
Monument for 17 August 1999,Earthquake victims, in Yalova
'Yalova' (Population: 188,440) is a city located in northwest
Turkey near the
Marmara Sea and the capital of
Yalova Province.
In general, it is assumed that the name of "Yalova" comes from "Yalak Ova" or "Yalıova". Yalıova means "plain at coast".("Yalı"; coast, borrowed from "Yalos" in
Greek, "ova"; plain in
Turkish)
The first settlement in the region dates back to the Prehistoric Period, in around 3000 BC. The
Hittites ruled the region in 2000s BC, followed by the
Phrygians in 1200 BC. The region was connected to
Rome in 74 BC. Following the division of the
Roman Empire in 395, the region of Yalova remained under the sovereignty of the
Byzantine Empire. In 1302, Yalova was incorporated into the territory of the
Ottoman Empire.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in his last years lived in Yalova and owned three houses there. In one of his speeches he famously said "Yalova is my city".
The city has a number of tourist attractions such as the Atatürk Pavilion and of course, its famous hot springs in
Termal.
Yalova is twinned with the city of
Bonn,
Germany
Notable people from Yalova
★
Åžebnem Ferah - Singer
★
Mehmet Okur -
NBA Basketball player
★
İzel (İzel Çeliköz) - Singer
External links
★
Yalova photographs
★
Official city website.