Balaban is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Kartepe,

Kocaeli Province Kocaeli Province ( tr, Kocaeli ili, ) is a province of Turkey and one of only three not to have the same official name as its capital, İzmit, which is thus also sometimes called Kocaeli. The province is the successor of the Ottoman-era Sanjak ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. Its population is 1,326 (2022).

Geography

Balaban is located in the Samanlı Mountain range, on the slopes of Kartepe mountain. It is at the south side of the city of

İzmit İzmit () is a district and the central district of Kocaeli province, Turkey. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the ...

, on the hillside of Kartepe Mountain between Büyük Derbent and Suadiye towns. It is 24 km from the center of city and 2.5 km from the nearest town, Büyük Derbent.

History

The first settlements date back to ancient times. There are only some materials founded on the village area from Astakos from 712 BCE and also as the inhabitants called as ''Subaşı'' area, there are some tunnels and cisterns founded supposedly belonged to

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

periods. Also on the farm place at east side of village, as inhabitants call ''Taşlı Tarla'' (en: stony field) there are many materials founded like a piece of valve, keramik pots etc. As a folk story, they belong to "missing mountain" where was overthrown at the big earthquake which happens every 100 years around

on a civilization living there. But its origins are still unknown and there is no academic research about them yet.Prof. Dr.ÖKSE A.Tuba, ''Salat Tepe Kazıları: 3500 yıl öncesine ait bir deprem enkazı'', Conference notes, November 13, 2006 Very well known story of Balaban began at the first quarter of the 19th century. Balaban's area known as "Balaban's ranch" where was about 5000 m² (1000 m²=1/4 acre). At that time a Muslim judge Fevzi Efendi bought these all ranch, and brought his family living in

Batum Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of t ...

in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). With this big migration until 1880, they began to settle down around the area and they created today's Balaban Village.

Economy

The hills and lower sides of Kartepe mountain (1606 m) is very well formed for farming. Inhabitants mostly growing-selling fruits or living there as summer place. "Balaban's Cherry" is very famous, there are many cheery trees in all gardens, but also apple, pear, chestnut, walnut trees are growing too. Stockbreeding is very low, growing vegetables are just for themselves. After 1995, an American couple began to build Kartepe Ski Establishment and Hotel, Balaban turned it faces to tourism and also many summer sites built low side of the mountain. Around that time Kocaeli University Tourism and Career Academy was founded in Büyük Derbent with its career hotel that brings tourism activity to the area. Anyhow, hillsides of the mountain are still virgin, inhabitants keep caring for the area included the historical places and forest, but the lower side is totally different now from it was 10 years ago.

References

External links

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Kartepe District