Bornova is a district of
İzmir Provinceİzmir is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir . On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3,769,000 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
in
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of
İzmirİzmir, historically Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province, which has an area of 7350 km
2...
, the third largest, and is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 98,6 per cent, with corresponding high levels of development in terms of industry and services . Bornova center is situated at a distance of to the northeast from the traditional center of İzmir (Konak) and from the coastline at the tip of the
Gulf of İzmirThe Gulf of İzmir , formerly known as the Gulf of Smyrna, is a gulf on the Aegean Sea, with its inlet between the peninsula of Karaburun and the mainland area of Foça. It is 40 miles in length by 20 miles in breadth, with an excellent anchorage.The city of Izmir, an important Turkish seaport,...
to the east. Bornova district area is surrounded by the district areas of
ManisaManisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province...
center and
MenemenMenemen is a district of Turkey's İzmir Province as well as the district's central town. It is situated at a distance of 33 km from İzmir center on a fertile plain which is made up of the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River for many centuries from the Anatolian inland to the Aegean...
to the north,
KemalpaşaKemalpaşa is a large town and the center of the district of the same name in İzmir Province, Turkey. Its district area extends immediately to the east of İzmir's eastern-most metropolitan district, Bornova, and Kemalpaşa town being at a distance of only from the historical and traditional center...
to the east,
BucaBuca is a district of İzmir Province of Turkey. It is one of the metropolitan districts of Greater İzmir.Buca was one of the preferred settlement areas of İzmir's community of Levantines...
to the south, and Konak and
KarşıyakaKarşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels of development in...
to the west, where the larger part of İzmir's urban area extends. Bornova is home to
Ege UniversityEge University is a public university in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1955 with the Faculties of Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture...
's main campus and its name is synonymous for many and at national level with the university hospital, one of the largest and the foremost medical centers in western Turkey since decades.
Name and origins
During the
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
period, Bornova was called "Birunabad", often rendered as "Bournabad" or "Bournabat" in Western sources, although explanations as to how that name was composed vary. A number of sources seek the explanation in
PersianPersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq and Bahrain, and has a status of official language in the first three countries under different names...
and
Ottoman TurkishOttoman Turkish may refer to:* Ottoman Turkish language* Ottoman Turks* Ottoman Empire...
languages where
birun means "outer, exterior" and
abad is a suffix common to a number of cities across the Islamic world and which forms a place name when attached to the name of a person or to a
proper name"A proper name [is] a word that answers the purpose of showing what thing it is that we are talking about" writes John Stuart Mill in A System of Logic , "but not of telling anything about it"...
, such as Haydarabad or
IslamabadIslām ābād is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of over 673,766 in 2009...
. Although befitting a settlement slightly outside a greater metropolitan zone, that the name "Birunabad" is based on an
adjectiveIn grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a noun or pronoun, giving more information about the noun or pronoun's referent...
in Bornova's case, makes an association with an earlier
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
name more likely. In fact, the region was called "Prinobaris" under the Byzantine and Nicean Empires and was notable for being a source of considerable revenue for the Haghia Sophia from its attached properties here, and was for this reason alternatively known as
"Hagiosophitike chora" . As such, Birunabad, Bournabat and now Bornova could be converted forms of this name.
The recent discovery, within the boundaries of Bornova district, of
Yeşilova HöyükYeşilova Höyük is a höyük situated within the boundaries of the present-day metropolitan district of Bornova, and was the first settlement in prehistory of the native people of İzmir, Turkey...
, on which the fieldwork continues, seems to indicate that Bornova's alluvial plain, fed by several small rivers, or brooks, was the place chosen for the very first settlement across İzmir area by the
NeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BCE in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age...
-Calcolithic inhabitants of the region.
Administrative divisions
The municipality of Bornova was established in 1881 and the town became a district center in 1957.
The urban area is divided into 36 officially constituted and delimited neighborhoods. Several unofficial denominations for neighborhoods are also in common use across İzmir and beyond to describe localities often with determined centers but vague boundaries, such as Altındağ.
Twelve small villages, mostly located in the forested uplands around Mount Yamanlar and with a cumulative population of 6,354 -as against the district total of 464,694-, depend Bornova prefecture. According to the estimates made by the Izmir Chamber of Commerce, commuters and other people visiting Bornova on a daily basis could account for an additional 300,000 to be cumulated with the district population.
The incumbent mayor of İzmir Greater Metropolitan Municipality,
Aziz KocaoğluAziz Kocaoğlu is the mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality , Turkey's third largest city.He was born in 1948 in Tokat in north-central Turkey. He graduated from the Economy School of İzmir's Ege University in 1973 and received a master's degree in management from İstanbul University in 1974...
, was the mayor of Bornova before taking over his present office for the city as a whole.
19th century Bornova and the great Levantine mansions
With a total bed capacity of only 400 across the district, most of which is accounted by the suburb's single large hotel, the accommodation facilities are rather limited inside Bornova, and the hotels in İzmir's center is generally preferred for a night's stay. Despite that, visitors on a leisure tour are a common sight in Bornova's streets due to the town's historical center having been much in favor in the 19th century among İzmir's European and Levantine residents who left very visible architectural traces, in the form especially of the
Levantine mansions of İzmirLevantine mansions of İzmir refer to about twenty stately residences, dating principally from the 19th century and of which a significant number remain intact to this day, by being restored and continuing to be used and visited, in İzmir, Turkey. They were built either by prominent Levantines or...
.
Indeed, Bornova used to be a summer residence for many foreign consuls and wealthy businessmen fleeing the stagnantly hot weather in central
İzmirİzmir, historically Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province, which has an area of 7350 km
2...
to seek the cooler breeze of the slopes of Mount Yamanlar from where Bornova has grown. This move by diplomats and the rich was at the very origin of the town's growth in the 19th century, since it used to be a small forestry village until then. The mansions and residences built at that time, and most of which reached our day, restored and in public or private use, are usually still called by the prestigious names of the former owners, such as Whittall, Maltass, Paterson, Giraud, Edwards, Belhomme, Pandespanian. There is a small Catholic Church named the "Church of Santa Maria" in the main square of Bornova and an Anglican chapel and cemetery nearby ,both dating from the 19th century, landmarks of Bornova's cosmopolitan past.
Bornova also made sports history in Turkey when the first
footballFootball is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
match ever held in the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
was played in Bornova in 1890 between
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
sailors on
shore leaveShore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is culturally infamous for its excess.During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the crew, who took it as a prime opportunity to drink in excess, indulge in other pleasures denied to them...
against young men of İzmir. Turkey's first athletic contest was also held in Bornova in 1895.
Modern Bornova
Bornova greatly extended in the last decades from its nest under Mount Yamanlar, where the historic and popular Turkish quarter of Erzene was juxtaposed by Levantine settlements, and covers today almost fully its surrounding plain, formerly renowned for its fertility, that carries the same name as the district. The previous
tangerineThe tangerine is an orange-coloured citrus fruit. It is a variety of the Mandarin orange . Tangerines are smaller than most oranges, and the skin of some varieties will peel off more easily...
orchards, as well as the famed
okraOkra , known by many other names, is a flowering plant in the mallow family , valued for its edible green fruits. Okra's scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus; it is occasionally referred to as Hibiscus esculentus L.The species is an annual or perennial, growing to 2 m tall...
(
gumboGumbo is a stew or soup originating in Louisiana which is popular across the Gulf Coast of the United States and into the U.S. South. It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers, and onion. The soup is...
) gardens synonymous with the town's name (
Bornova bamyası) , which had a secure place among the dozen cultivars, traditional and commercial, of Turkey , were for the most part replaced by apartment blocks and the notoriety of Bornova's okras are now taken over by those of Urla. The urban growth occurred the direction both of the seashore and to the east towards
KemalpaşaKemalpaşa is a large town and the center of the district of the same name in İzmir Province, Turkey. Its district area extends immediately to the east of İzmir's eastern-most metropolitan district, Bornova, and Kemalpaşa town being at a distance of only from the historical and traditional center...
, as well as to the south in Altındağ zone and İzmir-
AydınAydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. It's population is 165,000 in 2007.Aydın is the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River down to the Aegean Sea, a region that has been known for its fertility and productivity since ancient times...
motorway.
The population's growth rate reached as high as 30-35 per cent in certain years. New neighborhoods consisting of block apartments were built rapidly and some of these neighborhoods carry the names of the real estate developers who had initiated the construction boom, such as Özkanlar and Çamkıran. Bornova could nevertheless preserve its orderly outlook, with privately -and legally- built constructions and social housing projects keeping at pace with the increase in population, and very few
slumA slum, as defined by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the proportion of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
-type residences, of which many
boomtownA boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
s across Turkey are still scourged with. Bornova district counts 147,037 residential buildings.
On the other hand, a number of tragedies occurred in recent past due to delays in improvements along the river beds of the four streams that cross Bornova to join the Gulf of İzmir (Bornova, Laka, Manda and Şeytanderesi brooks), while residences were mushrooming around these. Furthermore, two
cement millA cement mill is the equipment used to grind the hard, nodular clinker from the cement kiln into the fine grey powder that is cement...
s which were constructed and stone quarries which were opened in what was empty fields decades ago are now located next to residences, and the pollution caused by the former establishments is an ongoing issue of concern.
Bornova is currently the eastern terminus of İzmir's subway
rapid transitA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
line whose extension continues, and access to and from the city center, as well as between various localities of İzmir is relatively easy with either public or private transports. Since İzmir's central bus terminal, the huge İZOTAŞ in Altındağ quarter where an estimated fifty thousand people arrive or depart each day, as well as the road junctions connecting İzmir and the regions to its south, to
İstanbulIstanbul is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province...
,
AnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2007 the city had a population of 4,751,360, which includes eight districts under the city's administration...
and the rest of Turkey, are located within the boundaries of Bornova, intercity connections are made relatively easy.
Education
Type of educational
establishment |
Nr. of
institutions |
Male
students |
Female
students |
Teachers |
| Kindergarten |
102 |
2,091 |
2,078 |
225 |
| Primary school |
80 |
30,529 |
27,928 |
2,296 |
Secondary-level
professional |
22 |
5,732 |
7,067 |
771 |
| Other high schools |
19 |
4,712 |
3,515 |
501 |
| Total |
223 |
43,063 |
40,588 |
37,093 |
Bornova counts 80 primary schools and 102 kindergartens. At secondary-level education, there are 19 high schools and 22 professional schools. The figures for the student and teacher's corps are shown in the table. The average student per teacher ratio obtained (22,1%), with primary education the most congested at 25,5%, correspond to rather comfortable levels compared to many cases across Turkey.
Higher-level educational institutions are assembled under the very large structure of Ege University, which brings together 11 faculties, 7 institutes, 6 higher education centers and 7 higher professional schools and 25 research centers. The university had 42,693 students and 2,895 academic staff in 2007. Its campus is also an important center of culture, sports, leisure and entertainment for all across İzmir.
In
adult educationAdult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This often happens in the workplace, through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, at a college or university. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning...
, the state-managed Public Training Center and Professional Training Centers offer courses in various practical fields with a total of 100 trainers, and 12,356 people including participants in
literacyLiteracy is a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields. In everyday terms, "literacy" is typically described as the ability to read and write...
courses received courses in these establishments in 2006. Illiteracy is an issue almost exclusively restricted to new migrants into Bornova, and especially to women among these. There are also a number of private initiatives in the same field, such as the 29 companies offering drivers license courses, although the necessity of extending such services further and deeper is a common concerrn frequently expressed at all levels.
Professions
| HEALTH |
Nr. of
institutions |
Nr. of
beds |
Nr. of
doctors |
Nr. of
nurses |
Nr. of auxiliary
staff |
Nr. of patients
served in 2006 |
University
hospital |
1 |
1,811 |
2,078 |
225 |
225 |
629,235 |
| Public clinics |
19 |
none |
127 |
179 |
88 |
n/a |
| Polyclinic |
23 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Urgency and
traumatology hospital |
1 |
63 |
100 |
68 |
100 |
492,752 |
General
hospitals |
2 |
2,400 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Dispensary
(for tuberculosis) |
1 |
none |
5 |
4 |
5 |
n/a |
Mothercare, childcare,
family planning centers |
3 |
none |
25 |
32 |
11 |
1,140,018 |
| Village clinic |
6 |
none |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Dental institute |
1 |
none |
n/a |
14 |
n/a |
128,585 |
| Medical labs |
28 |
none |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Pharmacies |
208 |
none |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
The total of district's commercial enterprises numbering 28,016, the figure reached by cumulating the total production, retail, wholesale units and connected offices neighbors around forty five thousand, which results in the picture of a very active district.
855 Bornova companies are registered exporters and a total amount of 596,224,735 US Dollars could be estimated for 2006 as exports which were made by Bornova district companies. 83 companies with foreign capital participation operate in Bornova and the recorded amount of
foreign direct investmentForeign direct investment in its classic form is defined as a company from one country making a physical investment into building a factory in another country. It is the establishment of an enterprise by a foreigner. Its definition can be extended to include investments made to acquire lasting...
s between 1997-2007 was 71,928,267 US Dollars. Among instantly recognizable international names which operate with sizable Bornova bases,
BMCThe British Motor Corporation was a UK vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
, Tuborg, Efes Pilsen,
CMS-Colleges:* C. M. S. College, in Kottayam, Kerala, India* Chicago Medical School, in North Chicago, Illinois* City Montessori School, in Lucknow, India...
tyres can be cited. The textile and clothing wholesalers are concentrated in MTK industrial and marketing zone, built specially for these industries.
Bornova's vast plain has been a preferred location since more than a century for İzmir's industrial base. The choice of Bornova by numerous official institutions as their regional headquarters, combined with the services industry, with medical and legal services especially standing out, as well as other professions, all contribute to the pace of the district. Agricultural production is comparatively very modest in added value.
Shopping and Leisure
One of the two largest shopping malls of İzmir,
Forum Bornova, extending over 67,000 square meters, is located in Bornova and it includes an
IKEAIKEA is a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world...
store, a
TescoTesco plc is a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding £3 billion. It is currently the third largest global retailer based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart and...
-Kipa superstore, seven movie theaters, and other leisure and entertainment facilities. Bornova's other shopping mall,
Park Bornova, was, at 33,000 square meters, İzmir's largest at the time of its opening and the first to fit the description of a modern shopping mall in the city. It is still İzmir's largest outlet center and boasts of its own movie theaters, 8-lane indoor
bowling Bowling is a Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins or to get close to a target ball. There are many forms of bowling, with one of the most recent being ten-pin bowling and the earliest dating back to ancient...
and an entertainment center (
Smart Play) with various games.
Bornova's open market days or
bazaarA bazaar is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The word derives from the Persian word bāzār, the etymology of which goes back to the Middle Persian word baha-char , meaning "the place of prices"...
s (held every Wednesday and Sunday) are also well-known in the region and a surprising variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, clothing, kitchenware and crafted products can be found by joining the youthful crowd of the market.
There are three theater buildings in Bornova, the one located inside the town's central park,
Uğur MumcuUğur Mumcu was an intrepid Turkish investigative journalist for the leading Kemalist broadsheet, Cumhuriyet. He was killed by a bomb placed in his car, outside his home.- Biography :...
Theater being the most popular. The one museum located within Bornova is Ege University's large
Natural HistoryNatural history or Naturalis Historia is the scientific study of plants or animals.Natural History may also refer to:In science and medicine:...
Museum, integrated into the university structure and it is the second largest in Turkey in its field after that MTA in Ankara. There are five libraries with a collection of books numbering 32,378 in total (excepting Ege University library) and three congress centers, all three privately managed within the structure of Bornova's single large hotel.
279 parks in all, almost all with playfields for children, are scattered across Bornova. Pınarbaşı racing (go-kart and
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are the most affordable form of...
) fields, which is Turkey's longest, covering an area of 25 hectares, 7 swimming pools, 8 tennis courts, 2 indoor sports halls, 4 soccer fields and 54 basketball fields compose Bornova's sports infrastructure. 8,591 licensed sports persons inhabit the district.
Five newspapers are published in Bornova and two radio stations are in activity. The total number of cable TV subscriptions is 27,066. 412 civil associations are registered in Bornova and the total number of their members is 36,525. There are about a hundred mosques and three churches, including the abandoned, but still in reasonably good condition,
Greek Orthodox ChurchThe Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of the Orthodox Church, sharing a common cultural tradition and whose liturgy is traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament....
in Doğanlar neighborhood .
A large recreational area which bears
HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
's name, to whom İzmir lays one of the strongest claims, is in phase of construction in a 3,5 km long valley to the northeast of Bornova center, and it is already very popular among residents although, located at some distance from the poet's native
river MelesThe river Meles The river Meles The river Meles (more appropriately described as "Meles Brook", is a stream charged with history and famous in literature, especially by virtue of being associated in a common and consistent tradition with Homer's birth and works, and which flowed by the ancient city...
, the choice of the name may be historically discutable for pedantics. There is also a
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
bridge on part of the River Nif which crosses Bornova district area. The mountain passage at the locality called Belkahve where, coming from the east, one sees İzmir for the very first time and in a very impressive panorama, is within Bornova district and is now arranged into a park and picnic area in memory of one such impressed incomer in 1922, Atatürk. Efforts are also made to preserve, restore and promote the picturesque village of Yakaköy with many old houses and fountains in Turkish style.
See also
- Yeşilova Höyük
Yeşilova Höyük is a höyük situated within the boundaries of the present-day metropolitan district of Bornova, and was the first settlement in prehistory of the native people of İzmir, Turkey...
- Levantine mansions of İzmir
Levantine mansions of İzmir refer to about twenty stately residences, dating principally from the 19th century and of which a significant number remain intact to this day, by being restored and continuing to be used and visited, in İzmir, Turkey. They were built either by prominent Levantines or...
- Ege University
Ege University is a public university in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1955 with the Faculties of Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture...
- Altındağ, İzmir
- İzmir
İzmir, historically Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province, which has an area of 7350 km
2...
External links