Bir Köyün İlçeye Dönüşüm Hikâyesi: Manisa İli Saruhanli İlçesi
The Story of the Transformation of a Village into a District: Saruhanli District of Manisa Province

Summary/Abstract: Manisa Plain is the agricultural heartland of Manisa and Saruhanlı District occupies a large part of the Plain. In its history, Saruhanlı has not been an intense urban settlement. The earliest records of Saruhanlı as a village are no earlier than the 17th century. Saruhanlı and other small surrounding settlements has grown rapidly in terms of population towards the late 18th century. Agricultural production gained momentum with the arrival of Karaosmanoğulları and this had a huge influence on this growth. The increase of the non-Muslim population in the region also corresponds to this period. In the second half of the 19th century, Muslim refugees who were partly Caucasian, mainly with Balkan origin were re-settled in the plains. This settlement in the region has increased the number of settlements, has grown some old villages and turned some of the farms into villages. Between 1919-1922 the region was exposed to the invasion of the Greek army. After the occupation came to en end, the region began to change in terms of the structure of the population. Rums has left the region with the Greek army. Immigrants from the Turkish-Greek Public Exchange were settled here in the early years of the Republic. Until recently, immigrants from the Balkans were settled in the region. Saruhanlı in 1959 has been converted into a district of Manisa. Recently came into force with the Metropolitan Law, villages were attributed with a district status. Villages connected to Saruhanlı have also turned into the quarters of the district. Today there are 8 centeral quarters and 42 peripheral quarters of Saruhan district. Each of these 42 quarters, which used to be the old villages of the district, now have the quality of a small town. Saruhanlı is one of the smallest districts of Manisa today. But it has an utmost agricultural importance for both Manisa and Turkey.

• Details
• Contents