- Ayvalık
Infobox Settlement
settlement_type = Town
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = TUR
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
map_caption =Location of PAGENAME within Turkey.
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
image_caption = Ayvalık sea-side
image_blank_emblem =
blank_emblem_type =
subdivision_type1=Region
subdivision_name1 = Aegean
subdivision_type2=Province
subdivision_name2 = Balıkesir| population_total =
population_as_of =
population_footnotes =
population_density_km2 =
area_total_km2 =
elevation_m =
latd = 39
latm = 19
latNS = N
longd = 26
longm = 41
longEW = E
postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code = 10x xx
area_code =
blank_info = 10|blank_name=Licence plate
leader_name =
website = [http://www.ayvalik.bel.tr/ http://www.ayvalik.bel.tr/]
province website= [http://www.ayvalik.gov.tr/ http://www.ayvalik.gov.tr/]Ayvalık (
Ancient Greek : "Κυδωνίαι", Greek: Αϊβαλί "aivali" or "Κυδωνίες") is a seaside town in the northwestern Aegean coast ofTurkey . It is adistrict of theBalıkesir Province . It was alternatively called ("Κυδωνίες" - "Kidonies") by the town's formerly important Greek population, although the use of the name Ayvalık was widespread for centuries among both the Turks and the Greeks (pronounced as "Ayvali" by the latter).Geography
Ayvalık is a district in Turkey's Balıkesir Province on the Aegean Sea coast, facing the Greek island of
Lesbos . It is situated on a narrow coastal plain surrounded by low hills to the east which are covered withpine andolive trees. Ayvalık is also surrounded by thearchipelago of theAyvalık Islands on the sea and by a narrow peninsula in the south named theHakkıbey Peninsula . Ayvalık is the southernmost district ofBalıkesir .Gömeç ,Burhaniye andEdremit are other districts of the Balıkesir Province which are situated on the Aegean shores and they are lined up respectively to the north. The region is under the influence of a typicalMediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and hot, dry summers.History
Various archeological finds and
excavations in the region prove that Ayvalık and its environs were inhabited as early as theprehistoric ages. Joseph Thacher Clarke believed that he had identified it as the site of Kisthene, mentioned inStrabo as a place in ruins at a harbor beyond Cape Pyrrha [Joseph Thacher Clarke, "Gargara, Lamponia and Pionia: Towns of the Troad" "The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts" 4.3 (September 1888, pp. 291-319) p. 295 note 13.] The islets in theAyvalık Bay ("Ayvalık Körfezi") were also used for settlement purposes, together with Ayvalık, during the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. The constant threat posed bypiracy in the region during the previous ages did not allow the islet settlements to grow larger and onlyCunda Island (alternatively known as "Alibey Island", known among the Greeks as "Moschonisia", literally "The Perfumed Island") could maintain a higher level of habitation as it is the largest and the closest islet to the mainland.After the Byzantine period, the region came under the rule of the Anatolian Turkish Beylik of
Karesi in the 13th century and was later annexed to the territory of the Ottoman beylik (principality), which was to become the Ottoman Empire in the following centuries.Until 1922, Ayvalık(aivali) had a large Greek population. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, immediately after the defeat in the naval
Battle of Chesma (Çeşme ), the Ottoman admiral (later )Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha and his men from the ships who survived the disaster were lodged on their way back to the capital by a local priest in Ayvalık who did not know who they were. Hasan Pasha did not forget the kindness shown to his sailors in the hour of need. and when he became grand vizier, he accorded virtual autonomy to the Greeks of Ayvalık, paving the way for it to become an important cultural center for that community in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.The town was occupied by the Greek Army on
29 May 1919 , and taken back three years later by Turkish forces under the command ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk on15 September 1922 . Following theTurkish War of Independence , the Greek population in the town was replaced by aMuslim population fromGreece under the 1923 agreement for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations. Most of the new population that replaced the former Greek community were Muslim Turks from Mytilene,Crete andGreek Macedonia . One could still hear Greek spoken in the streets till recently. Many of the town's mosques are Greek Orthodox churches that have been converted.Modern Ayvalık
Today, Ayvalık(aivali) and the numerous islets encircling the bay area are popular holiday resorts. The most important and the biggest of these islets is
Cunda Island (Alibey Island) which was connected to Lale Adasi, and thence to the mainland, by a bridge in the late 1960s.Since September 1998, Ayvalık has had an international music academy (
AIMA ) which gives master classes forviolin ,viola andcello . It brings together students from all over the world and gives them a precious opportunity to work with distinguished masters of their branch.Distinguished USA based Harvard University and Turkey's Koç University have establiheda joined project in Cunda Island of Ayvalık and run a Harvard-Koç University Intensive Ottoman & Turkish Summer School every summer. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Intensive Ottoman Summer School in Turkey
work = Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
publisher = Harvard Summer School 2008
date =
url = http://www.summer.harvard.edu/2008/courses/nelc.jsp
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-26] [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Department of History
work =
publisher = Koç University
date = 2007-07-16
url = http://www.ku.edu.tr/ku/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=573
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-26]Ayvalık also has two of the longest sandy beaches of the whole country which extend as far as the
Dikili district ofİzmir nearly convert|30|km|mi|0|abbr=on in the south. These are the Sarımsaklı and Altınova beaches.In recent years Ayvalık has also become an important point of attraction for scuba divers with its underwater
fauna .Ayvalık and its environs are famous for the highly appreciated quality of
olive oil production.Today, the population of Ayvalık is close to 30,000, which significantly increases during the summer due to tourism. Ayvalık is also close to
Bergama (formerPergamon ) which is another important attraction for tourists with its ruins, dating back to antiquity.With its rich architectural heritage, Ayvalık is a member of the
Norwich -based [http://www.historic-towns.org/documents/members/turkey.doc European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR)]ee also
*
Ayvalık Islands
*Marinas in Turkey Notes
External links
* [http://www.cundada.com Cunda Island]
* [http://www.cundaadasi.net Panoramic pictures of island Tr]
* [http://www.cundada.com/wordpress/?p=50 Pictures of Ayvalik and Alibey Island Tr]
* [http://www.aykusad.org.tr AYKUSAD, Ayvalık Association of Culture and Arts] (Turkish)
* [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/ayvalik_turkey Pictures of Ayvalik]
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