Bergama

Template:Infobox Turkey place Bergama is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey.<ref>Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.</ref> Its area is 1,544 km²,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and its population is 105,754 (2022).<ref name=tuik>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Template:Convert to the north from the point of departure of the traditional center of İzmir (Konak Square in Konak, İzmir) and lies at a distance of Template:Convert 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 to its north, namely Ayvalık, Burhaniye and İvrindi, İzmir Province district of Kınık and Manisa Province district of Soma to its east, while to the south it is bordered by Yunusemre district of Manisa Province 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.

NameEdit

The name Bergama, as well as its ancient predecessor Pergamon,<ref name=PECS>Template:Cite PECS</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ancient and modern Greek language form of the name is Template:Langx. 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 Template:Citation needed, while Argoma (modern Suluova) in Amasya means "border settlement" at the Hittite-Kaskian border.<ref>Hittite Parku "high" + huma(ti) “base/settlement" and Arguma erha “border" + huma(ti) “base/settlement" Özhan Öztürk. P Pontus: Antik Çağ’dan Günümüze Karadeniz’in Etnik ve Siyasi Tarihi Template:Webarchive. Genesis Yayınları. Ankara, 2011 pp. 438-39</ref>

General featuresEdit

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, Template:Convert 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), a temple dedicated to an ancient Greek god of healing, a Greek Theater, and the Red Basilica complex ("Kızıl Avlu" in Turkish) that straddles the Selinus River, a 2nd-century AD construction likely built by Hadrian. The town also features an archaeological museum.

HistoryEdit

File:Asia Minor 188 BCE.jpg

The Attalid kingdom of Pergamon (colored olive) shown at its greatest extent in 188 BC

The city of Pergamon was the capital of the Attalid kingdom from 281 BC to 133 BC and then became part of the Roman province of Asia.<ref name="PECS" /> It remained under Eastern Roman rule in the Middle Ages except for Sassanid invasion in 620s, Umayyad invasion in 715 and Sultanate of Rum rule between 1074 and 1097. It was conquered by Karasids and then Aydinids in 1302. It was part of Ottoman Empire in 1337. During Ottoman rule, it was part of the Sanjak of Karesi between 1337 and 1868, in Saruhan one (Its centre was Manisa) between 1868 and 1877 and finally in İzmir one. From 1867 until 1922, Bergama was part of Aidin Vilayet and had a mixed population of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many Greeks were expelled by Turks in 1914. During the Turkish War of Independence, it was occupied by Greece on June 19, 1919, but came under Turkish control again on September 14, 1922. The Greek Army burnt down the city while retreating in 1922. The remaining Greek inhabitants were expelled in the population exchange and founded new communities in Lesvos and Gallikos in Greece.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ClimateEdit

Bergama has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with very hot, dry summers, and cool to mild, moderately wet winters.Template:Weather box

Sights of interest within Bergama cityEdit

File:Kursunlu Mosque, Bergama.jpg

Kursunlu Mosque

Selçuk Minaret built in the 14th century
Çukurhan caravanserai 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 from the base station north east of the town<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Asklepion
Halil Kayanın Evi

Bergama is also known for its historic quarter, where old Ottoman houses in the traditional style are found.

Historic bridgesEdit

As an ancient settlement at the northern edge of the Bakırçay River valley, with tributary streams flowing down from the Madra Mountains, Bergama retains many historic bridges.

The area next to the River Selinus (Bergama Çayı) at the base of the Pergamon Massif was developed extensively in Roman times, and the Selinus was canalized to allow construction along the river's course. By the reign of Hadrian (AD 117–138), development was so extensive that the Selinus was enclosed in two long tunnels where it runs in front of the Red Basilica, allowing a huge sacred precinct or temenos, to be built on top. The resulting structure, the Pergamon Bridge (sometimes known as Musluk Köprusu, survives to this day.<ref name=ka_20180908>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Each of the tunnels spans Template:Cvt; the northern one has a length of Template:Cvt and the southern Template:Cvt.<ref name=ka_20180908/> The entrance to the structure is at approximately Template:Coord and the exit at Template:Coord.

Other ancient bridges in Bergama include:

The Ulucami Bridge, with two unequal spans.<ref name=ka_20180423>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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The Tabak Bridge, with two roughly equal spans.<ref name=ka_20180423/> Template:Coord
The Üçkemer Bridge, whose name means "three arches", a longer bridge approached on the south end by a ramp parallel to the river.<ref name=ka_20180423/> Template:Coord

AllianoiEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Allianoi 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 distance of Template:Convert to the northeast of Bergama, on the road to the neighboring town of İvrindi.

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 finding known had referred to Allianoi.

Kozak PlateauEdit

File:Road to Kozak Plateau Bergama Turkey.jpg

Country road in Kozak Plateau

Kozak Plateau (Kozak Yaylası) is a high plain at an altitude varying between Template:Convert and starting at a distance of Template:Convert 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 mineEdit

Recently, Bergama also made headlines in the context of controversies based on environmental concerns over the gold mine in Ovacık village.<ref>Managing cyanide: health, safety and risk management practices at Turkey's Ovacik gold–silver mine, Journal of Cleaner Production vol. 14, 8, 2</ref><ref>"European Court of Human Rights judgment on the Bergama Mine in Turkey" Mines and Communities, published 01-05-2001, access on 31-03-2012</ref>

Wind turbine manufacturingEdit

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 in New South Wales, Australia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bergama CarpetsEdit

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File:Bergamacarpets.jpg

Bergama Carpets

Bergama is also renowned for its high quality carpets. There are approximately eighty villages that still weave Bergama carpets. 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 FestivalEdit

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.

CompositionEdit

There are 135 neighbourhoods in Bergama District:<ref>Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.</ref> Template:Div col