Büyükçekmece
Encyclopedia
Büyükçekmece is a district and municipality (belediye) in the suburbs of Istanbul
, Turkey
on the Sea of Marmara
coast of the Europe
an side, west of the city. It is largely an industrial
area with a population of 380,000. The mayor is Hasan Akgün (CHP
).
colony on the Marmara shore called "Athyra". The Ottoman
architect Mimar Sinan built a bridge to cross the mouth of the inlet (Lake Büyükçekmece
) and there are ruins of inns and caravansarai, which show this was a stopping place on the road to Europe
. At the beginning of the Ottoman period, it was empty forest and farmland, and has gradually been settled by Turkish people
migrating in from the Balkans
and the Caucasus
.
In the early years of the Turkish Republic, it was still very rural, with village cottages, farmland behind, and by the sea the odd weekend home for people of Istanbul. The area was a very popular day or weekend trip from the city, there is a sandy shoreline, a long seafront and until the 1970s families would come out to Büyükçekmece for fishing, crabbing or for a day on the beach.
In the centre of Büyükçekmece itself, there are still tea garden
s on the seafront and other places for kids to play while their families sit, picnic and enjoy the sea views. These are now used by day trippers from the city, especially the nearby dense working-class housing areas such as Avcılar
.
There are no holiday-makers now, they have moved further out from the city as since the 1950s the area has become industrialised, over-built with apartment buildings, and populated by migrants from Anatolia
. Today, the inlet and the Marmara Sea are both very polluted and the infrastructure of an industrial city is now in place.
Lake Büyükçekmece was connected to the sea until it was separated by a dam to supply fresh water to Istanbul
. The bridge of Mimar Sinan is located in this area.
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...
, 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...
on the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
coast of the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an side, west of the city. It is largely an industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
area with a population of 380,000. The mayor is Hasan Akgün (CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
).
History
The land around this inlet of the Sea of Marmara, has been settled, abandoned and resettled throughout history as army after army passed along the coast to Istanbul. It is thought to be the site of the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
colony on the Marmara shore called "Athyra". The Ottoman
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...
architect Mimar Sinan built a bridge to cross the mouth of the inlet (Lake Büyükçekmece
Lake Büyükçekmece
Lake Büyükçekmece is a liman, formed at the point, where the river Karasudere flows into the Marmara Sea. Located in the south of Çatalca district west of Istanbul, Turkey, it is used as a freshwater reservoir....
) and there are ruins of inns and caravansarai, which show this was a stopping place on the road to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. At the beginning of the Ottoman period, it was empty forest and farmland, and has gradually been settled by Turkish people
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
migrating in from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
.
In the early years of the Turkish Republic, it was still very rural, with village cottages, farmland behind, and by the sea the odd weekend home for people of Istanbul. The area was a very popular day or weekend trip from the city, there is a sandy shoreline, a long seafront and until the 1970s families would come out to Büyükçekmece for fishing, crabbing or for a day on the beach.
Büyükçekmece today
The area administered by Büyükçekmece includes a large hinterland behind the Marmara shore, some of it still rural.In the centre of Büyükçekmece itself, there are still tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden may refer to:* Roji, gardens surrounding Japanese tea houses and which form part of the architecture associated with Japanese tea ceremony* Tea plantations, where tea bushes are cultivated...
s on the seafront and other places for kids to play while their families sit, picnic and enjoy the sea views. These are now used by day trippers from the city, especially the nearby dense working-class housing areas such as Avcılar
Avcilar
Avcılar is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, out of town on the European side of the city, just to the west of the Küçükçekmece inlet of the Sea of Marmara.-History:The Marmara coast road bridges the mouth of the inlet, always an important route in wartime...
.
There are no holiday-makers now, they have moved further out from the city as since the 1950s the area has become industrialised, over-built with apartment buildings, and populated by migrants from Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. Today, the inlet and the Marmara Sea are both very polluted and the infrastructure of an industrial city is now in place.
Lake Büyükçekmece was connected to the sea until it was separated by a dam to supply fresh water to 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...
. The bridge of Mimar Sinan is located in this area.