Malkara () is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Tekirdağ Province,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 1,243 km² (the largest in Tekirdağ Province), and its population is 50,988 (2022). It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. The mayor is Nergiz Karaağaçlı Öztürk ( CHP).

Climate

Malkara experiences a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''), with hot, dry summers, and chilly, rainy, somewhat snowy winters.

History

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

was the scene of fighting during the Persian Wars and the name Malkara is said to come from the Persian 'Margaar' meaning 'cave of snakes'. Alternatively the town may be named after 'Malgar' a general in the army of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

who built a fortress here after they had succeeded in bringing to an end the Persian 30-year occupation of Thrace. These fortifications remained in use up until the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

period. Once the area had been brought under Ottoman control it was settled with Turks from

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

and a Turkish town emerged which thrived supplying the Ottoman cavalry regiments. Malkara was then used as a place of exile for those out of favor in the Ottoman court including: * Hacı Evhat – personal tutor to

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...

, who exiled Evhat in 1524 when he did not like the lessons * Koca Sinan Pasha – statesman and Grand Vizier, exiled for four years here after the failure of his campaign against Persia in 1580 * Melek Ahmed Pasha – Grand Vizier, 1650–51 * Boynuyaralı Mehmed Pasha – Grand Vizier, 1656 * Bekri Mustafa Pasha – Grand Vizier, 1688–89 The 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi described Malkara as a tidy, hard-working town of 150 houses of tiled roofs noted for production of honey, cheese, and leather. At the end of the 18th century Malkara was the scene of an uprising by the Janissary troops in protest against plans by Sultan Selim III to replace them with a new model army. Malkara was occupied by Russian troops in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, again by the Russians in The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and most painfully by the Bulgarians for 8.5 months during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

of 1912–1913. In the aftermath of the 1913 Ottoman coup d'état, Malkara was reoccupied by Ottoman troops. During World War II, the Greek part of Thrace was occupied by German and Bulgarian troops, and when Turkey was preparing for a possible entry into the war against the Axis powers, refugees from Greece were briefly housed in Malkara for their safety.

Malkara today

Malkara is a small market town serving the countryside around it, which is mostly devoted to growing sunflowers for seeds and oil. There are also one or two coal mines. Many of the people of Malkara originate in the Balkans and are liberal- and secular-minded.

Composition

There are 77 neighbourhoods in Malkara District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. * Ahievren * Ahmetpaşa * Aksakal * Alaybey * Allıışık * Bağpınarı * Balabancık * Ballı * Ballısüle * Batkın * Bayramtepe * Camiatik * Çavuş Köy * Çimendere * Çınaraltı * Çınarlıdere * Danişment * Davuteli * Deliller * Demircili * Dereköy * Deveci * Develi * Doğan Köy * Dolu * Elmalı * Emirali * Esendik * Evrenbey * Gazibey * Gönence * Gözsüz * Güneşli * Hacıevlat * Hacısungur * Halıç * Hasköy * Hemit * Hereke * İbribey * İbrice * İshakça * Izgar * Kadiköy * Kalaycı * Karacagür * Karacahalil * Karaiğdemir * Karamurat * Kavakçeşme * Kermeyan * Kiremitlik * Kırıkali * Kozyürük * Küçükhıdır * Kürtüllü * Kuyucu * Mestanlar * Müstecep * Pirinççeşme * Sağlamtaş * Şahin * Sarıpolat * Sarıyar * Sarnıçköy * Sırtbey * Tekke Köy * Teteköy * Vakıfiğdemir * Yayla Köy * Yaylagöne * Yeni * Yenice * Yenidibek * Yılanlı * Yörücek * Yörük

Places of interest

The village of Yenidibek with its reservoir and ruined Byzantine castle is a popular picnic spot.

Notable people

* Orhan Öztrak (1914–1995), politician

References

{{Malkara District Populated places in Tekirdağ Province Former Greek towns in Turkey Districts of Tekirdağ Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey