Aliağa

Aliağa
Aliağa
District and municipality
	Logo
	Map showing Aliağa District in İzmir Province
	Aliağa Location in Turkey Aliağa Aliağa (İzmir)
	Coordinates: 38°48′03″N 26°58′22″E / 38.80083°N 26.97278°E
Country	Turkey
Province	İzmir
Government
• Mayor	Serkan Acar (MHP)
Area	379 km2 (146 sq mi)
Elevation	2 m (7 ft)
Population (2022)	104,828
• Density	280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	35800
Area code	0232
Website	www.aliaga.bel.tr

Aliağa (Turkish: [aˈliaː]) is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey.^[2] Its area is 379 km²,^[3] and its population is 104,828 (2022).^[1] The town is situated at about 50 km (31 mi) north of İzmir. Aliağa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its economic activity is based on tourism, shipbreaking, and an oil refinery.

Overview and history

Aliağa lies in the heart of ancient Aeolia. The town was named after a member of the influential Karaosmanoğulları ayan family, Karaosmanoğlu Ali Ağa, who owned an estate here. Before the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) the population of the town was Greek.^[4]^[5] It was a township in Menemen district in 1937 and became a municipality in 1952. It finally separated from Menemen and became a district on 21 January 1982. The remains of the ancient city of Myrina are within the boundaries of the district, located at about fifteen km north of Aliağa centre. Another ancient site is the yet unexplored Gryneion, near Şakran township on the peninsula, to the south of the center town, also at a distance of 15 km (9 mi). Visitors also often use the road from Aliağa to visit the remains of Aigai in Yuntdağı in Manisa Province.

In 2021, a monastery and floor mosaic have been found during an illegal excavation. Archaeologists believe that the monastery was used in the 4th century to the 14th century.^[6]

Composition

There are 30 neighbourhoods in Aliağa District:^[7]

Aşağışakran
Atatürk
Bahçedere
Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa
Bozköy
Çakmaklı
Çaltılıdere
Çıtak
Çoraklar
Fatih
Güzelhisar
Hacıömerli
Horozgediği
Kalabak
Kapıkaya
Karaköy
Karakuzu
Kazım Dirik
Kültür
Kurtuluş
Mimar Sinan
Samurlu
Şehitkemal
Siteler
Uzunhasanlar
Yalı
Yeni
Yenişakran
Yukarışehitkemal
Yüksekköy

Transport

The D.550 roadway runs through the city, between Muğla-Edirne and also to İzmir. Aliağa ^[8] is also connected to İzmir by İZBAN, a commuter railway operating around İzmir. İZBAN operates 15 daily trains from Aliağa Railway Station to Alsancak Terminal in İzmir. ESHOT operates the 834 ^[9] bus line to İzmir as well.

Economy

Ship-breaking

There are several facilities for dismantling and scrapping ships.^[10]^[11] The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic sped up the process of ship recycling because owners of idled cruise ships looked to stem the red ink.^[12]

Gallery

Aliağa ship-breaking yard

References

^ ^a ^b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ Aliaga History. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
^ Bizim Rumlar. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
^ Monastery, mosaic found in illegal digs
^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
^ Aliağa haritası – TRharitasi.com
^ 834 eshot saatleri – Eshotsaatleri.com
^ "Turkey". August 16, 2018.
^ "Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Imagination is the 3rd to be scrapped". Cruise Mapper. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020. The 2,056-guest Carnival Imagination filed a cruise plan for Aliaga, Turkey, the spot of a major ship scrapping operation that became the final resting place for notable vessels like Princess Cruises' Pacific Princess - the "Love Boat.
^ "Turkey, the place where idled cruise ships go to die". National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Bloomberg News. 29 October 2020.