Mardin Province
Mardin Province, is a province of Turkey with a population of 809,719 in 2017. The population was 835,173 in 2000; the capital of the Mardin Province is Mardin. Located near the traditional boundary of Anatolia and Mesopotamia, it has a diverse population, composed of Kurdish and Assyrian people, with Kurds forming the majority of the province's population. Mardin comes from the Syriac word and means "fortresses"; the first known civilization were the Subarian-Hurrians who were succeeded in 3000 BCE by the Hurrians. The Elamites gained control around 2230 BCE and were followed by the Babylonians, Assyrians and Byzantines; the local Assyrians/Syriacs, while reduced due to the massacres of the Assyrian Genocide and conflicts between the Kurds and Turks, hold on to two of the oldest monasteries in the world, Dayro d-Mor Hananyo and Deyrulumur Monastery. The Christian community is concentrated on the Tur Abdin plateau and in the town of Midyat, with a smaller community in the provincial capital. Mardin province is divided into 10 districts: Mardin Dargeçit Derik Kızıltepe Mazıdağı Midyat Nusaybin Ömerli Savur Yeşilli Christian monuments in Mardin Province Islamic monuments in Mardin Province Mardin Weather Forecast Information Pictures of the capital of this province Articles about the Syriacs and photos of Midyat Mardin photos Tourism information is available in English at the Southeastern Anatolian Promotion Project site.
Mardin Travel Guide https://twitter.com/MardinBuyukshr
Aydın Province
Aydın Province is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın. 150,000. Other towns in the province include the summer seaside resorts of Didim and Kuşadası. Aydın was once known as Tralles; the area is an earthquake zone and the city was built and rebuilt by a succession of Spartans, Ionians, Lydians and Ancient Romans. In 1186 the Seljuk Turks took control of the area, followed by the Anatolian beylik of the Aydinids. During this period the town was named Aydın Güzelhisar, was brought into the Ottoman Empire in 1426. Neighboring provinces are Manisa to the north east, İzmir to the north, Denizli to the east, Muğla to the south; the central and western parts of the province are fertile plains watered by the largest river in the Aegean region the Büyük Menderes River, with the Aydın Mountains to the north and the Menteşe Mountains to the south. The western end of the province is the Aegean coast with Lake Bafa a major feature of the Menderes delta area.
The climate is typical of the Aegean region hot in summer. The Germencik region contains a number of hot springs. Aydın province is divided into 17 districts: Much of the countryside is a mix of fig and citrus trees figs; the major sources of income are tourism. The coastal towns of Didim and Kuşadası in particular are tourist resorts. Kuşadası is near to the Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, while Didim has a temple of Apollo and the ancient ruins of Miletos nearby; the province contains archeological sites, including the ancient Carian cities of Alinda and Alabanda. Aydın is Turkey's leading producer of figs and exports dried figs worldwide; the name by which the fruit was called in the world markets was "Smyrna figs" until due to the preponderance of figs exported from İzmir over other species of the genus. But İzmir got the name by being the center for the wholesale trade and exports, while in fact the fruit was traditionally cultivated in Aydın; the term used within Turkey is "Aydın figs".
Turkey's yearly production of 50,000 tons of dried figs, is all from Aydın, Within Aydın province, the best figs are reputed to be grown in Germencik. Aydın produces olives from the varieties of Memecik and Gemlik, as well as chestnuts, citrus fruits, water melons and other fruits. Aydın has some light industry Adnan Menderes University was built in the city of Aydın in 1990s and has branches throughout the province; the city of Aydın has a number of Ottoman period mosques. The province's countryside and scenery include a stretch of the Aegean coast and a number of historic sites including: Didim coastal resort wıth large temple of Apollo and nearby Miletus ruins of an Ancient Greek city Ilyas Bey Complex, a cultural heritage of Turkey built in 1403 Kuşadası coastal resort, near to the Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park Kirazli - a traditional Turkish village with old stone houses Alinda - ancient ruins Alabanda - ancient ruins Magnesia ad Maeandrum - ancient ruins, on the Ortaklar-Söke road in Germencik Nysa - another ruined Carian city, in Sultanhisar Aphrodisias - more ancient ruins, including tombs and sculpture, in Karacasu Priene - another ruin, near Söke Mycale Mountains Aydın is the home of the Zeybek folk art.
This involves a special type of war dance, performed in a ring to resemble birds. The Zeybek is performed to sounds of other Turkish folk instruments; the folk songs of Aydın are famously short, indeed a popular saying in the Aegean region to get someone to stop talking, is Keep it short, make it an Aydın tune. The cuisine features the typical Turkish pastries, kebab. Izmir to Aydın motorway is the city's main thoroughfare. Anthemius of Tralles - architect of Haghia Sophia in Istanbul Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe, folk hero, leader of a public revolt during the decline of the Ottoman Empire Yörük Ali Efe, hero of the Turkish War of Independence Mahmut Esat Bozkurt, architect of the legal system of the Turkish Republic, close friend of Atatürk, born in Kuşadası Adnan Menderes, Turkish Prime Minister Necati Çelim, MP for Aydın, founding Chairman of Aydın Tekstil Fabrikası, born in Köşk İlhan Selçuk, editor of the Cumhuriyet newspaper İsmet Sezgin, former minister Atilla Koç, MP for Aydın, former minister of culture and tourism, born in Köşk Güven Önüt, former Beşiktaş footballer Rıdvan Dilmen, retired footballer, team manager and sports commentator List of populated places in Aydın Province Aydın governor's official website Aydın municipality's official website Aydın weather forecast information Local information Aydın figs information Aydın otelleri
Balıkesir Province
Balıkesir Province is a province in northwestern Turkey with coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. Its adjacent provinces are Çanakkale to the west, İzmir to the southwest, Manisa to the south, Kütahya to the southeast, Bursa to the east; the provincial capital is Balıkesir City. Most of the province lies in the Marmara Region except the southern parts of Bigadiç Edremit, Kepsut, İvrindi, Savaştepe and Sındırgı districts and ones of Ayvalık, Dursunbey, Gömeç and Havran, that bound the Aegean Region. Kaz Dağı, known as Mount Ida, is located in this province. Balıkesir province is famous for its olives, thermal spas, clean beaches, making it an important tourist destination; the province hosts immense deposits of kaolinite and borax, with some open-pit mines. The Kaz mountains are threatened with the expansion of gold mining using cyanide which puts the villagers' lives, the agricultural economy, tourism at risk. Balıkesir is home to a number including Kuş Cenneti National Park. Among the cultural attractions of Balıkesir are the ruins of Cyzicus and Saraylar on the Sea of Marmara and Antandrus.
There are a city museum and a fine arts centre in Balıkesir. There are a number of camping facilities in Erdek, Altınoluk, Akçay, Güre, Ören. Balıkesir Kuvayi Milliye Museum Bandırma Archaeological Museum Edremit Ayşe Sıdıka Erke Ethnography Museum Balıkesir National Photography Museum Edremit Tahtakuşlar Ethnography Museum Gönen Mosaic Museum Balıkesir Municipality's Devrim Erbil Modern Arts Museum Bigadiç Museum House Marmara District Palaces Open Air Museum Altınoluk Antardos Open Air Museum Erdek Belkıs Ruins Open Air Museum Daskyleon ruins Prokonnessos ruins Adyramytteon ruins Yortan ruins Erdek Kapıdağ region Kaz Dağı national park Kuş Cenneti national park Alaçam mountains Ayvalık Islands natural park Madra mountains Celebrating its 18th anniversary in 2010, the young Balıkesir University has been increasing its supports to the higher education of the province from the past to the future, it has been determined to meet the new age, the Age of Information, with 5 Faculties, 4 Applied Schools, 11 Vocational Schools giving vocational training for 2 years, 2 Graduate Schools, 2 Research Institutes and 9 Research Centers presenting modern academic services with dynamic, productive academic and administrative staff appropriate to the age.
BAU has aimed to be an educational institution of the 21st century and has taken special care to direct its experience from the past towards this objective. Other guiding objectives of BAU are to bring up democratic, independent, young citizens, loyal to Atatürk’s principles and revolutions and the basic principles of the Republic, respectful not only to their country and culture but to universal values as well. BAU forms an environment to produce information and knowledge to be benefited by the country and the world, to share it with both the society and the science world for the wealth and well-being of humanity. BAU is well aware of its responsibilities for both Turkish Higher science world, it fulfills the requirements of a modern institution of education with 25 000 students, 650 members of academic staff. BAU is aware that it is not only enough for a modern university to provide education of high quality but to produce science and technology; the students are encouraged to participate in social and sports activities.
The administration and academic personnel of the university support and direct a variety of extracurricular activities. BAU aims at meeting academic and research needs of students and administrative staff and of the society to enhance scientific productivity with modern libraries, increasing the number and quality of undergraduate programs and scientific studies. Çağış Campus The units listed below are all located on the main Çağış Campus, which lies on the outskirts of the city. Buses and minibuses provide regular services to Çağış Campus from the city center between the hours 07:00 and 23:00. Rectorate building, with administrative departments Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Faculty of Sciences and Arts School of Tourism and Hotel Management Balıkesir Vocational School Central Library Main Sports Hall Graduate School of Science Graduate School of Social Sciences NEF Campus NEF Campus, located in the center of the town, was the original site of the university; the units listed below are all located on this campus: Faculty of Education, School of Physical Education and Sports Teaching.
NEF Conference Hall, Halil İnalcık Conference Hall Sports Hall University Fitness Center Outdoor sports facilities Continuing Education Center Balıkesir is accessible on Turkey's most travelled road, linking the metropolises of İstanbul and İzmir. Hande Erçel-Actress and Model from Bandırma city. Hülya Avşar - Actress, producer from Ayvalık Fikret Hakan - Actor from Balıkesir Imam Birgivi - Muslim scholar from Balıkesir Zağanos Pasha - Ottoman military commander from Balıkesir Ömer Seyfettin - Renowned writer from Gönen Mehmet Çoban - Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler from Balıkesir Kurtdereli Mehmet Pehlivan - World
Turkey
Turkey the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country located in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. East Thrace, located in Europe, is separated from Anatolia by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorous strait and the Dardanelles. Turkey is bordered by Bulgaria to its northwest. Istanbul is the largest city. 70 to 80 per cent of the country's citizens identify as Turkish. Kurds are the largest minority. At various points in its history, the region has been inhabited by diverse civilizations including the Assyrians, Thracians, Phrygians and Armenians. Hellenization continued into the Byzantine era; the Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century, their victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 symbolizes the start and foundation of Turkey. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into small Turkish principalities. Beginning in the late 13th-century, the Ottomans started uniting these Turkish principalities.
After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453, Ottoman expansion continued under Selim I. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire encompassed much of Southeast Europe, West Asia and North Africa and became a world power. In the following centuries the state entered a period of decline with a gradual loss of territories and wars. In an effort to consolidate the weakening social and political foundations of the empire, Mahmut II started a period of modernisation in the early 19th century, bringing reforms in all areas of the state including the military and bureaucracy along with the emancipation of all citizens. In 1913, a coup d'état put the country under the control of the Three Pashas. During World War I, the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian and Pontic Greek subjects. Following the war, the conglomeration of territories and peoples that comprised the Ottoman Empire was partitioned into several new states; the Turkish War of Independence, initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his colleagues against occupying Allied Powers, resulted in the abolition of monarchy in 1922 and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, with Atatürk as its first president.
Atatürk enacted numerous reforms, many of which incorporated various aspects of Western thought and customs into the new form of Turkish government. The Kurdish–Turkish conflict, an armed conflict between the Republic of Turkey and Kurdish insurgents, has been active since 1984 in the southeast of the country. Various Kurdish groups demand separation from Turkey to create an independent Kurdistan or to have autonomy and greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. Turkey is a charter member of the UN, an early member of NATO, the IMF and the World Bank, a founding member of the OECD, OSCE, BSEC, OIC and G-20. After becoming one of the first members of the Council of Europe in 1949, Turkey became an associate member of the EEC in 1963, joined the EU Customs Union in 1995 and started accession negotiations with the European Union in 2005 which have been stopped by the EU in 2017 due to "Turkey's path toward autocratic rule". Turkey's economy and diplomatic initiatives led to its recognition as a regional power while its location has given it geopolitical and strategic importance throughout history.
Turkey is a secular, unitary parliamentary republic which adopted a presidential system with a referendum in 2017. Turkey's current administration headed by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the AKP has enacted measures to increase the influence of Islam, undermine Kemalist policies and freedom of the press; the English name of Turkey means "land of the Turks". Middle English usage of Turkye is evidenced in an early work by Chaucer called The Book of the Duchess; the phrase land of Torke is used in the 15th-century Digby Mysteries. Usages can be found in the Dunbar poems, the 16th century Manipulus Vocabulorum and Francis Bacon's Sylva Sylvarum; the modern spelling "Turkey" dates back to at least 1719. The Turkish name Türkiye was adopted in 1923 under the influence of European usage; the Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world. Various ancient Anatolian populations have lived in Anatolia, from at least the Neolithic period until the Hellenistic period.
Many of these peoples spoke the Anatolian languages, a branch of the larger Indo-European language family. In fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European Hittite and Luwian languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical centre from which the Indo-European languages radiated; the European part of Turkey, called Eastern Thrace, has been inhabited since at least forty thousand years ago, is known to have been in the Neolithic era by about 6000 BC. Göbekli Tepe is the site of the oldest known man-made religious structure, a temple dating to circa 10,000 BC, while Çatalhöyük is a large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately
Muğla Province
Muğla Province is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about 20 km inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz and Fethiye, are on the coast in Muğla; the original name of Muğla is open for discussion. Various sources refer to the city as Mobella or Mobolia. At 1,100 km, Muğla's coastline is the longest among the Provinces of Turkey and longer than many countries' coastlines. Important is the Datça Peninsula; as well as the sea, Muğla has Lake Bafa in the district of Milas and Lake Köyceğiz. The landscape consists of pot-shaped small plains surrounded by mountains, formed by depressions in the Neogene; these include the plain of the city of Muğla itself, Yeşilyurt, Ula, Gülağzı, Akkaya, Çamköy and Yenice). Until the recent building of highways, transport from these plains to either the coast or inland was quite arduous, thus each locality remained an isolated culture of its own. Contact with the outside world was through one of the three difficult passes: northwest to Milas, north to the Menderes plain through Gökbel, or northeast to Tavas.
The economy of Muğla relies on tourism, agriculture and marble quarries inland. Agriculture in Muğla is rich and varied; the province is the second center of marble industry in Turkey after Afyonkarahisar in terms of quantity and quality. Other mineral exploitation includes chrome in Fethiye. Other industry in the province includes the SEKA paper mill in Dalaman and the power stations at Yatağan, Yeniköy and Kemerköy; however Muğla is by no means an industrialised province. The following are aspects about transportation in Muğla province: There are two airports in Dalaman and Milas-Bodrum, serving domestic and international flights and catering to the tourism industry. There are yacht marinas in Bodrum, Fethiye and Güllük. There are many run bus connections to İzmir, Ankara and other major cities in Turkey from Muğla and directly from the coastal resorts. In ancient times in Anatolia, the region between the Menderes and Dalaman rivers in the south was called Caria; the inhabitants were Leleges. In his Iliad, Homer describes the Carians as natives of Anatolia, defending their country against Greeks in joint campaigns in collaboration with the Trojans.
A major city of ancient Caria, Muğla is known to have been occupied by raiding parties of Egyptians and Scythians, until the area was settled by Ancient Greek colonists. The Greeks inhabited this coast for a long time building prominent cities, such as Knidos and Bodrum, as well as many smaller towns along the coast, on the Bodrum Peninsula and inland, including in the district of Fethiye the cities of Telmessos, Xanthos and Tlos; the coast was conquered by Persians who were in turn removed by Alexander the Great, bringing an end to the satrapy of Caria. In 1261, Menteshe Bey, founder of the Beylik that carried his name, with its capital in Milas and nearby Beçin, established his rule over the region of Muğla as well; the beys of Menteshe held the city until 1390 and this, the first Turkish state in the region, achieved a high level of cultural development, its buildings remaining to this day. The province became a significant naval power, trading with the Aegean Islands, Crete and as far as Venice and Egypt.
Turkish settlement during the Menteshe period took place through migrations along the Kütahya-Tavas axis. In 1390, Muğla was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. However, just twelve years Tamerlane and his forces defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara, returned control of the region to its former rulers, the Menteshe Beys, as he did for other Anatolian beyliks. Muğla was brought back under Ottoman control by Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, in 1451. One of the most important events in the area during the Ottoman period was the well-recorded campaign of Süleyman the Magnificent against Rhodes, launched from Marmaris. With this long history Muğla is rich in ancient ruins, with over 100 excavated sites including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Letoon, near Fethiye; the following are notable residents of Muğla province: Herodotus of Halicarnassos, historian Turgut Reis Seaman Basil Zaharoff, Arms dealer born in Muğla Osman Hamdi Bey Painter had his summer residence in Yatağan Şükrü Kaya, Minister of the Interior under Atatürk, born in İstanköy Mustafa Muğlalı, Turkish War of Independence general Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, Founder of Cumhuriyet newspaper and key supporter of Atatürk, from Fethiye Zihni Derin, Agriculturalist responsible for planting tea in the Eastern Black Sea region, from Muğla Necati Çiller, father of Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, governor of Istanbul in the 1950s, from Milas Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, writer of The "Fisherman of Halicarnasoss" and his student Şadan Gökovalı Nail Çakırhan, architect of the Akyaka Çakırhan houses and winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Janet Akyüz Mattei Amateur astronomer and president of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, of Bodrum.
Zeki Müren and fixture of the Bodrum nightclub scene for many years Poet Can Yücel is buried in Datça, his home in his final years Former President Kenan Evren lived in Marmaris after he retired until his death. The Republican People's Party, Turkey's principal center-left party
Uşak Province
Uşak is a province in western Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Manisa to the west, Denizli to the south, Afyon to the east, Kütahya to the north; the provincial capital is Uşak, its licence location code is 64. The province covers an area of 5,341 km2. In August 2018, the province decided to stop running digital advertisement on United States based social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube canceling all of the budget as a response to the U. S. sanctions on Turkey. The U. S. sanctions were over the detention of the Pastor Andrew Brunson. Uşak province is divided into 6 districts: Banaz Eşme Karahallı Sivaslı Ulubey Uşak Uşak governor's official website Uşak municipality's official website Uşak weather forecast information News from Uşak province and 6 districts
Kırklareli Province
Kırklareli Province is a province in northwestern Turkey on the west coast of the Black Sea. The province neighbours Bulgaria to the north along a 180-kilometre long border, it borders the province of Edirne to the west and the province of Tekirdağ to the south and province of Istanbul to the southeast. Kırklareli is the capital city of the province; the province's and its central city's name means "the land of the forties" in Turkish and it may refer either to the forty Ottoman ghazis sent by the sultan Murad I to conquer the city for the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century or to the forty churches reported to be situated in the region before the Ottoman conquest, as attested by the former name of Kırklareli. There is a memorial on a hilltop in Kırklareli city, called "Kırklar Anıtı" to honor the Ottoman conquerors; the province is bisected by the Yıldız mountain range. The north and northeastern parts of the province are among the least populated and under developed parts of Turkey; the districts to the south and west are more populated because the land is better suited for agriculture and industrial development.
The north and eastern parts of the province are dominated by forests. Therefore, forestry is an important means of living in these areas. Fishing is done along the Black Sea coast; the province of Kırklareli is an important region for winemaking. A syrup called "Hardaliye", made of grape, cherry leaves and mustard seeds, is a non-alcoholic beverage special to the region. Dupnisa Cave is a famous natural attraction and a unique geological formation within the borders of the province in the north; the 60 km long coast along the Black Sea harbors one of the most pristine and undeveloped beaches in all of Turkey. There are two Nature Reserve Areas along the coast namely Saka Gölü Nature Reserve Area to the north and Kasatura Körfezi Nature Reserve Area to the south; these sites are unique with their undisturbed ecosystems harboring several endangered and endemic plant and animal species. Kırklareli province is divided into eight districts: Babaeski Demirköy Kırklareli Kofçaz Lüleburgaz Pehlivanköy Pınarhisar Vize Kırklareli is twinned with: List of populated places in Kırklareli Province Kırklareli Weather Forecast Information Forum of Kırklareli University Kırklareli News Kırklareli Photos
