It is also home to Martas and the BOTAŞ Terminal, both of them important for trade activities in the Marmara Region.

The town's best known product remains Tekirdağ rakı although it is also known for its cherries, celebrated with a festival every June.

The latter name was used until the Byzantine era,[6] and transformed into Rodosçuk after it fell to the Ottomans in the 14th century (in western languages it is usually rendered as Rodosto).

After the 18th century it was called Tekfurdağı, based on the Turkish word tekfur, meaning "Byzantine lord".

In 813 and again in 1206, after the Battle of Rodosto, it was sacked by the Bulgarians, but it continued to appear as a place of considerable importance in later Byzantine times.

In December 1934, a convoy of 1,583 Turkish speaking Muslims from Dobruja and Ada Kaleh settled in Tekirdağ.

Catholic bishops Tekirdağ is situated on the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara, 135 kilometres (84 miles) west of Istanbul.

Its picturesque bay is backed by the promontory of the mountain which gives its name to the city, Tekir Dağı (ancient Combos), a spur of about 2000 ft. that rises into the hilly plateau to the north.

Except for the , and the narrow streets that help one imagine life in the Ottoman period, the city lacks antique charm.

The inland parts of Tekirdağ province offer fertile farmland suitable for winter wheat, sunflowers, cherries and grapes for wine-making.

State-owned until the 1990s, the distilleries are now in private hands and the wine and rakı industries are undergoing a renewal despite being hampered by high taxation on alcohol.