captured by the Turks.