Predictably the Black Sea man, or the "Laz" as he is called with a mixture of affection and sneer, has become a stock figure of the Turkish social typology. This gang is from Samsun, Turkey, on the coast of the Black Sea. Capital of Samsun Province and important Port. Former Greek colony (BC). Captured by Seljuks in 1200. A Genoese trading post - taken by Ottomans in 15th century. Important trade centre - specialising in tobacco, booming after the arrival of the railway in the late 19th century.