Balıkesir
Mount Ida and olive coasts. Read through place dossiers, regional narratives and source records.
Balıkesir is read within the <a href="/en/bolge/kuzey-ege">Northern Aegean</a> narrative through links between places, periods and stories.
From basin to stop
From the foot of Mount Ida to the Edremit Gulf, and from Marmara shores to inland plateaus, Balıkesir brings mountain, sea and production landscapes together.
Movement between coasts
Antandros, Cyzicus and gulf settlements make it possible to trace movement between coast and inland across different periods. Mount Ida is not a backdrop to this narrative but an active threshold.
Between mountain and coast
The scale of a day here can shift between mountain village, olive grove, gulf shore and Marmara island. The guide shows these rhythms at an unhurried, natural pace.
Olive, dairy, sweet
Olives and olive oil, cheeses, höşmerim and seafood are complementary entry points to Balıkesir's table. Follow foods together with the landscapes where they are produced.
Weaving and olive grove
Yağcıbedir weavings, stone villages and olive work place culture beside everyday production in Balıkesir. This section follows the link between an object and the place where it is made.
360-degree province worlds
District guides
Place inventory
Connected stories
Table and production narratives
- The 1923 Population Exchange and Transformation of Ayvalık-Cunda Olive Industry
- Olives in the Edremit Gulf: Work from Harvest to Table across Three Districts
- From the Edremit Gulf to the Dikili Islands: Adramytteion, the Gömeç Olive Plain, and Kalem Island
- Scent of Olives and Exchange Memory: Ayvalık Stone Oil Mills, Cunda Streets, and Roots of Antandros
Culture and memory narratives
- The 1923 Population Exchange and Transformation of Ayvalık-Cunda Olive Industry
- Naval Battle of Arginusae at Kalem and Garip Islands (406 BCE)
- From Ayvalık Küçükköy Yenihori to Hacıaslanlar Yörük Village and Alaçam Mountains: Sarımsak Stone Studios, Kazdağı Ethnography, and 1,600m Timber Houses
- Transformation of Ayvalık Küçükköy (Yenihori) into a Smart Art Village (2015)
- From Balıkesir Cyzicus Eudoxus Navigation to İzmir Smyrna Quintus Epic and Colophon Hermesianax Elegiacs: Indian Ocean Navigation, Trojan War Epic, and Elegiac Love Poetry
- Olives in the Edremit Gulf: Work from Harvest to Table across Three Districts
- From the Edremit Gulf to the Dikili Islands: Adramytteion, the Gömeç Olive Plain, and Kalem Island
- From Havran Koca Seyit Village to Marmara Island Marble Quarries and Manyas Bird Sanctuary: 275 kg Victory Shell, Proconnesian Quarries, and 266 Bird Species
- From Mount Ida to Güre Thermal and Papazlık Mansions: Ida Mythology, Roman Baths, and Stone Houses
- Naval Expedition of the Indus River and Red Sea by Admiral Scylax of Caryanda and Writing of Periplus (515 BC)
- From Muğla Bodrum Scylax Explorations to Balıkesir Xenocles Oratory and Aydın Nysa Strabo Geography: Maritime Exploration, Roman Oratory, and World Geography
- Export of Proconnesian Marble and Sarcophagi to Roman and Byzantine Capitals (500 BCE)
- Composition of the 14-Book Trojan War Epic Posthomerica by Quintus of Smyrna (350 AD)
- Harbors of Troas and Forests of Mount Ida: North Aegean Networks from the Dardanelles to Kapıdağ
- From Yağcıbedir Carpets to Hisarköy Roman Springs and Dursunbey Cave Waters: Wool Knots, 98°C Baths, and Cave Springs
- Settlement of Yağcıbedir Yörüks in Sındırgı Region and Birth of Natural Dye Carpet Weaving (1700 CE)
- Scent of Olives and Exchange Memory: Ayvalık Stone Oil Mills, Cunda Streets, and Roots of Antandros
Research stories and events
- The 1923 Population Exchange and Transformation of Ayvalık-Cunda Olive Industry
- Naval Battle of Arginusae at Kalem and Garip Islands (406 BCE)
- From Ayvalık Küçükköy Yenihori to Hacıaslanlar Yörük Village and Alaçam Mountains: Sarımsak Stone Studios, Kazdağı Ethnography, and 1,600m Timber Houses
- Transformation of Ayvalık Küçükköy (Yenihori) into a Smart Art Village (2015)
- From Balıkesir Cyzicus Eudoxus Navigation to İzmir Smyrna Quintus Epic and Colophon Hermesianax Elegiacs: Indian Ocean Navigation, Trojan War Epic, and Elegiac Love Poetry
- Olives in the Edremit Gulf: Work from Harvest to Table across Three Districts
- From the Edremit Gulf to the Dikili Islands: Adramytteion, the Gömeç Olive Plain, and Kalem Island
- From Havran Koca Seyit Village to Marmara Island Marble Quarries and Manyas Bird Sanctuary: 275 kg Victory Shell, Proconnesian Quarries, and 266 Bird Species
- From Mount Ida to Güre Thermal and Papazlık Mansions: Ida Mythology, Roman Baths, and Stone Houses
- Naval Expedition of the Indus River and Red Sea by Admiral Scylax of Caryanda and Writing of Periplus (515 BC)
- From Muğla Bodrum Scylax Explorations to Balıkesir Xenocles Oratory and Aydın Nysa Strabo Geography: Maritime Exploration, Roman Oratory, and World Geography
- Judgment of Paris: A Myth on Mount Ida
- Export of Proconnesian Marble and Sarcophagi to Roman and Byzantine Capitals (500 BCE)
- Composition of the 14-Book Trojan War Epic Posthomerica by Quintus of Smyrna (350 AD)
- Harbors of Troas and Forests of Mount Ida: North Aegean Networks from the Dardanelles to Kapıdağ
- From Yağcıbedir Carpets to Hisarköy Roman Springs and Dursunbey Cave Waters: Wool Knots, 98°C Baths, and Cave Springs
- Settlement of Yağcıbedir Yörüks in Sındırgı Region and Birth of Natural Dye Carpet Weaving (1700 CE)
- Scent of Olives and Exchange Memory: Ayvalık Stone Oil Mills, Cunda Streets, and Roots of Antandros
Source network
- Türkiye Kültür Portalı · Ege
- UNESCO · Türkiye
- UNESCO · Efes
- UNESCO · Bergama
- UNESCO · Aphrodisias
- UNESCO · Hierapolis-Pamukkale
- Kültür Portalı · Antandros Antik Kenti
- Kültür Portalı · Adramytteion Antik Kenti
- Kültür Portalı · Daskyleion Antik Kenti
- Kültür Portalı · Kyzikos Antik Kenti
- UNESCO · Troya Arkeolojik Alanı
- Kültür Portalı · Zeytin Yağ Fabrikası Envanter Kaydı
- Kültür Portalı · Ayvalık Zeytinyağı
Frequently asked questions
What does the Balıkesir guide bring together?
The Balıkesir guide includes 6 place dossiers and 2 connected stories. The stops can be read within the same geographic context.
How should I read the stops in Balıkesir?
Rather than seeing places in isolation, follow them through their region, period, route and source records.