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Bergama is a populous district, as well as the center city of the same district, in İzmir Province in western Turkey. By excluding İzmir's metropolitan area, it is one of the prominent districts of the province in terms of population and is largely urbanized at the rate of 53.6%. Bergama center is situated at a distance of to the north from the point of departure of the traditional center of İzmir (
Konak Square Konak Square ( tr, Konak Meydanı) is a busy square at the southern end of Atatürk Avenue in the Konak district of İzmir, Turkey. The square is the busiest part of the city, as Konak is the main place of İzmir. The square is named after the '' ...
in
Konak, İzmir Konak is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is the most densely populated of the eleven main urban districts of İzmir, and has historically acted as the administrative and economic core of the city. Situated in an area that roughly corres ...
) and lies at a distance of inland from the nearest seacoast at the town of Dikili to its west. Bergama district area neighbors the areas of three districts of
Balıkesir Province Balıkesir Province ( tr, ) is a province in northwestern Turkey with coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea, Aegean. Its adjacent provinces are Çanakkale Province, Çanakkale to the west, İzmir Province, İzmir to the southw ...
to its north, namely
Ayvalık Ayvalık () is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey. It is a district of Balıkesir province. The town centre is connected to Cunda Island by a causeway and is surrounded by the archipelago of Ayvalık Islands, which face ...
,
Burhaniye Burhaniye is a coastal town and district of Balıkesir Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. The district is located on the Aegean coast and is known for its olive oil. Burhaniye has a port and a museum of archeology. A museum for the Turk ...
and
İvrindi İvrindi is a town and district of Balıkesir Province in the Marmara region of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcont ...
, İzmir Province district of
Kınık Kınık is a district of İzmir Province of 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 ...
and Manisa Province district of
Soma, Manisa Soma is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. According to the 2009 census, the population of the district is 101,011, of which 74,158 live in the town of Soma. The district covers an area of , and the town lies ...
to its east, while to the south it is bordered by the central provincial of Manisa and two other İzmir Province districts along the coast that are Aliağa and Dikili from its south towards its west. The district area's physical features are determined by the alluvial plain of Bakırçay River.


Name

The name Bergama, as well as its ancient predecessor Pergamon, are thought to be connected with the even more ancient Luwian language adjective ''"parrai"'' ( Hittite language equivalent; ''"parku"''), meaning ''"high"'' in the same vein as being the etymological root of a number of other ancient cities across Anatolia. The ancient and modern Greek language form of the name is el, Πέργαμος. In Turkish language, it has been adapted to Bergama. The name of Pergamos derives from Perga (as keramos from kera=earth, clay), although a Turkish author Özhan Öztürk claims that ''Bergama'' means "high settlement/base" in Hittite language, while Argoma (modern Suluova) in Amasya means "border settlement" at the Hittite- Kaskian border.


General features

Currently, known for its cotton, gold, and fine carpets, the city was the ancient Greek and Roman cultural center of Pergamon; its wealth of ancient ruins continues to attract considerable tourist interest today, although its famous Temple has been moved to the Pergamon Museum, in Berlin, Germany. Located on a promontory north of the Bakırçay river, inland from the Aegean Sea, Bergama has a population of about 102,000. The ruins of the ancient city of Pergamon lie to the north and west of the modern city; Roman Pergamon is believed to have sustained a population of approximately 150,000 at its height in the 1st century AD. Among Bergama's notable ruins are the Sanctuary of Asclepius (or ''
Asclepeion Asclepieia ( grc, Ἀσκληπιεῖον ''Asklepieion''; Ἀσκλαπιεῖον in Doric dialect; Latin ''aesculapīum'') were healing temples located in ancient Greece (and in the wider Hellenistic and Roman world), dedicated to Asclepius ...
''), a temple dedicated to an ancient Greek god of healing, a Greek Theater, and the
Red Basilica Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
complex ("Kızıl Avlu" in Turkish) that straddles the Selinus River, a 2nd-century AD construction likely built by
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
. The town also features an archaeological museum.


History

The city of Pergamon was the capital of the Attalid dynasty from 281 BC to 133 BC and then became part of the Roman province of Asia. It remained under Eastern Roman rule in the Middle Ages except for Sassanid invasion in 620s, Umayyad invasion in 715 and
Sultanate of Rum fa, سلجوقیان روم () , status = , government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262) , year_start = 1077 , year_end = 1308 , p1 = By ...
rule between 1074 and 1097. It was conquered by Karasids in 1302. It was part of Ottoman Empire in 1337. During Ottoman rule, it was part of the
Sanjak of Karesi Karasi Sanjak, (Turkish: ''Karesi Sancağı'' ; c. 1341–1922) was one of the first sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire established around 1341 and disestablished after signing the Treaty of Lausanne. Despite being established in 1341, the Sanja ...
between 1337 and 1868, in Saruhan one (Its centre was Manisa) between 1868 and 1877 and finally in İzmir one. During the Turkish War of Independence, it was occupied by Greece on June 19, 1919, but came under Turkish control on September 14, 1922.


Sights of interest within Bergama city

*
Selçuk Selçuk is a town in İzmir Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located northeast of the ancient city of Ephesus, that was once home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its previous Greek name, Ag ...
Minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
built in the 14th century * Çukurhan
caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
built in the 14th century * Taşhan caravanserai built in 1432 * Great Mosque of Bergama built in 1399 * Şadırvanlı Mosque built in 1550 * Zeus Altar (Now in Berlin Museum) * Acropolis - accessible by the
Bergama Acropolis Gondola The Bergama Acropolis Gondola ( tr, Bergama Akropol Teleferik) is a two-station aerial lift of gondola type at Bergama district of İzmir Province in western Turkey serving the nearby archaeological site of Acropolis. The long line is operated ...
from the base station north east of the town * Asklepion Bergama is also known for its historic quarter, where old Ottoman houses in the traditional style are found.


Allianoi

Allianoi is an ancient
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
settlement, with remains dating predominantly from the Roman Empire period (2nd century AD) located near the city of Bergama (ancient Pergamon) in Turkey's İzmir Province. The site is at a distance of to the northeast of Bergama, on the road to the neighboring town of
İvrindi İvrindi is a town and district of Balıkesir Province in the Marmara region of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcont ...
. One particularity of Allianoi is its being a very recent historical discovery. It was mentioned only once in the 2nd century by the orator and medicinal writer Aelius Aristides in his "Hieroi Logoi" (''Sacred Tales'') (III.1), one of the key sources for the knowledge on the science of healing as it was understood at that time. No other writer of antiquity nor any
epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
finding known had referred to Allianoi.


Kozak Plateau

Kozak Plateau (''Kozak Yaylası'') is a high plain at an altitude varying between and starting at a distance of from Bergama center in the northern direction. The plain is a favorite regional excursion area, famed for its hand-made textile products and pine forests whose pine nut is also extensively exported.


Ovacık gold mine

Recently, Bergama also made headlines in the context of controversies based on environmental concerns over the gold mine in Ovacık village.


Wind turbine manufacturing

LM Wind Power, a division of GE Renewable Energy, opened a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility in Bergama in 2017. The first blades it produced were used at the
Bodangora Wind Farm Bodangora Wind Farm is a 113.2 MW wind farm owned by Infigen Energy in the district of Bodangora near Wellington, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of 33 wind turbines. The towers are 85 metres tall, and the rotor diameter is 130 metres. T ...
in New South Wales, Australia.


Bergama Carpets

Bergama is also renowned for its high quality carpets. There are approximately eighty villages that still weave
Bergama carpet Bergama Carpet refers to handwoven Turkish carpets, made in the Bergama district in the Izmir Province of northwest Turkey. As a market place for the surrounding villages, the name of Bergama is used as a trade name to define the provenience. G ...
s. The history of carpet weaving in Bergama dates back to the 11th century - when Turkish migration started to the area. Bergama carpets have almost always been woven with wool - an attestation to the pastoral life style of the Yörük clans populating the area at the time. Although the history of carpet weaving in Bergama dates back to the 11th century, most surviving carpets do not age more than 200 years - mainly due to their wool content. The oldest surviving Bergama carpets can be found in mosques in and around Bergama, as well as the archaeological museum in Bergama.


Bergama Festival

Between June 18–24, Bergama celebrates its annual festival "Bergama Kermesi", which is already running into its seventy-second anniversary. Bergama Kermesi is a major local event, generally celebrated with the attendance of Turkish celebrities, singers, players, poets, and writers.


International relations


Twin towns - sister cities

Bergama is twinned with: *
Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...
, Netherlands * Asenovgrad, Bulgaria *
Baalbek Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
, Lebanon *
Böblingen Böblingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Beblenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen (district), Böblingen District. Sindelfingen and Böblingen are Geographic contiguity, contiguous. History Böblingen was found ...
, Germany * Lefka, Cyprus * Nea Peramos, Greece * Orhei, Moldova *
Pergamos Pergamos (; tr, Beyarmudu) is a Turkish Cypriot village in Larnaca District, Cyprus, 4 km north of Pyla, almost surrounded by the British Sovereign Base Area (SBA) at Dhekelia.PRIO web site http://www.prio-cyprus-displacement.net/default. ...
, Cyprus *
Piatra Neamț Piatra Neamț (; german: Kreuzburg an der Bistrița (Siret), Bistritz; hu, Karácsonkő) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Easter ...
, Romania * Rosoman, North Macedonia * Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Yehud, Israel


See also

*
Bergama carpet Bergama Carpet refers to handwoven Turkish carpets, made in the Bergama district in the Izmir Province of northwest Turkey. As a market place for the surrounding villages, the name of Bergama is used as a trade name to define the provenience. G ...
*
Allianoi Allianoi ( el, Αλλιανοί), is an ancient spa settlement, with remains dating predominantly from the Roman Empire period (2nd century AD) located near the city of Bergama (ancient Pergamon) in Turkey's İzmir Province. The site is at a di ...


References


External links


pointsfromturkey.com


brief history
Photographic tour of old and new Pergamon, including the museum



Pergamon altar in Berlin
{{Authority control Cities in Turkey Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Roman sites in Turkey Populated places in İzmir Province Districts of İzmir Province