BALIKESIR

city, northwestern Turkey, situated on rising ground above a fertile plain that drains to the Sea of Marmara. It lies about where the ancient Roman town of Hadrianutherae lay. In the early 14th century, Balikesir was an important town of the Turkmen Karasi emirate, which was soon absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. The old town and its bazaar, which occupy the upper slopes, contain numerous inns and mosques dating from the early Ottoman period. Below the old town are the modern administrative buildings, the railway station, a teacher-training school, and residential districts. The centre of a rich agricultural province, Balikesir is linked by rail with Izmir and Ankara by way of Ktahya. Industries produce cotton textiles, flour, rugs, and leather goods. The area around Balikesir has a milder climate than that of inner Anatolia, and its rich soil produces a varied crop of cereals, beans, fruits, vegetables, sesame, cotton, tobacco, and olives. It is also rich in minerals: iron, lead, zinc, antimony, chromium, lignite, and boracite. In the area are many ancient historical and archaeological sites, including those at Edremit, Gnen, and Kaz Dagi (ancient Mount Ida). Pop. (1985) 149,989.