Yalova
Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County
Yalova ( in ancient Pylai ) is the capital of the Turkish province of Yalova. It lies on the south-eastern part of the Marmara Sea, just 24 miles from Istanbul.
Description
Yalova is a popular resort with a high local tourism. Many of the tourists come from Istanbul and the surrounding area and have a holiday home there. On the main road, the road between Izmit and Bursa, there are many vegetable and other gardens. Even tourists from Arab countries come to Yalova, to spend their holidays, mostly from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.
In the center of town is a roundabout with a statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the middle. After the 1999 earthquake, many new buildings created in the city. The beach promenade, Sahil, has been expanded and embellished. Just west of the promenade new parks have been built on the rubble of the destroyed houses. Along the promenade there is a long sandy beach with many parks, playgrounds, tea gardens, pubs, restaurants and cafes. East of the harbor there is a large park with an amphitheater. There, in the summer, many events take place.
About 12 km south-west in the mountains above Yalovas there are thermal springs. The thermal baths, known in ancient Pythia Therma, have been well used since Hellenistic times and also enjoyed in the Byzantine and Ottoman period of great popularity. Because of the healing effect they were also visited by personalities such as Constantine the Great, Emperor Justin I or Kemal Ataturk. The latter was the bathrooms renovated. Hence his raised hide in Florya was converted as Atatürk House into a museum.
One of the earlier name was Yalovas Yalakabad. Yalova is twinned with Bonn since 1969, so there are eg a park named " Bad Godesberg Parkı ". From Yalova there speedboat connections to Istanbul.
Yalova has been greatly affected by the large Marmara earthquake on 17 August 1999. The earthquake cost the lives of over 16,000 people, 25,000 injured and called for a large unknown number of missing persons. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.8 and it took 45 seconds.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Muharrem Ince, professor, writer and politician
- Şebnem Ferah, rock musician
- Mehmet Okur, professional basketball player
Twin Cities
Yalova maintains partnerships with the following cities: