SAKARYA TURKEY

Sakarya

Sakarya is a fairly old city,which dates back to 8^th century BCE. First to arrive  were the Phrygians, Lydians, and Persians but Sakaryagot its ancient identity from its Romans and Byzantine rulers,which is evident once you begin to travel around. One of the most importantremains of historical significance is the Justinian Bridge (BeşKöprü), built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian between527 and 565 and is well worth seeing. Some of the other important historical attractions of the city are Orhan Mosque (Orhan Cami) , UzunBazaar (Uzun Çarşı), Sakarya Museum (Sakarya Müzesi), Rahime Sultan Mosque(Rahime Sultan Cami), Rüstem Paşa Mosque (Rüstem Paşa Cami), Kuvayi MilliyeMuseum (Kuvayi Milliye Müzesi), Seyifler Castle (Seyifler Kalesi), HarmantepeCastle (Harmantepe Kalesi), Paşalar Castle (Paşalar Kalesi), Elvan BeyAlmshouse (Elvan Bey İmarethanesi), Çakırlar Mansion (Çakırlar Konağı) and HisarMansion (Hisar Konağı).

Justinian’s Bridge (Beş Köprü)

Justinian Bridge (Justinianus Köprüsü), built on ÇarkRiver (Melas Çayı), which drains the waters of SapancaLake (Sapanca Gölü) into Sakarya River, is one of the most magnificentstructures in Anatolia of the Early Byzantine Period. Builtby Justinian (527-565), this stone bridge is 365 meters long,9.85 meters wide and has a total of 12 arches. Previously called"pons" (bridge) in Latin, the bridge did not have a specific name.Later, people who did not know that "pons" meant "bridge"in Latin perceived this word as a proper name and called the bridge asPontogephyra meaning "Bridge of Pons". Later, this name turnedinto Pentegephyra (Five Bridges), but the bridge isneither five-piece nor five-arched in one form or another. Justinian’sBridge was included in the UNESCO Tentative List of WorldHeritage in 2018. 

Orhan Mosque 

Orhan Mosque (Orhan Cami) was built by KonuralpBey in the name of Orhan Gazi. The mosque, made of ashlar blocks,has no dome, a single minaret and a rectangular plan. It was completelyrenovated during the Sultan II. Abdülhamit’s reign. This mosque isa nice place for a short break in the hustle and bustle of daily life, withthe Uzun Bazaar (Uzun Çarşı) right next to it, andplaces where people can shop, drink Turkish tea and eat simit.

Uzun Bazaar

It islocated next to the Orhan Mosque (Orhan Cami), consists of about100 shops and is one of the oldest and most established bazaars in the cityfrom the Ottoman period. It is the main commercial center ofthe city and a very important shopping place for those who live in Sakarya andthose who visit the city.

Sakarya Museum

In thegarden of the museum, architectural pieces, tombstones, altars, inscribedstones, ossuaries, terracotta food jars and column bases belonging to the Romanand Byzantine periods are displayed. In the exhibition hall of themuseum, archaeological artifacts from prehistoric times, Roman andByzantine periods and ethnographic artifacts belonging to the Ottomanand Republican periods are exhibited. Archaeological artifacts includeflat hand axes, terracotta pots, fragrance and perfume bottles, metal and glassartifacts. Among the ethnographic works, the goods used by MustafaKemal Atatürk, firearms and cutting weapons, copper pots, seals andhandicrafts from the Ottoman and Republic periods are exhibited.