- Yalova
Yalova is a city located in northwestern
Turkey , on the eastern coast of theSea of Marmara , and is the capital of theYalova Province . Yalova has a city population of 70,858, while the population of the Yalova Province is 188,440.Etymology
In general, it is assumed that the name "Yalova" comes from "Yalıova", which means "plain at the coast." The word "
yalı " originates from the Greek "yiáli" "γιαλή" (mod. "γιαλός"), which literally means "seashore" or "beach"; [ [http://www.tdk.gov.tr/TR/SozBul.aspx?F6E10F8892433CFFAAF6AA849816B2EF4376734BED947CDE&Kelime=yal%c4%b1 TDK Online - Yalı entry] ] while "ova" means "plain" in Turkish.History
The first settlement in the region dates back to the Prehistoric Period, in around 3000 BC. The
Hittites ruled the region in the 2000s BC, followed by thePhrygians in the 1200s BC. The region was conquered by the Romans in 74 BC. Following the division of theRoman Empire in 395, the region of Yalova remained under the sovereignty of theByzantine Empire . In 1302, Yalova was incorporated into the territory of theOttoman Empire .Mustafa Kemal Atatürk occasionally lived in Yalova in his final years. In one of his speeches he famously said: "Yalova is my city." Fact|date=August 2008Retired Col.
Arif Doğan , leader of the illegalJITEM gendarmerie intelligence unit, who has been arrested in 2008 on charges of conspiracy against the state, in the frame of the investigations concerning the Ergenekon nationalist network, has also been accused of setting up prostitution rings in Yalova, in 1997-1998. [ [http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=151249 Documents reveal dark face of controversial JİTEM] , "Today's Zaman ", 26 August 2008 en icon]Things to see
Yalova has a number of tourist attractions, such as the "köşk" (Ottoman-Turkish style mansion) used by Atatürk during his visits to the city, and of course, its famous hot springs in
Termal , which gets its name from the Latin word "thermae ".Twin cities
Yalova is twinned with the city of
Bonn inGermany .Notable people from Yalova
*
Mehmet Okur -NBA basketball player
*Şebnem Ferah - Singer
*İzel (İzel Çeliköz) - Singer
*Ibrahim Kutluay - Former NBA player
*Nihat Özkan - Industrial EngineerReferences and notes
External links
* [http://wowturkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5047 Yalova photographs]
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