Incirliova
Encyclopedia
İncirliova is a town and a district of Aydın Province
, in the Aegean region of Turkey, 10 km (6 mi) west of the city of Aydın
.
", in reference to the fruit (ficus carica, formerly called Smyrna
figs) in whose production the province of Aydın
excels.
for the rich history of this area, which has so much remaining from antiquity that it feels like an open museum.
The area has changed hands many times throughout history, from the Hittites
in the 13th century BC through the Phrygians, Lydians
, Ionians
, Persians
, Alexander the Great, Ancient Rome
and Byzantium
. The Turkish settlement here was founded in the 15th century by the Madanoğlu family and as it was well watered was called "Karapınar" (dark spring).
The Karapınar area really developed with the building of the İzmir-Aydın railway, founded by a British company to ensure a new source of cotton during the world shortage caused by the American Civil War
. Following the railway came other industries including the spinning of cotton and the extraction of olive oil and the surrounding wetlands were drained to create more land for planting. At the same time water was channeled to bathhouses and mills in the ever-growing town.
Following the Treaty of Sèvres
, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire
in the First World War Karapınar was occupied by Greek
forces from May 26, 1919. The Turkish resistance began at nearby Erbeyli in June 1919 and continued in the area throughout the Turkish War of Independence
, while the Turkish people of the town retreated into the surrounding hills for safety to gather forces for further resistance. Following the defeat of the Greek army at İnönü
and their retreat to the Aegean
coast, Karapınar was liberated on September 7, 1922.
During the 1920s Karapınar was rebuilt with the founding of sports clubs, a fig-growers union, and a fruit market. The town's first bank, İtibar Bankası was founded in 1927 and electricity came to Karapınar in 1930. The town was renamed İncirliova in the 1930s following an observation by Atatürk of how many fig trees there were in the area.
–Aydın
highway and a station on the İzmir-Aydın railway. This area of the Büyük Menderes valley is very fertile and İncirliova is an agricultural district.
Aydin Province
Aydın Province is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın which has a population of approx. 150,000 . Other towns in the province include the summer seaside resorts of Didim and Kuşadası.-History:Aydın was founded by the ancient...
, in the Aegean region of Turkey, 10 km (6 mi) west of the city of Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
.
Etymology
Formerly known as "Karapınar" the name was changed in 1937 to İncirliova meaning, literally, "the valley of figsCommon fig
The Common fig is a deciduous tree growing to heights of up to 6 m in the genus Ficus from the family Moraceae known as Common fig tree. It is a temperate species native to the Middle East.-Description:...
", in reference to the fruit (ficus carica, formerly called Smyrna
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
figs) in whose production the province of Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
excels.
History
See AydınAydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
for the rich history of this area, which has so much remaining from antiquity that it feels like an open museum.
The area has changed hands many times throughout history, from the Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
in the 13th century BC through the Phrygians, Lydians
Lydians
The Lydians were the inhabitants of Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spoke the distinctive Lydian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian group....
, Ionians
Ionians
The Ionians were one of the four major tribes into which the Classical Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been divided...
, Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, Alexander the Great, Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. The Turkish settlement here was founded in the 15th century by the Madanoğlu family and as it was well watered was called "Karapınar" (dark spring).
The Karapınar area really developed with the building of the İzmir-Aydın railway, founded by a British company to ensure a new source of cotton during the world shortage caused by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Following the railway came other industries including the spinning of cotton and the extraction of olive oil and the surrounding wetlands were drained to create more land for planting. At the same time water was channeled to bathhouses and mills in the ever-growing town.
Following the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the First World War Karapınar was occupied by Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
forces from May 26, 1919. The Turkish resistance began at nearby Erbeyli in June 1919 and continued in the area throughout the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
, while the Turkish people of the town retreated into the surrounding hills for safety to gather forces for further resistance. Following the defeat of the Greek army at İnönü
Inönü
İnönü is a town and district of Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2009 census, population of the district is 7,228 of which 3,980 live in the town of İnönü. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is ....
and their retreat to the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
coast, Karapınar was liberated on September 7, 1922.
During the 1920s Karapınar was rebuilt with the founding of sports clubs, a fig-growers union, and a fruit market. The town's first bank, İtibar Bankası was founded in 1927 and electricity came to Karapınar in 1930. The town was renamed İncirliova in the 1930s following an observation by Atatürk of how many fig trees there were in the area.
Geography
İncirliova itself is today a small town of 18,000 people, on the İzmirIzmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
–Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
highway and a station on the İzmir-Aydın railway. This area of the Büyük Menderes valley is very fertile and İncirliova is an agricultural district.
Places of interest
- The Atatürk memorial to the memory of the Turkish War of IndependenceTurkish War of IndependenceThe Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
in the town was built in 1985 by Professor Tankut ÖktemTankut ÖktemProfessor Doctor Tankut Öktem was a Turkish sculptor famous in Turkey especially for his monumental works.-Early Years:...
of Marmara UniversityMarmara UniversityMarmara University is a public university in Turkey. Situated in Istanbul, Marmara University has succeeded in becoming the second largest university in the whole country...
, it was the first sizeable monument to be designed solely by a Turkish architect.