Memorandum on Cooperation dated 23 January 2014

Population: 139.874

Country: Republic of Turkey

Mayor: Dursun Mirza

Website: www.bandirma-bld.gov.tr

Bandırma is an important coastal town at the south of Marmara Sea, located around a port with the same name. The town is at a convenient 2 hours distance from Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa, three major cities of our country. Bandirma is easily accessible through land, sea and air transport. The town is connected by land to the Aegean and the south via Balikesir, to the rest of Anatolia and İstanbul via Bursa and to Thrace region via Çanakkale. Thanks to the scheduled fast ferry and sea bus shuttles between Istanbul and Bandirma, the town has become almost an extension of İstanbul. With additional shuttles in summer months adding up to 6 times a day, it is possible to reach İstanbul in just two hours with a comfortable trip. As an alternative, there are also regular daily train services between İzmir and Bandirma for those in favor of railroad transportation.

Bandirma is one of the leading industrial towns of the region, harboring the facilities of leading fertilizer, flour, fodder, cotton gin, rice, vegetable oil, breeder chicken, broiler chicken, egg, tomato paste, frozen sea food, marble and stone producers of Turkey. Today Bandirma holds 15% of all chemical fertilizer, 25 % of all broiler chicken and 20% of all breeder chicken production of the country.

Bandirma and its surroundings promise a rich touristic potential World renowned Manyas Lake National Park (also known as the Bird Paradise) Kyzikos and Daskyleon archeological excavation sites, nature tourism at Kapidag Peninsula, sea tourism at Erdek and Avşa and thermal tourism at Gönen and Manyas are to name but a few. Bandirma also offers a lively social scene with secure and comfortable hotels and good restaurants.

History

The origins of Bandirma is yet unknown but various researches show that the history of the city dates back to 8th or 9th century BC, approximately at the same time with the establishment of the ancient city of Kyzikos at Kapidag Peninsula. In its early days, Bandirma was located 2 kilometers northeast to the current city center, around the region known as Livatya and Ağlıdere today. A fishing town serving as the harbor of Kyzikos city-state, Bandirma was called PANORMOS meaning "Secure Port" at the time. Bandirma had been ruled by the Phrygians, Mysians, Trachians and Persians until it was taken by Macedonian king Alexander the Great in 334 BC Later, the area was dominated by Romans and Byzantines. The first Turkish inhabitants of Bandirma came after the conquest of Kyzikos, Aydincik and Bandirma in 1106 AD by Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Bey who was also the founder of the first Turkish state in Anatolia. However, after the death of Kılıçarslan I, the Sultan of the Seljuk Empire, the area fell under Byzantine rule once again. In 13th century Bandirma became a Karasid protectorate and taken by the Ottomans in 1345 during the reign of Orhan Gazi. In those days, Bandirma was a small fishing town. Orhan Gazi appointed his elder son Suleyman Paşa as the ruler of the region.

 Bandirma became an administrative unit of first Aydincik and later Hüdavendigar districts. In the second half of the 16th century, it was a village of Kapidag township, which was a part of Galata district. Bandirma became a part of Kapidag township of Erdek county in 1830 and ruled by a vovode until the imperial Edict of Gulhane in 1873. After that, Bandirma became a township under Erdek County.

XX century was very important for Bandirma. Because of its geographic location, the city suffered from several attacks coming from Greeks and Armenians. Greeks’ invasion was especially severe. Not only did they feel themselves as on native land, but they also imposed their own rules and moreover, they built several arches around the city, putting flags of the country on the tops. Native inhabitants couldn’t tolerate with such behavior, and soon excited the rebellion, and the leader of this revolt was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. On September 17, 1922 the final and victorious battle for Independence took place. Later, people built a monument that is called “The Last Bullet”. It reminds Turkish people as well as the guests of the country about the severe fight for Independence.

Geography

As a township of the city of Balikesir, Bandirma has thirty-two villages and two boroughs. Bandirma is a settlement at the southern shore of Marmara Sea. Bandirma town center is located at the north of Balikesir. Neighboring settlements include Erdek at the north, Karacabey, which is a sub-province of Bursa on the east, Manyas in the south and Gönen in the southwest.

Bandirma encompasses an area of 690 square kilometers at an altitude of 1 to 764 meters from the sea level. The landscape is partially rough and rugged, especially on the east-west axis. The highest mountain of the region is Karadağ with an altitude of 764 meters. The peninsula located at the north of the town, between Bandirma and Erdek bays is called Kapıdağ. Located on a 31 kilometers long bay with the same name, Bandirma is an important seaport. It is right at the middle of a hypothetical triangle with İstanbul, Bursa and İzmir at the corners. The distance between these cities and Bandirma is 2 hours on average. The longest river of the region is Eğridere. There are a lot of other streams and rivers in the region such as Beyderesi, Çayırdere, Eski Sığırcı Dere, Arıkaltı, Boz dere and Değirmendere. Located on the south of the town, the 164 square kilometers wide Kuş Gölü or Bird Lake (formerly Manyas Lake) harbors the world renowned Birds Paradise, a national preservation park for birds with an A class certificate from the European Council.

Economy   

Bandirma's fast economic growth gained momentum after the proclamation of the republic.Bandirma is one of the leading industrial towns of the region. Industrial facilities are clustered around the center while the economic backbone of the villages is agriculture. After 1980, the main area of industrial investment in Bandirma became the food sector while there are investments of leading national companies in manure, flour, animal feed, cotton gin, rice, vegetable oil, breeder chicken, broiler chicken, egg, tomato paste, frozen sea food, marble and stone production. Today Bandirma holds 15% of all chemical fertilizer, 25 % of all broiler chicken and 20% of all breeder chicken production of the country.

Most of the white meat producers located in Bandirma have become international companies with additional premises in foreign countries. One of the most strategic raw materials of our times, boron is processed at the factories of the General Directorate of Eti Mine Processing Facilities. The industrial sector of Bandirma is almost completely made up of manufacturing facilities that heavily depend on agricultural production. The fact that these factories are able to meet their raw material needs directly from the region has been an important factor in the development of agro industries. On the other hand, the share of agro industries in the total industrial production of the town is gradually decreasing while, in recent years, the fastest developing field in terms of investment has been poultry sector.

Culture and Art

Bandirma's city center is adorned with several historical buildings that bring us a glimpse of the past such as: Haydar çavuş Mosque, Haydar çavuş Fountain, Teachers' Lodge, The Old Army Recruitment Office, Old Diaconate, Wedding Hall (The Old Pier Office), The New Library (the Old Tekel Building), Çelik spor Club House (Old Train Station), Sunullah Mosque, Bandirma Primary School, Government Office, Ulu Mosque

Bandirma also enjoys a rich folklore. Not only the local customs and traditions but, since Bandirma is accepting a lot of migration, also a diversity of cultural practices of families coming from other parts of the country create an eclectic and colorful tapestry of cultures.

Tourism

Bandirma and its surroundings are rich in terms of touristic attractions. If tackled in a wider framework with better resources, this potential can be improved a great deal. Especially the Archeology Museum of Bandirma should be considered as an important tool in realizing the touristic potential of the town. Some of the touristic attractions of the region are as follows: The Ancient Cities of Daskyleion and Kyzikos, Bird Paradise National Park, thermal springs.