Balıkesir

Balıkesir () is a city in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province is 1,257,590, of which 314,958 in the city proper (the urban part of the districts Altıeylül and Karesi). Between 1341 and 1922, it was the capital of Karasi.

History

Close to modern Balıkesir was the Roman town of '' Hadrianutherae'', founded, as its name commemorates, by the emperor Hadrian. Hadrian came to the region in 124 A.D., as a result of a successful bear hunting he had established a city called his name here. It is estimated that the city consisted of the castle, the homestead, the stud and a few homes. It is thought that the small town was where the current stadium is present.

Members of the Roman and Pre-Byzantine dynasty had used this castle as a vacation area and for hunting. During the Byzantine period, the small town which had become increasingly neglected was known as ''Palaiokastron'' () meaning Old Castle.

Also, when the Turkomans came from Middle Asia to Mysia, they called it Balukiser because of the remains of the castle, as ''Hisar'' is the Turkish word for castle. Balıkesir's former name was Karasi because Balıkesir city was founded by Karasi Bey in the 13th century as using the remains of the small town. 1297 is considered as the date of establishment of the city which was one of the few to be founded by the Turks in Anatolia. The Karasids was a Turkic principality in Mysia. Since the 13th century, Balıkesir city have been the administrative centre of the Mysia region.

In 1345, Balıkesir city was annexed by the Ottomans. In 1898 an earthquake destroyed much of the city. The number of buildings that were not destroyed in the 1898 earthquake was only 51. In 1914, Turkish students marched through the streets of the city singing a song of hatred against the Greeks. In April 1916, the Christian Greeks of the villages in the vicinity of Balikesser underwent persecution from the Turks. They were refused bread on payment. The women were told that they should become Muslim so as not to die of hunger.

At the beginning of June, many young Greeks were forced by the authorities to convert to Islam at Government headquarters. On 30 June 1919 Balıkesir city was occupied by the invading Greeks but on 6 September 1922, the Turkish Army took back the city. During the Turkish War of Independence, Balıkesir was the main centre of the Turkish militias in Western Anatolia against the occupying Greek Army.

On 3 August 1950, a major fire destroyed the centre of the city which was rebuilt later. That fire destroyed an important part of the city. According to estimates, it was the result of the firing of firecrackers belonging to child guns in a shop. According to another opinion, it was caused by the gnawing of the firecrackers of child guns by rats and this fire spread to the electrical contact. 498 shops completely burned.
It is the second biggest disaster to befall in Balıkesir after the 1898 earthquake. Nearly a thousand people were unemployed. The tents were set up by the Turkish Red Crescent and food aid was provided for a long time.

Main sights

*'' Zaganos Pasha Mosque'' built by and named after the Grand Vizier of Mehmet the Conqueror, Zaganos Pasha in 1461. Only the mosque and baths remain.
*'' Yildirim Mosque'' built in 1388 is the oldest remaining work from the Ottoman period in Balikesir city.

Sports

Most known sports club in Balıkesir is Balıkesirspor which is established in 1966. Balıkesirspor is the football team played in the Süper Lig after achieving promotion having finished as runners-up of the TFF First League in 2013–14. The team's previous promotion was 40 years before that. Their stadium, the all-seater Balıkesir Atatürk Stadium, has a capacity of 13,732.

Climate

Balıkesir has a fairly continental hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) under the Köppen climate classification and a temperate oceanic climate (Do) under the Trewartha classification. Winters are cool and wet with frequent frosts and occasional snowfall, while summers are hot and dry. The continentality increases as one moves from west to east and north to south. Therefore, winters are colder and snowier in the inland parts.

Municipality

In the Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, under law 6360, published on 6 December 2012, Balıkesir Municipality qualified as a"Metropolitan".

International relations

Balıkesir is twinned with;

* Makhachkala, Russia
* Shymkent, Kazakhstan (since 1995)
* Kazan, Russia (since 1996)
* Roxas City, Philippines (since 1997)
* Prizren, Kosovo (since 1997)
* Å tip, North Macedonia (since 1999)
* Lefkada, Greece (since 2000)
* Schwäbisch Hall, Germany (since 2006)
* Siirt, Turkey (since 2007)
* Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea (since 2010)Sister/Twin Cities of Balıkesir
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Notable natives

* Ahmet Nuri Öztekin, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
* Barış Falay, Actor
* Bekir Sami Günsav, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
* Caner Erkin, Football player
*Cengiz Ãœnder, Football player
* Cihat Arslan, Football player, coach
* Çetin Zeybek, Football player
* Egemen Korkmaz, Football player, coach
* Erdal Tosun, Actor
* Fikret Hakan, Actor
* Hande Erçel, Actress and model
* Ä°lhan Eker, Football player
* İlker Ayrık, Actor
* Kazım Özalp, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
* Kurtdereli Mehmet Pehlivan, World-famous oil wrestler
* Mehmet Çoban, Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler
* Nazmi Solok, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
* Necdet Tosun, Actor
* Nedim Günar, Football player, coach
* OÄŸuz SavaÅŸ, Basketball player
* Olcan Adın, Football player
* Ömer Seyfettin, Writer
* Seyit Onbaşı, Ottoman army gunner
* Åžafak Edge, Basketball player
* Åževket AltuÄŸ, Actor
* Tamer YiÄŸit, Actor
*Tuğçe Kazaz, Actress and model
* Tülin Altıntaş, Volleyball player
*Vasıf Çınar, Politician and diplomat
* Vedat Ä°nceefe, Football player, coach
* ZaÄŸanos Pasha, Ottoman military commander
* Zerrin Tekindor, Actress and artist

See also

* Altıeylül
* Anatolian Tigers
* Balıkesirspor
* Karesi
* Macarlar

Notes

External links

Balıkesir Municipality Web PageBalıkesir Government Web Page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balikesir

Populated places in Balıkesir Province