Malkara
Encyclopedia
Malkara is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province
in the Marmara region of Turkey
. It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ
and 190 km from Istanbul
. It covers an area of 1,225 km², which makes the district the largest in Tekirdağ. Population of the town is 25,000 with another 36,000 residing in surrounding villages. The mayor is Birol Kaya (AKP
).
blow hard across Thrace
.
was the scene of fighting during the Persian Wars and the name Malkara is said to come from the Persian 'Margaar' meaning 'cave of snakes'. Alternatively the town may be named after 'Malgar' a general in the army of Alexander the Great who built a fortress here after they had succeeded in bringing to an end the Persian 30-year occupation of Thrace. These fortifications remained in use up until the Byzantine
period.
Once the area had been brought under Ottoman control it was settled with Turks from Anatolia
and a Turkish town emerged which thrived supplying the Ottoman cavalry regiments. Malkara was then used as a place of exile for those out of favor in the Ottoman court including:
The 17th century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi
described Malkara as a tidy hard-working town of 150 houses of tiled roofs noted for production of honey, cheese and leather.
At the end of the 18th century Malkara was the scene of an uprising by the Jannissary troops in protest against plans by Sultan Selim III
to replace them with a new model army.
Malkara was occupied by Russian troops in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, again by the Russians in The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and most painfully by the Bulgarians for 8½ months during the Balkan Wars
of 1912–1913. More than 500 residents were killed in combined attacks by Bulgarian troops and local Greek residents.
During the Second World War the Greek part of Thrace was occupied by German and Bulgarian troops, and as Turkey made preparations for possible entry to the war against Germany, refugees from Greece were sheltered in Malkara and some of the local people sheltered for their safety in Anatolia.
The town is quiet, in the evenings the older gentlemen stroll up and down the main street while the young men drive around old Tofaş
automobiles in groups of three or four to a car looking for a quiet spot to drink beer or just cruising to look at girls or to pick fights with other youths.
There is a large military base in the town.
Tekirdag Province
The Tekirdağ Province is in Trakya , the northwestern part of Turkey. The capital city is Tekirdağ. It is famous for its meatball called "Tekirdağ köfte" and the Turkish alcoholic drink called Tekirdağ rakısı.-Districts:...
in the Marmara region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ
Tekirdag
Tekirdağ , the ancient Bisanthi , is a city in Eastern Thrace, in the European part of Turkey. Tekirdağ is the capital of Tekirdağ Province, felt by the local people to be a quieter and more pleasant town than the industrial centre of Çorlu, which it administers. The city population as of 2009 was...
and 190 km from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. It covers an area of 1,225 km², which makes the district the largest in Tekirdağ. Population of the town is 25,000 with another 36,000 residing in surrounding villages. The mayor is Birol Kaya (AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
).
Climate
The district has cold winters, wet winds from the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
blow hard across Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
.
History
ThraceThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
was the scene of fighting during the Persian Wars and the name Malkara is said to come from the Persian 'Margaar' meaning 'cave of snakes'. Alternatively the town may be named after 'Malgar' a general in the army of Alexander the Great who built a fortress here after they had succeeded in bringing to an end the Persian 30-year occupation of Thrace. These fortifications remained in use up until the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
period.
Once the area had been brought under Ottoman control it was settled with Turks from Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and a Turkish town emerged which thrived supplying the Ottoman cavalry regiments. Malkara was then used as a place of exile for those out of favor in the Ottoman court including:
- Hacı Evhat - personal tutor to Suleiman the MagnificentSuleiman the MagnificentSuleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
, who exiled Evhat in 1524 when he did not like the lessons. - Leading statesman Koca Sinan Pasha exiled for four years here after the failure of his campaign against Iran in 1580.
- Melek Ahmet Pasha - vizier to Murat IV in the 17th century.
- Boynu Eğri Mehmet Pasha - The 'Bent-neck Mehmet' who was appointed general (PashaPashaPasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
) after murdering the poet Sair Nefi, who himself had fallen out of favor with Sultan Murat IV for writing the satirical poems called hiciv or yergi. Mehmet quickly rose through the court hierarchy but was ultimately a failure.
The 17th century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
described Malkara as a tidy hard-working town of 150 houses of tiled roofs noted for production of honey, cheese and leather.
At the end of the 18th century Malkara was the scene of an uprising by the Jannissary troops in protest against plans by Sultan Selim III
Selim III
Selim III was the reform-minded Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. The Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV...
to replace them with a new model army.
Malkara was occupied by Russian troops in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, again by the Russians in The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and most painfully by the Bulgarians for 8½ months during the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
of 1912–1913. More than 500 residents were killed in combined attacks by Bulgarian troops and local Greek residents.
During the Second World War the Greek part of Thrace was occupied by German and Bulgarian troops, and as Turkey made preparations for possible entry to the war against Germany, refugees from Greece were sheltered in Malkara and some of the local people sheltered for their safety in Anatolia.
Malkara today
Malkara is a small market town serving the countryside around it, which is mostly devoted to growing sunflowers for seeds and oil. There are also one or two coal mines. Many of the people of Malkara originate in the Balkans and are liberal- and secular-minded.The town is quiet, in the evenings the older gentlemen stroll up and down the main street while the young men drive around old Tofaş
Tofas
Tofaş is a Turkish automaker, based in Bursa, Turkey, where also a plant of the company is located. It builds Fiat models under license and also some locally-designed vehicles...
automobiles in groups of three or four to a car looking for a quiet spot to drink beer or just cruising to look at girls or to pick fights with other youths.
There is a large military base in the town.