Life in Bandırma

HISTORY

The exact date of Bandırma's founding is unknown. Various studies suggest that Bandırma may have been founded between the 8th and 9th centuries BC, at the same time as the city of Kyzikos on the Kapıdağ peninsula.

At that time, Bandırma was established in the area approximately 2 km northeast of the present-day city center, in the region now known as Livatya and Ağıldere. A fishing village and also used as the port of the Kyzikos city-state, Bandırma was known in those years as PANORMOS, meaning "Reliable Port."

The Bandırma region, which was under the rule of the Phrygians, Mysians, Thracians, and Persians at various times, was conquered by Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, in 334 BC. These areas later passed into the hands of the Romans and Byzantines.

The first arrival of Turks in Bandırma occurred when Kurtulmuşoğlu Süleyman Bey, who founded the first Turkish state in Anatolia, conquered Kyzikos, Aydıncık, and Bandırma in 1076. Following the death of Seljuk Sultan Kılıçarslan I in 1106, the region returned to Byzantine rule.

In the early 13th century, Bandırma came under the protection of the Karesi Principality, and in 1345, during the reign of Orhan Gazi, it passed into Ottoman hands. At that time, Bandırma was a small fishing village. Orhan Gazi entrusted the administration of the region to his eldest son, Süleyman Pasha.

For a time, Bandırma was under the jurisdiction of Aydıncık and Hüdavendigar, and in the second half of the 16th century, it was a village belonging to the Kapıdağ district of the Galata province.

Bandırma was attached to the Kapıdağ district of Erdek in 1830. Administered by a governor until the Tanzimat reforms, Bandırma became a district of Erdek after the administrative restructuring following the Tanzimat.

Following the 1876-1878 Ottoman-Russian War, the settlement of Tatars migrating from Crimea and Romania led to a revitalization of the city and an increase in its population. As a result of these developments, Bandırma became a district center within the Karesi Sanjak (Balıkesir) in 1879, and a municipality was subsequently established. The 1879 yearbook indicates that the municipality was newly being elected.

During World War I, Bandırma gained significant regional importance due to the closure of the Dardanelles Strait. It played a crucial role in transporting soldiers and supplies to Çanakkale. This strategically important military and economic location also contributed to population growth.

Before the Republic, Turks, Armenians, and Greeks lived together in Bandırma. Turks were generally engaged in agriculture, while Greeks and Armenians earned their living through trade.

EDUCATION

Bandırma is a city with a high level of education. The literacy rate is 99.5%. 25% of the population are university graduates, and 30% are secondary school graduates.

The high population structure and urbanization rate have enabled Bandırma to develop rapidly in the field of education. Today, there are 10 high schools in the district center (one of which is private), and 24 primary schools (two of which are private). The number of students attending these schools is approximately 25,000.

In addition to education in schools, significant successes have been achieved in adult education in Bandırma through the work carried out by the Public Education Center Directorate and the Vocational Training Center Directorate.

Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University has 1 institute, 12 faculties, 1 college, and 8 vocational schools, with approximately 21,000 students continuing their education.

CLIMATE

Bandırma is influenced by both Mediterranean and Black Sea climates. Furthermore, due to its location on the transition zone of the continental climate coming from the Balkans, various climatic characteristics are observed in the district. The lowest temperature recorded in Bandırma was -14.6 ºC (January 15, 1954), and the highest was 42.4 ºC (July 9, 2000). The average annual temperature is 14 ºC. The prevailing wind direction is North-Northeast. The average wind speed is 15 km/h. The average annual rainfall in the district is 703.3 kg/m². The average annual relative humidity is 73%.

AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK

Bandırma's meteorological characteristics allow for the production of a wide variety of agricultural products. The climate is suitable for growing all plants except citrus fruits. 65% of the district's surface area consists of arable land.

A large portion of the district's arable land is used for the cultivation of wheat, barley, sunflower, cotton, onions, rice, and sugar beets. Additionally, fodder crops such as corn, oats, vetch, alfalfa, and canola are grown to meet the feed needs of livestock and poultry farming in the region. The main vegetable crops produced are melons, watermelons, peppers, tomatoes, beans, leeks, lettuce, cauliflower, spinach, and parsley. Fruits grown in the district include pears, apples, plums, cherries, peaches, mulberries, pomegranates, almonds, chestnuts, and figs.

In Bandırma, approximately 300,000 olive trees cover an area of ​​16,000 square meters, yielding an average of 5,000 tons of olives annually. Of this, 4,500 tons are table olives and 500 tons are oil olives.

Furthermore, certified walnut saplings are cultivated in the Sahil Yenice neighborhood, and the saplings produced here are shipped to all provinces of Turkey. Bandırma has become an important center in this regard as well. The average annual production of walnut saplings is 1 million.

Livestock farming, both large and small, continues to be an important source of livelihood for the people in our villages. Milk production is considered a source of income in our neighborhoods, and the milk and dairy products produced are consumed within the family for nutritional purposes. Butter, cheese, and yogurt production is an important sector in Bandırma.

CULTURE AND ARTS

The advanced level of education also brings great vitality to Bandırma's social and cultural life. Bandırma residents have the opportunity to attend various cultural and artistic events such as exhibitions, panels, conferences, concerts, and performances throughout the year.

In addition, the International Bandırma Bird Paradise Culture and Tourism Festival, organized by the Municipality every year in June, holds a special place in the city's cultural life. Bandırma has an Archaeology Museum exhibiting artifacts from our region and especially from excavations in Daskyleion (Ergili), the center of the Persian Satrapy.

The ongoing Daskyleion excavations will reveal important ancient treasures of Bandırma in the future. These studies will add new value to Bandırma's tourism potential, along with the remains of the ancient city of Kyzikos.

Bandırma city center has numerous historically significant buildings. The most important of these structures, which carry the traces of the past to the present day, are:

*Haydarçavuş Mosque

*Haydarçavuş Fountain

*Teachers' House Building

*Old Military Recruitment Office Building

*Dean's Office Building

*Old Pier Building

*New Library Building (Old Tobacco Monopoly Building)

*Çelikspor Club (Old Train Station Building)

*Sunullah Mosque

*Bandırma Primary School Building

*Government Building

*Ulu Mosque

Since Bandırma is generally a settlement that receives a lot of migration, the traditions of the families who migrated are preserved in Bandırma. Customs and traditions are mostly regional in nature.

ECONOMY

Considering its economic structure, Bandırma is one of the leading industrial cities in the region. Industrial facilities are concentrated in the district center. In the villages, agriculture forms the basis of economic life. The establishment of industry in Bandırma dates back to very old times. However, with the opening of Bandırma Port, starting from the 1970s, and especially from 1980 onwards, very significant developments have been recorded in the number of industrial establishments and industrial production.

Bandırma is one of the leading industrial cities in the region. The most important industrial facilities in our district are Eti Madencilik Bor and Acid Factories and the BAĞFAŞ fertilizer factory. Industrial investments have become concentrated in the food sector after 1980. Our district has facilities of leading companies in Turkey in fertilizer, flour, feed, cotton ginning, rice, vegetable oil, breeding chicks, broiler chickens, eggs, tomato paste, frozen seafood, marble and stone processing.

In Bandırma, manufacturing industry constitutes almost the entire industrial sector. The majority of raw materials for factories, which are predominantly agricultural in industry, are sourced from our region. The proximity of raw material sources has been a significant factor in the development of agricultural-based industries.