Geyve is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Sakarya Province Sakarya () is a province and metropolitan municipality in Turkey, located on the coast of the Black Sea. Its area is , and its population is 1,080,080 (2022). The Sakarya River creates a webbing of estuaries in the province, which is in the Ma ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 662 km², and its population is 50,799 (2022). The closest international airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, from Geyve. It is the largest district of Sakarya Province in terms of area. Geyve is located at the foot of Geyve Gorge, which is set between two mountain ranges and lies along the

Sakarya River The Sakarya (; ; ; ) is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as Phrygia. It was considered one of the principal rivers of Asia Minor (Anatolia) in Greek classical antiquity, and is mentioned in th ...

. Geyve region has an impressive green landscape and productive nature. Geyve is relatively close to many important cities in Turkey; to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, 30 km to

Adapazarı Adapazarı () is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 324 km2, and its population 281,489 (2022). It covers the central and northern part of the agglomeration of Adapazarı and t ...

, to Izmit, 139 km to

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, to

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

, to

Bolu Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,Sakarya River The Sakarya (; ; ; ) is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as Phrygia. It was considered one of the principal rivers of Asia Minor (Anatolia) in Greek classical antiquity, and is mentioned in th ...

runs through Geyve and it is perceived as an important inspiration of the town. Geyve lies on the

North Anatolian Fault The North Anatolian Fault (NAF; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...

System. According to historical records, many devastating earthquakes have occurred in the last two millennia along the surrounding area. A detailed study is provided a
Segment Structure of the Southern Strand of the North Anatolian Fault System and Paleoseismic Behaviour of the Gemlik Fault, NW Anatolia
In recent history, on 22 July 1967, a strong, 7.2

Richter magnitude scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

earthquake hit Geyve and had given considerable damage to the town. On 17 August 1999, Geyve, despite the proximity to epicenter of earthquake, was not destroyed as the neighboring Adapazarı and Gölcük. Unfortunately, Turkish earthquake scientists had made several worrying reports that the next expected Marmara earthquake could impact Geyve and

Akyazı Akyazı is a municipality and district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 628 km2, and its population is 94,494 (2022). The mayor is Bilal Soykan ( AKP). Composition There are 76 neighbourhoods in Akyazı District: * Akbalık * Alaa ...

region as there had been an additional fault under Geyve, which had not broken in the last 300 years. Some of the Turkish media reports regarding the statements can be found at the following links

Sakarya River is passing through Geyve, and is one of the important water sources for the land/agriculture. Geyve Karaçay Creek is also passing through the town center. On June 6, 2014, Geyve has experienced a significant flooding caused by Karaçay Creek after heavy rain, resulting in tremendous destruction and one fatality.

Climate

Geyve has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''), with hot, dry summers, and cool, damp winters.

Economy

Geyve's economy is centered in agriculture as it has a productive agricultural land. It has a mild transitional climate, carrying mixed characteristics of

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, Black Sea and Inland Anatolian climates. Geyve's climate, the Sakarya River, and its productive land allow the varieties of fruits, vegetables and grains to be produced in Geyve. Sakarya River is the main vessel of town's agriculture. Especially, the quince, cherry, apple, peach and grape of Geyve are quite well known in local and

markets. Since the end of the 1990s, Geyve has been a popular trekking destination, presenting different routes especially with its proximity to Istanbul. Alifuatpaşa Train Station was serving Geyve for over 100 years until February 2012 when Ankara-Istanbul railway was closed for Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway construction. Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway, which is expected to be finished by 2014, will run through Geyve. Even though it is not certain, the high-speed train is expected to stop at the neighboring towns, Pamukova and Arifiye.

History

There is not enough scientific evidence available regarding the first settlers of Geyve. The ruins around the region do not survive, but it is almost certain that Geyve is an historical settlement dating back thousands of years. There are different claims that its origin goes to 4000 BC, and even some sources to 10000 BC. Geyve region has been inhabited by

Phrygians The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity. Ancient Greek authors used "Phrygian" as an umbrella term t ...

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

Lydians The Lydians (Greek language, Greek: Λυδοί; known as ''Sparda'' to the Achaemenids, Old Persian cuneiform Wikt:𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭, 𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭) were an Anatolians, Anatolian people living in Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spo ...

, Romans,

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

, Byzantines, Turks and many other civilizations since prehistoric times. Many historical evidence from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

era have been discovered in Geyve. Geyve was known to be one of the early Ottoman conquests. It was conquered by Osman Gazi (reigned c. 1299–1323/4), first

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

, in the 14th century from the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. The demography of the town has been significantly impacted by the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. It involv ...

in 1923. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

of Geyve had a total population of 32,607, consisting of 22,133 Muslims, 5,873

, 4,520

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, 79

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, 1

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

and 1 foreign citizen. Several old photographs and evidence have been collected by a local researcher-collector in the following link. The origin of Geyve's name is controversial.

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

, famous Ottoman traveller, in his

Seyahatnâme ''Seyahatname'' () is the name of a literary form and tradition whose examples can be found throughout centuries in the Middle Ages around the Islamic world, starting with the Arab travellers of the Umayyad period. In a more specific sense, the ...

states that Geyve's name comes from the

princess named Geyve. Geyve has also been important as it was on the historical

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

Silk Route The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. Geyve–Tarakli road can still be accessed, even though the road lost its importance. Geyve was one of the symbolic towns in the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

(1919–1923). Geyve Gorge had a strategic importance during the War of Independence. Alifuatpaşa, Geyve is one of the first resistance fronts of the war, commanded and led by Ali Fuat Cebesoy against British Army heading to Anatolia. The founder of the Turkish Republic,

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, visited Geyve two times in 1920 and 1922 during the War of Independence.

Landmarks

The most significant landmark of the town, the old bridge over Sakarya River in Alifuatpasa, was constructed in the era of Sultan

Bayezid II Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(reigned 1481–1512). The bridge was kept well by Ottoman Sultans as the bridge is strategically located on the

. One of the oldest photographs of the bridge (from around 1888) by a Swedish photographer, Guillaume Berggren, is depicted in th
National Gallery of Canada
Another significant landmark is Elvanbey Imarethanesi (public kitchen), which was constructed in 1451 by Elvanbey. It was told to be serving to the traveling

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...

es of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The building was used as Geyve Public Library between 1969 and 2013. In 2013, the building was converted to a museum. The neighboring town of Taraklı presents the examples of Ottoman houses that presents examples of Ottoman style wooden houses. The well known Lake Sapanca is 32 km from Geyve. The Doğançay Waterfall is a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

located in Maksudiye village of Geyve.

Composition

There are 73

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Geyve District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. * Ahibaba * Akdoğan * Akıncı * Akkaya * Alifuatpaşa * Alıplar * Aydınlar * Bağcaz * Bağlarbaşı * Bayat * Belpınar * Bozören * Burhaniye * Camikebir * Çamlık * Çayköy * Ceceler * Çeltikler * Çengel * Çine * Çukurköy * Demirler * Dereköy * Doğançay * Doğancıl * Doğantepe * Düzakçaşehir * Epçeler * Esenköy * Eşme * Fındıksuyu * Gazisüleyman Paşa * Güney * Günhoşlar * Hacılar * Hacıosmanlar * Halidiye * Hırka * Hisarlık * Ihsaniye * Ilıcaköy * İlimbey * İnciksuyu * Kamışlı * Karaçam * Karacaören * Kızılkaya * Köprübaşı * Koru * Kozan * Kulfallar * Maksudiye * Melekşeoruç * Melekşesolak * Nuruosmaniye * Örencik * Orhaniye * Poydular * Sabırlar * Safibey * Saraçlı * Sarıgazi * Şehren * Sekiharman * Şerefiye * Setçe * Suçatı * Sütalan * Taşoluk * Tepecikler * Umurbey * Yaylak * Yörükler

Notable people

One of the most prominent generals of Turkish War of Independence, Ali Fuat Cebesoy was buried in Alifuatpaşa, Geyve, when he died at the age of 86 in 1968. In accordance with his will, he was buried to the backyard of a mosque near Geyve train station, where the first shots of the Turkish War of Independence were fired. The former coach of Fenerbahce S.K.,

Aykut Kocaman Aykut Kocaman (, born 5 April 1965) is a former Turkish footballer, who played as a striker. He is the former manager of İstanbul Başakşehir. Before he made his debut 1980 with the amateur club Kabataş Altınmızrak in Istanbul, Kocaman ...

and the former Fenerbahce S.K. president Tahsin Kaya was born in Geyve. Roses of Geyve (Geyve'nin Gülleri) was cited in the famous poem of Sezai Karakoç's ''Mona Roza''.

References

{{Districts of Turkey, provname=Sakarya Populated places in Sakarya Province Districts of Sakarya Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey