Nilüfer
Encyclopedia
Bursa Province
Bursa Province is a province in western Turkey, along the Sea of Marmara. Its adjacent provinces are Balıkesir to the west, Kütahya to the south, Bilecik and Sakarya to the east, Kocaeli to the northeast and Yalova to the north. The province has an area of 11,043 km2 and a population of 3,187,000...
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 was established in 1987. It is the one of three central districts of Bursa Province. The others are Osmangazi and Yıldırım. It is established as the main residential development area of Bursa in order to meet the housing needs of Bursa.
Name origin
The name of the district comes from Nilüfer RiverNilüfer River
The Nilufer or Niloufer River is a river in Turkey. From its source near the Uludağ and flowing past Bursa, the river tends to the northwest along its course of 203 km....
that passes through the district. Besides that also the name of the river comes from Nilüfer Hatun
Nilüfer Hatun
Nilüfer was a Valide Sultan; the wife of Orhan I, the second sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She was mother of the next sultan, Murad I. Her other son was Kasim...
. According to traditional stories, Nilüfer Hatun ordered to built a bridge over a river in Bursa and after the completion of bridge, both the river and the bridge were named "Nilüfer".
History
Nilüfer district hosting the first settlement in Bursa Region as per some researchers, bears the traces of both Byzantine and Ottoman and the older periods in history. In Nilüfer; Tepecik Tumulus, Gölyazı and Tahtalı villages in Alaaddinbey Neighborhood and Aktopraklık Tumulus and Gölyazı islands region in Akçalar district are rich in historical findings. There are ruins of churches, mosques, baths, fountains, monasteries and castles in these regions together with historical remains and monument trees.There are many historical structures scattered in different parts of Nilüfer. Mosques, bridges and baths from Ottomand region and church ruins remained from various times. Some of them are: H. Ioannes Theologos Church in Çatalağıl village, Saint Helena Church in Özlüce Neighborhood, Demirci Mosque, Yaylacık Mosque, Mihraplı Bridge. Also Misi village and Gölyazı district are the richest ancient settlement areas in Nilüfer. The history of the district goes back to 6th century B.C.
Population
Due to being a new residential development area, Nilüfer has a high population growth rate with respect to other places. The population of the district rose %13 in yearly basis between 1990-2000 and %5.6 in yearly basis between 2000-2007. The official results of the recent censuses are:| Results of Recent National Censuses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Urban | Rural | Total |
| 2007 | 199.270 | 52.074 | 251.344 |
| 2000 | 136.311 | 42.371 | 178.682 |
| 1997 | 99.323 | 36.107 | 135.430 |
| 1990 | 36.897 | 28.902 | 65.799 |
Climate
The weather of district shows characteristics of Marmara climatic region. While, the hottest month of the year is July, the coldest month is February. The rainy weather can be seen mostly in winter and spring time. The annual average precipitation is about 500-700 mm. The humidity in district is about 58% in average.Industry
Nilüfer comes first among the districts of Bursa in terms of the economical contribution it provides to Turkey. Because, Bursa Organized Industry Area, Nilüfer Organized Industry area and Beşevler Small Industry Site, which provide employment opportunities for a great amount of Bursa population take place within the borders of Nilüfer. There are many other industry areas and business centers in Çalı, Kayapa, Hasanağa, Akçalar and GörükleGörükle
300px|thumb|[[Uludağ]] from GörükleGörükle is a county of Turkey. Many students live there to study in university. It's near to the campus of Uludağ University....
under the body of Nilüfer. Nilüfer provides employment opportunities to 80 % of Bursa population and derives great income for Turkey. The most important sectors within the district are textile, automotive, machine, spare parts and related industry products.
Cultural activities
The cultural activities in district are organized mainly by Nilüfer Municipality. The Municipality provides several hobby and art classes in several activities, such as; drawing, sculpture, acting, photographing, ornament design, ebru, mosaic etc. Also several plays, concerts, exhibitions and conferences are performed every year in two culture centers (Konak Kültürevi and Uğur Mumcu Sahnesi) of municipality. In summer time, several open-air public concerts are given by different musicians as a part of two summer festivals organized by Uludag UniversityUludag University
Uludag University is a university located in Bursa, Turkey. The research and education conducted by the university have an emphasis on medicine, engineering, natural sciences and art. In particular, Faculty of Medicine and Mechanical Engineering Department have several well-reputed academicians in...
and Nilüfer Municipality. Also there are several local, traditional festivals held by villagers and other small communities in district. Most of them originate from traditional harvest festivals.
Main sights
- Misi Village
- Gölyazı District
- Mihraplı Bridge
- H. Ioannes Theologos Church
- Nilüfer Bridge
- Demirci Mosque
- Apolyont Lake
- Ayvaini Cave
- Saint Helena Church