Balikesir, Turkey Tourism

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last three decades. In addition to its flourishing trade in local agricultural produce (tobacco, cotton, figs, etc.) Balikesir has a substantial amount of industry, including textiles, engineering and vehicle manufacture. The countryside around the town is famous for its spas and mineral springs.

History

The earliest known settlement on this ancient Mysian site was called Assuwa. Falling first to the Hittites, it later came under Lydian, Phrygian, Persian and then Roman control. No relics remain from this period. In 1303 it became the capital of the Karasi beylik, before being taken by the Ottomans in 1363. It kept the name Karasi right up until 1926. As the venue of a congress held to rally nationalist opposition to the Greek invasion of 1919, Balikesir played an important part in the Turkish War of Independence.