Balıkesir

This article is about the city in Turkey. For the village on Cyprus, see Palaikythro.

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City in Marmara, Turkey

Balıkesir

City

Clockwise from top: Clocktower in Balıkesir, Zagnos Pasha Mosque, Balıkesir Museum, Sarımsaklı Beach, Ottoman Architecture in Balıkesir, Atatürk Park, Fountain in Balıkesir

Balıkesir

Location of Balıkesir

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Balıkesir

Balıkesir (Marmara)

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Balıkesir

Balıkesir (Europe)

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Coordinates: 39°38′N 27°53′E﻿ / ﻿39.633°N 27.883°E﻿ / 39.633; 27.883
Country|  Turkey
Region| Marmara
Province| Balıkesir Province
Government

• Governor| İsmail Ustaoğlu
• Metropolitan Mayor| Ahmet Akın (CHP)
Elevation

| 70 m (230 ft)
Population

(2022)[1]

• Total

| 314,958
Time zone| UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code|

10xxx

Area code| (+90) 266
Licence plate| 10
Website| www.balikesir.gov.tr

Balıkesir (Turkish pronunciation: [baˈlɯcesiɾ]) 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,[2] of which 314,958 in the city proper (the urban part of the districts Altıeylül and Karesi).[1] Between 1341 and 1922, it was the capital of Karasi.

## History

[edit]

Close to modern Balıkesir was the Roman town of Hadrianutherae, founded, as its name commemorates, by the emperor Hadrian.[3] 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.[4]

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 (Greek: Παλαιόκαστρον) meaning Old Castle.[5]

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.[6] In 1914, Turkish students marched through the streets of the city singing a song of hatred against the Greeks.[7] 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.[7] 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.[8]

## Main sights

[edit]

The historical clock tower

* 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

[edit]

Stadium of Balıkesir

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

[edit]

Balıkesir has a fairly continental[9] 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.[9]

Climate data for Balıkesir (1991–2020, extremes 1938–present)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 23.5
(74.3)  | 25.2
(77.4)  | 30.0
(86.0)  | 33.1
(91.6)  | 37.8
(100.0)  | 42.5
(108.5)  | 43.2
(109.8)  | 43.2
(109.8)  | 40.3
(104.5)  | 38.3
(100.9)  | 31.2
(88.2)  | 26.1
(79.0)  | 43.2
(109.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 8.8
(47.8)  | 10.4
(50.7)  | 13.2
(55.8)  | 19.1
(66.4)  | 24.2
(75.6)  | 29.3
(84.7)  | 30.8
(87.4)  | 31.1
(88.0)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 22.7
(72.9)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 9.9
(49.8)  | 20.2
(68.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 4.8
(40.6)  | 5.7
(42.3)  | 7.9
(46.2)  | 13.1
(55.6)  | 18.2
(64.8)  | 23.0
(73.4)  | 24.9
(76.8)  | 25.0
(77.0)  | 21.1
(70.0)  | 16.6
(61.9)  | 9.9
(49.8)  | 6.6
(43.9)  | 14.7
(58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 1.1
(34.0)  | 1.5
(34.7)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 12.1
(53.8)  | 16.1
(61.0)  | 18.4
(65.1)  | 18.9
(66.0)  | 14.5
(58.1)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 5.4
(41.7)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 9.4
(48.9)
Record low °C (°F)  | −11.9
(10.6)  | −18.8
(−1.8)  | −7.1
(19.2)  | −4.0
(24.8)  | 1.1
(34.0)  | 5.0
(41.0)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 9.4
(48.9)  | 3.2
(37.8)  | −1.6
(29.1)  | −7.9
(17.8)  | −10.1
(13.8)  | −18.8
(−1.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 47.9
(1.89)  | 54.1
(2.13)  | 65.1
(2.56)  | 55.7
(2.19)  | 46.5
(1.83)  | 16.2
(0.64)  | 10.0
(0.39)  | 9.4
(0.37)  | 20.7
(0.81)  | 44.4
(1.75)  | 67.0
(2.64)  | 87.2
(3.43)  | 524.2
(20.64)
Average precipitation days  | 13.25  | 13.63  | 12.50  | 11.00  | 10.88  | 5.00  | 3.63  | 2.13  | 2.75  | 8.00  | 10.25  | 14.75  | 107.8
Average snowy days  | 4.25  | 3.71  | 1.13  | 0.13  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.21  | 2.54  | 11.97
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 93.0  | 101.7  | 136.4  | 171.0  | 223.2  | 276.0  | 294.5  | 279.0  | 234.0  | 161.2  | 105.0  | 52.7  | 2,127.7
Mean daily sunshine hours | 3.0  | 3.6  | 4.4  | 5.7  | 7.2  | 9.2  | 9.5  | 9.0  | 7.8  | 5.2  | 3.5  | 1.7  | 5.8
Source: Turkish State Meteorological Service,[10] Meteomanz(snow days 2000-2023)[11]

## Municipality

[edit]

See also: List of municipalities in Balıkesir Province

In the Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, under law 6360, published on 6 December 2012, Balıkesir Municipality qualified as a"Metropolitan".[12]

## International relations

[edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey

Balıkesir is twinned with;[13]

* Makhachkala, Russia
* Shymkent, Kazakhstan (since 1995)
* Kazan, Russia (since 1996)
* Roxas City, Philippines (since 1997)
* Prizren, Kosovo (since 1997)
* Štip, North Macedonia (since 1999)
* Lefkada, Greece (since 2000)
* Schwäbisch Hall, Germany (since 2006)[14]
* Siirt, Turkey (since 2007)
* Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea (since 2010)[15]

## Notable natives

[edit]

* 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 Ünder, 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
* İlhan 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
* Oğuz Savaş, Basketball player
* Olcan Adın, Football player
* Ömer Seyfettin, Writer
* Seyit Onbaşı, Ottoman army gunner
* Şafak Edge, Basketball player
* Şevket Altuğ, Actor
* Tamer Yiğit, Actor
* Tuğçe Kazaz, Actress and model
* Tülin Altıntaş, Volleyball player
* Vasıf Çınar, Politician and diplomat
* Vedat İnceefe, Football player, coach
* Zağanos Pasha, Ottoman military commander
* Zerrin Tekindor, Actress and artist

## See also

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Balikesir.

* Altıeylül
* Anatolian Tigers
* Balıkesirspor
* Karesi
* Macarlar

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Balıkesir". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
2. ^ "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
3. ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Balikisri". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 256.
4. ^ Prof. Dr Bilge Umar, Mysia, İnkılap Yayınevi, 2006, sf. 153
5. ^ Hasluck, F. W. (2010). "Hadrianutherae, Balukiser". Hasluck, F. (2010). In Cyzicus: Being Some Account of the History and Antiquities of That City, and of the District Adjacent to It, with the Towns of Apollonia Ad Rhyndacum, Miletupolis, Hadrianutherae, Priapus, Zeleia, Etc. Cambridge Library Collection – Archaeology: 88–94\. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511696978.009. ISBN 9780511696978 - via Cambridge University Press.
6. ^ Karagöz, Berkan (2020). Kentlerarası Rekabette Balıkesir ve Ekonomisi, Ankara: Gece Yayınları, p. 23, ISBN 978-625-7904-97-1
7. ^ a b Persecution of the Greeks in Turkey, 1914–1918. Constantinople [London, Printed by the Hesperia Press]. 1919.
8. ^ Karagöz, Berkan (2020). Kentlerarası Rekabette Balıkesir ve Ekonomisi, Ankara: Gece Yayınları, p. 24, ISBN 978-625-7904-97-1
9. ^ a b Sertel, Elif (January 2011). "Modelling land cover change impact on the summer climate of the Marmara Region, Turkey". International Journal of Global Warming. 3 (2): 194–202\. doi:10.1504/IJGW.2011.038379 - via ResearchGate.
10. ^ "Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)" (in Turkish). Turkish State Meteorological Service. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
11. ^ "Balikesir - Weather data by months". meteomanz. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
12. ^ "Balıkesir City and Municipal History". Balıkesir Municipality.
13. ^ "Balıkesir University History".
14. ^ "Schwäbisch Hall and its twin towns". Stadt Schwäbisch Hall. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
15. ^ Sister/Twin Cities of Balıkesir

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balıkesir.

* Balıkesir Municipality Web Page
* Balıkesir Government Web Page

* v
* t
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Balıkesir in Balıkesir Province of Turkey

Districts|

* Altıeylül
* Ayvalık
* Balya
* Bandırma
* Bigadiç
* Burhaniye
* Dursunbey
* Edremit
* Erdek
* Gömeç
* Gönen
* Havran
* İvrindi
* Karesi
* Kepsut
* Manyas
* Marmara
* Savaştepe
* Sındırgı
* Susurluk

Districts of Balıkesir

List of provinces by region

Istanbul|

* Istanbul

West Marmara|

* Balıkesir
* Çanakkale
* Edirne
* Kırklareli
* Tekirdağ

Aegean|

* Afyonkarahisar
* Aydın
* Denizli
* İzmir
* Kütahya
* Manisa
* Muğla
* Uşak

East Marmara|

* Bilecik
* Bursa
* Düzce
* Eskişehir
* Kocaeli
* Sakarya
* Yalova

West Anatolia|

* Ankara
* Karaman
* Konya

Mediterranean|

* Adana
* Antalya
* Burdur
* Hatay
* Isparta
* Kahramanmaraş
* Mersin
* Osmaniye

Central Anatolia|

* Aksaray
* Kayseri
* Kırıkkale
* Kırşehir
* Nevşehir
* Niğde
* Sivas
* Yozgat

West Black Sea|

* Amasya
* Bartın
* Bolu
* Çankırı
* Çorum
* Karabük
* Kastamonu
* Samsun
* Sinop
* Tokat
* Zonguldak

East Black Sea|

* Artvin
* Giresun
* Gümüşhane
* Ordu
* Rize
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Northeast Anatolia|

* Ağrı
* Ardahan
* Bayburt
* Erzincan
* Erzurum
* Iğdır
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Central East Anatolia|

* Bingöl
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* Muş
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* Van

Southeast Anatolia|

* Adıyaman
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Metropolitan municipalities are bolded.

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Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey

* Adana
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* Balıkesir
* Bursa
* Denizli
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* Erzurum
* Eskişehir
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* İstanbul
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* Malatya
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Other|

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