Çigli
Encyclopedia
Çiğli is a metropolitan district of the city of İzmir
in İzmir Province
, Turkey
. Its area covers the northern end of the boundaries of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Çiğli district area neighbors that of Karşıyaka
, another metropolitan district, to the south and the west, and that of İzmir's external depending district of Menemen
to the north. Çiğli is divided into 23 subdistricts and has one separate depending municipality (Sasalı), where a large open air zoo
(Sasalı Natural Life Park) was opened in 2008. Çiğli also has one depending village, Kaklıç. The populations of each of these two settlements are roughly the same at around 3000 people.
of the River Gediz which used to cover the area of the entire area of Çiğli. Çiğ meaning dew in Turkish
.
refugees of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). During the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
some among the Turkish population of the region found a safer refuge in Çiğli's marshlands, especially in the general sense of despair caused by the Menemen massacre
of 17 June 1919. In the first years of the Republic of Turkey, Çiğli acquired the status of a village under its present name, and was settled by Turks of Western Thrace
. The village grew large enough to become a township with own municipality, and the population was further increased when Çiğli welcomed the survivors of two successive earthquakes in Varto
and Hınıs
, adjacent districts in eastern Anatolia
, in 1946 and 1966, which had claimed thousands of lives. Economic immigration into Çiğli from eastern Anatolia continues at a steady pace since then and even the mayor is Diyarbakır
-born.
, and in 1992, as a distinct entity possessing its own administrative structures.
, situated south of the metropolitan area.
routes. The delta is an IBA (Important Bird Area
) registered at the BirdLife International
.
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
in İzmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province 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 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
, 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...
. Its area covers the northern end of the boundaries of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Çiğli district area neighbors that of Karşıyaka
Karsiyaka
Karşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, in other words a metropolitan district, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and it is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels...
, another metropolitan district, to the south and the west, and that of İzmir's external depending district of Menemen
Menemen
Menemen is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey as well as the district's central town. The district extends on a fertile plain formed by the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River...
to the north. Çiğli is divided into 23 subdistricts and has one separate depending municipality (Sasalı), where a large open air zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
(Sasalı Natural Life Park) was opened in 2008. Çiğli also has one depending village, Kaklıç. The populations of each of these two settlements are roughly the same at around 3000 people.
Name
Çiğli is a settlement that sprang up and acquired a status rather recently. Its name draws reference from the humid marshlands of the deltaRiver delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
of the River Gediz which used to cover the area of the entire area of Çiğli. Çiğ meaning dew in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
.
Population
The population is formed almost entirely in full by recent immigration, starting as of the late-19th century with the TurkishTurkish 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...
refugees of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). During the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
some among the Turkish population of the region found a safer refuge in Çiğli's marshlands, especially in the general sense of despair caused by the Menemen massacre
Menemen massacre
The Menemen Massacre occurred on June 16-17, 1919, during the Greek occupation of the town of Menemen, in western Turkey, shortly after Greek forces had landed and occupied the nearby city of Smyrna. The Ottoman prefect of Menemen, Kemal Bey, and the six gendarmes accompanying him were...
of 17 June 1919. In the first years of the Republic of Turkey, Çiğli acquired the status of a village under its present name, and was settled by Turks of Western Thrace
Turks of Western Thrace
Turks of Western Thrace are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the north-eastern part of Greece.According to the Greek census of 1991, there were approximately 50,000 Turks in Western Thrace, out of the approximately 98,000 strong Muslim minority of Greece...
. The village grew large enough to become a township with own municipality, and the population was further increased when Çiğli welcomed the survivors of two successive earthquakes in Varto
Varto
Varto is a town in eastern Turkey occupied primarily by Kurdish people.Varto was the site of a major fighting during the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1924, and the 1966 earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people....
and Hınıs
Hinis
Hınıs is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region region of Turkey. The mayor is Enver Taçyıldız . The population is 9,792 ....
, adjacent districts in eastern Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, in 1946 and 1966, which had claimed thousands of lives. Economic immigration into Çiğli from eastern Anatolia continues at a steady pace since then and even the mayor is Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
-born.
Administration
Çiğli was attached to İzmir's metropolitan area in 1981, first as a dependency of the district of KarşıyakaKarsiyaka
Karşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, in other words a metropolitan district, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and it is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels...
, and in 1992, as a distinct entity possessing its own administrative structures.
Airport
İzmir's airport used to be in Çiğli and carried the same name as the town, until the entry into service of Adnan Menderes AirportAdnan Menderes Airport
İzmir Adnan Menderes International Airport is an airport serving İzmir and is named after former Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes. It is located in the Gaziemir area of İzmir....
, situated south of the metropolitan area.
Environmental issues
Situated at sea level, Çiğli district borders in its west on the current delta of the River Gediz where the land is under the constant pressure of further urbanization. The future of the delta is among priority issues in Turkey's agenda of the protection of the environment. Many citizens would like to see full protection for the delta assured to preserve its unique fauna and flora along bird migrationBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
routes. The delta is an IBA (Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
) registered at the BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
.