Gemlik is a town and center of the Gemlik District of

Bursa Province Bursa Province ( tr, ) is a province in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir to the west, Kütahya to the south, Bilecik and Sakarya to the east, Kocaeli to the northeast and Yalova to the ...

. It is located in the east of the

Gulf of Gemlik The Gulf of Gemlik ( tr, Gemlik Körfezi) is an inlet of the Sea of Marmara in the Marmara region of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental coun ...

. It is approximately away from Bursa. In antiquity, Gemlik was the location of the ancient Greek town of

Cius Cius (; grc-gre, Kίος or Κῖος ''Kios''), later renamed Prusias on the Sea (; la, Prusias ad Mare) after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as the Sea of Marmara), in Bithynia and i ...

. Gemlik is an industrial port and it has a freezone trade center. There are also important industrial establishments in south and west of the harbors. The port of Gemlik is one of the busiest import harbors in Turkey. Gemlik is renowned for black olives.

Etymology

In the Ottoman-era, the town began to be called Gemilik (Eng. shipyard), because there was a shipyard in the town to build

Galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch W ...

s for the Ottoman Navy. As of 1920, the British were calling Gemlik, Geumlek in publications.

History

Gemlik was the site of the ancient Greek city of Cius ( /ˈsaɪəs/;

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Kίος or Κῖος ''Kios''), later renamed Prusias on the Sea ( /ˈpruːʒəs/;

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Prusias ad Mare'') after king

Prusias I of Bithynia Prusias I Cholus (Greek: Προυσίας ὁ Χωλός "the Lame"; c. 243 – 182 BC) was a king of Bithynia, who reigned from c. 228 to 182 BC. Life and Reign Prusias was a vigorous and energetic leader; he fought a war against Byzantium ...

, was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

city bordering the Propontis (now known as the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...

), in Bithynia and formerly in

Mysia Mysia (UK , US or ; el, Μυσία; lat, Mysia; tr, Misya) was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia, Asian part of modern Turkey). It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on th ...

(in modern northwestern Turkey), and had a long history, being mentioned by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

, Strabo and

Apollonius Rhodius Apollonius of Rhodes ( grc, Ἀπολλώνιος Ῥόδιος ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; la, Apollonius Rhodius; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and t ...

. It was strategically placed at the head of a gulf in the Propontis, called the gulf of Cius, or ''Cianus Sinus''. Herodotus calls it Cius of Mysia; and also

, from which it appears that Mysia, even in Xenophon's time, extended at least as far east as the head of the gulf of Cius.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

reports that Cius was a Milesian colony. It was at the foot of

Mount Arganthonius Mount Arganthonius or Arganthonios ( grc, Ἀργανθώνιος), or Arganthon (Ἀργανθών), or Arganthoneion, was a mountain range in ancient Bithynia, which forms a peninsula, and divides the gulfs of Cius and Astacus. The range terminate ...

, and there was a myth that

Hylas In classical mythology, Hylas () was a youth who served as Heracles's (Roman Hercules) companion and servant. His abduction by water nymphs was a theme of ancient art, and has been an enduring subject for Western art in the classical tradition ...

, one of the companions of

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

on the voyage to

Colchis In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the Colchians are generally though ...

, was carried off by the nymphs when he went to get water here; and also that Cius, another companion of Heracles, on his return from Colchis, stayed here and founded the city, to which he gave his name. Pliny mentions a river Hylas and a river Cius here, one of which reminds us of the name of the youth who was stolen by the nymphs, and the other of the mythical founder. The Cius may be the channel by which the lake Ascania discharges its waters into the gulf of Cius; though Pliny speaks of the ''Ascanium flumen'' as flowing into the gulf, and we must assume that he gives this name to the channel which connects the lake and the sea. If the river Cius is not identical with this channel, it must be a small stream near Cius. As

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

speaks of the outlets of the Ascanius, it has been conjectured that there may have been two, and that they may be the Hylas and Cius of Pliny; but the plural ἐκβολαί does not necessarily mean more than a single mouth; and Pliny certainly says that the Ascanius flows into the gulf. However, his geography is a constant cause of difficulty. The position of Cius made it the port for the inland parts, and it became a place of much commercial importance.

Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman geographer. He was born in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nearly to the year 1500. It occupies less ...

calls it the most convenient emporium of Phrygia, which was at no great distance from it. Cius was taken by the

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

, after the burning of

Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...

, in 499 BCE. It joined the

Aetolian League The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League ( grc-gre, Κοινὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν) was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellen ...

, and was destroyed by

Philip V of Macedon Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...

in the

Second Macedonian War The Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon, and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. Philip was defeated and was forced to abandon all possessions in southern Greece, Thrace and Asia Min ...

(200–197 BCE), and given by him to

. Prusias, who had assisted Philip in ruining Cius, restored it under the name of Prusias (Προυσιάς). It was sometimes called Prusias ἐπιθαλασσίη, or "on the sea," to distinguish it from other towns of the same name, or πρὸς θάλασσαν. In the text of

Memnon In Greek mythology, Memnon (; Ancient Greek: Μέμνων means 'resolute') was a king of Aethiopia and son of Tithonus and Eos. As a warrior he was considered to be almost Achilles' equal in skill. During the Trojan War, he brought an army t ...

the reading is ''Cierus''; but Memnon, both in this and other passages, has confounded Cius and

Cierus Prusias ad Hypium ( grc, Προῦσα πρὸς τῷ Ὑππίῳ ποταμῷ) was a city in ancient Bithynia, and afterwards in the late Roman province of Honorias. In the 4th century it became a bishopric that was a suffragan of Claud ...

. But it is remarked that Cius must either have still existed by the side of the new city, or must have recovered its old name; for Pliny mentions Cius, and also Mela,

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alchem ...

, and writers of a still later date. It was an important chain in the ancient Silk Road and became known as a wealthy town. There are coins of Cius, with the legend Κιανων, belonging to the

Roman imperial period The Roman imperial period is the expansion of political and cultural influence of the Roman Empire. The period begins with the reign of Augustus (), and it is taken to end variously between the late 3rd and the late 4th century, with the beginning ...

; and there are coins of Prusias with the epigraph, Προυσιεων των προς θαλασσαν. Cius became an early Christian

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. Its bishop, Cyrillus, took part in the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort ...

in 325, and Theosebius attended the Council of Ephesus. The names of many of his successors in the first millennium are known from extant contemporary documents. At first a suffragan of

Nicomedia Nicomedia (; el, Νικομήδεια, ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocleti ...

, it soon became an autocephalous archdiocese, being listed as such in ''

Notitiae Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the -mostly Lat ...

'' from the 7th century onward. No longer a residential bishopric, Cius is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

. In 1891, there were 5147 people lived in town center including; 4620 Greeks, 242 Turks, 178 foreigner and 107 Armenian. As of 1920, Gemlik was estimated to have a population of 5,000 (. At that time, it had a naval yard that was no longer in use. On 11 September 1922, Gemlik's remaining Greek citizens left Gemlik to Greece due to

population exchange between Turkey and Greece The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the " Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...

Geography

Gemlik was built on a plain which is bordered on three sides by mountains, with the Samanli Mountains lying from southeast to the northwest. There is a large plain spanning much of the east end of Gemlik to the coast. Karsak Stream, which originates at İznik Lake, divides this plain and town center into two parts. The

, often called fig port of Kilyos (in reference to the ancient name of the town), is 35 km from east to west, 10–15 km from north to south, and 100–150 meters deep. For many years, this gulf had been used for docking ships, but now it serves as a tourist attraction. The largest river in the area is Karsak, gurgles from İznik Lake and spilles to Gulf of Gemlik. In rural areas of Gemlik District mostly covered by Olive trees and

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

s on the Samanlı Mountains.

Climate

Gemlik has a hot-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''Csa) with cool and rainy winters, and hot and dry summers. The driest month is July with an average of of rainfall. The wettest month is December with an average of of precipitation. Although a Mediterranean climate generally prevails in the district of Gemlik, the higher elevations have an Oceanic climate (

: ''Cfb''). The record high temperature is and the record low temperature is . The annual precipitation ranges between and . The are an average 113 days with precipitation. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of . The coldest month of the year is January, with an average temperature of .

Administration and Politics

Neighbourhoods

* Cumhuriyet Mahallesi (Manastır) * Osmaniye Mahallesi (Yeni Mahalle) * Orhaniye Mahallesi * Halitpaşa Mahallesi (Kayıkhane) * Balıkpazarı Mahallesi (old town) * Kayhan Mahallesi * Demirsubaşı Mahallesi * Dr. Ziya Kaya Mahallesi * Eşref Dinçer Mahallesi * Hamidiye Mahallesi * Hisar Mahallesi (Hisartepe) * Ata Mahallesi (Atatepe)

Local Elections

Tourism

Kumla is one of the busiest resorts in Marmara in summer period. Especially people from Istanbul prefer to take their holidays in Kumla because it is one of the nearest resorts to Istanbul. There are also smaller resorts like Büyükkumla, Karacaali and Narlı along the north coast of the gulf. Road to these resorts split from Yalova-Bursa state road to Gemlik

beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

through Kumla. Sudüşen waterfall is in the north of the village of Haydariye. There is also a moto-cross tournament organised at Şahintepe point on the Samanlı Mountains and Olive Festival at city in August–September.

Economy

Industrial establishments that produce plastic, textile, marble, chemistry, machinery, automotive, steel and fertilizers continue their activities in the district. Large-scale industrial facilities in Gemlik are concentrated on the western coastline of the district, especially in and around the free zone. 80% of the population living in the district center is engaged in trade. Salt olive, oil, soap trade is the leading. Olive production has an important place in Gemlik industry. Turkey's first cannery Rifat Minaret Koller. Sti. In parallel with the establishment of canning, vegetable growing has developed. Bean, artichoke, cucumber, tomato, pea, eggplant, pepper are the leading vegetables grown. A significant portion of the economic revenues are from the agriculture and industry sectors. Olive production; Although it has a large share in terms of the area it covers, it has a high share in terms of economic input it provides in agricultural production. The production is not only consumed in domestic markets, but also exports. There are 2 small industrial sites in the district. 664 workplaces operate in industrial sites. There are also 1 free zone and 2 small industrial sites in Gemlik. There are 87 companies in the free zone, 64 domestic, 11 foreign and 12 domestic-foreign partners. 9937 workers work in the Free Zone. In 2017 the region from Turkey TL 285,933,564.63. While there TL 282,535,527.42 in 2018 the volume of transactions, the region from Turkey in 2017 to various parts of TL 146,881,502.72. In 2018, 184,858,595.49 TL trading volume occurred. Transaction volume change rate has been realized as (+25,86). When Free Zone Trade data is analyzed, in the same period, from abroad to the region in 2017, 430.902.457,11 TL. In 2018, 515.423.870,72 TL. input is provided. The rate of change during this period was (+19.61). Bursa Free Zone has a trade volume of 1,918,150,680.25 ($) dollars. 12.263.822.782,51 ($) of this amount consists of exports, and 8.457.276.393,26 ($) part of it imports. The tax collection of the Customs Directorate for 2017 is 376.190.027 TL, and the 2018 tax collection is 466.696.342 TL. The annual rate of change is 24.06. The VAT collection for 2017 is 3.787.643.808 TL, the VAT collection for 2018 is 4.235.680.882 TL. The annual rate of change is 11.83. A total of 245.820.971 TL in 2017–2018. antidamping tax has been obtained. While a fine of 151,070,873 TL was applied in 2017, a fine of 111,104,167 TL was imposed in 2018. The data of the ports in the district in 2018 are shown in the table below. There are 5 ports in Gemlik. 223 incoming ships, 214 outgoing ships; There are 31 incoming passengers, 53 outgoing passengers and 26,928 incoming vehicles, 31,223 outgoing vehicles. The total number of taxpayers in the district is 34,576, Tax Accrual is 695,593,681 TL. Tax collection is 375.865.977 TL. d. The Collection / Accrual ratio is 54.04. There are 2 artisan rooms in Gemlik. The number of members registered in the chambers of trades is 3.227. In addition, there is 1 Commodity Exchange and the number of registered members is 223. In the district, besides large industrial facilities such as the under construction

TOGG Turkish national car The Togg C-SUV is the first model of five electric cars that are planned to be produced by Turkey's Automobile Joint Venture Group Inc., being a C-segment SUV, which started manufacturing from October 2022. History The automotive industry ...

factory, Borçelik, Borusan, MKS Marmara, Çimtaş, Gemlik Gübre, there are many international organizations such as Ficosa, Yazaki, Aunde Vibracoistic, Techno Stell, Summit Stell, AB Rothec. A total of 25,000 people work in the free zone, of which 15,000 are employed, and other industrial facilities are 10,000. Automotive, iron-steel, electric-electronic, textile and marble are among the most exported sectors. The most exported countries are Germany, Romania, Spain, France and England.

Health

There are 2 hospitals in Gemlik: 1 State Hospital and 1 Private Hospital. There are 260 beds in the State Hospital and 7 267 beds in the Private Hospital. There are 9 Family Health Centers and 4 Health Houses. There are 109 Doctors in the State Hospital, 59 GPs, 50 Specialist Doctors. In addition, 8 Dentists work. The number of people per doctor is 990. The number of beds per 10,000 people is 38. There are 4 ambulances in 112 Emergency Call Centers in the district and 5 in the hospital. While the number of beds in 2016 and 2017 in our district State Hospital was 128, it was 260 in 2018. The number of inpatients is 10059 in 2018 and the total number of surgeries in 2018 is 9531. While the normal birth in our district was 91 in 2016, 34 in 2017, 92 in 2018, birth by cesarean in 2016 was 193, 106 in 2017 and 92 in 2018. 0–1 year old infant death is 2. As of 2018, the hospital has 41 polyclinics, 40 normal and 1 emergency, and 34 Family Physicians. A total of 159 suicide cases occurred in the district, 28 in 2016, 60 in 2017 and 71 in 2018. In 2017, there was an increase of more than a hundred percent in cases of crude suicide compared to 2016. This number increased to 71 in 2018. Cigarette inspections are carried out periodically by the related commission and in line with the incoming notifications. Administrative fines related to smoking are given to business owners who act against the legislation.

Media and Press

* Gemlik Gazetesi (first newspaper in Gemlik-1958) * Gemlik Haber Gazetesi (daily paper) * Gemlik Körfez Gazetesi (first daily paper in Gemlik) * Gemlik Gündem Gazetesi (daily paper) * Gio Detay Dergi (monthly news actual magazine) * Gemlik Life (digital paper of Gemlik) * Gemlik Haber (internet news)

Sports

Sport Clubs in Gemlik

* Gemlik Basketbol (Turkey 1 lig ) * Gemlikspor(football) * Umurspor * Körfezspor(football) * Zeytinspor(basketball) * Gücümspor(basketball) * Çotanakspor(football) * Karadenizspor(football).

Gallery

Notable natives

Giannis Papaioannou Giannis Papaioannou ( el, Γιάννης Παπαϊωάννου; January 18, 1913 – August 3, 1972) was a famous Greek musician and composer born in Kios, Ottoman Empire (now Gemlik, Turkey). In English his name is sometimes romanticized as ''Y ...

(1913–1972), Greek

Rebetika Rebetiko ( el, ρεμπέτικο, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek music which have come to be grouped together since the s ...

singer and composer * Celal Bayar (1983–1986), 3rd President of the Republic of Turkey. Born in town of Umurbey.

Sister cities

Lauderhill, Florida Lauderhill, officially the City of Lauderhill, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census,the city's population was 74,482. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,01 ...

, United States, * Novadari,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Bursa Province Fishing communities in Turkey Populated coastal places in Turkey Port cities and towns in Turkey