MANİSA
MANISA
Manisa is situated on the North side of Izmir,it is located between Spil Mountain and
Gediz River.It is 36 km away from Izmir and stands as one of the most important cities
of the Aegean Region.
According to Homer,the first
settlement was commenced in 14th
century B.C. by Magnesians after the
Trojan Wars. Manisa, cradle of many
civilizations such as
Hittites,Phrygians,Lydians,Romans,
Greeks,Byzantines,Seljuks and
Ottomans, It was called Magnesia in
ancient days.
The city was conquered by Saruhan Bey in 1313;and its name was changed as Manisa
after becoming the capital of the Saruhan Dynasty.
Between 1437 and 1595 during Ottoman period ,Manisa was governed by the Ottoman
princes and thus improved and many other buildings constructed by the princes and
their families. . In 16th century,it became an important social,administrative and
economical centre.
Today,with its historical and natural
beauties,it attracts more and more
tourists each year. Moreover ,the
city,which was chosen as the most
ideal city of the future for investment
by Financial Times in 2004,is one of
the most important cities of our
country with its agriculture,industry
and commerce.
SPIL MOUNTAIN
National Park, located on Spil
Mountain, rises on the South of the
city,it is 23 km away from
Manisa.Beginning at 60 meters in
Gediz valley, Spil Mountain reaches
1517 at its peak and is 10-15 degrees
cooler compared to the city centre.
Spil Mountain National Park is one of the most beautiful National Parks of our
country.
It is especially famous for its tulips.
NIOBE (WEEPING ROCK)
It has a mystic story.In ancient
times,Niobe was the daughter of the
King Tantalos.She got married to the
King of Thebai Amphion and gave
birth to 12 children.Goddess Leto had
only two children,Apollon an
Artemis.During a Leto Festival,Niobe
boasted to Leto that she had twelve
children.Leto envied Niobe and he
ordered Apollon and Artemis to kill the
children of Niobe.Apollon and Artemis
killed Niobe’s children with their
arrows and Niobe spent days and nights
crying near the bodies of her
children.Eventually,Zeus felt pity on her
and he turned her into rock.Today the
rock is located on the nothwest of
Mount Sipiland it is one of the most
visited places in the region.
Sultan Mosque was built upon the request
of Hafsa Sultan,the wife of Yavuz Sultan
Selim and the mother of Süleyman the
Magnificent.It is situated in the Sultan
Complex.In the past,Turkish bath of the
complex was free of charge, and food was
available for homeless people at the public
kitchen.Many diseases were cured at the
hospital of the complex.Mesir paste was
first prepared by the director of the
hospital,Merkez Efendi.This paste contained
41 different spices.
Mesir paste became very popular as Hafsa
Sultan who had an incurable disease,got
cured after eating this paste.After the
paste became very popular among the
local people as a cure for health problems,
mesir paste began to be distributed
among the people.Due to large demand,it
was casted from the domes and minarets
of the Sultan Mosque
According to the belief of the local
people,the one who eats mesir
paste on the day of Nevruz which is the
spring bariam,has no pain
throughout the year and is protected against
snake bites.
Today,tourists are attracted especially by
the Mesir Paste Distribution
Ceremony held during the festival.
Sardis lies at the foot of the Tumulus Mountains and
overlooking the Hermus River plain, where lots of
evidence have been found about human activities from
Paleolithic period. Recent excavations have focused on
the Archaic era, particularity the 7th and 6th centuries
B.C. when Sardis was the capital of the Lydian Empire
and at the height of its power, and on the Late Roman
era, when the city was still flourishing.