BİLECİK
Bilecik province, in the south east of the Marmara Region; It is located on the cutting points of the Marmara, Black Sea, Central Anatolia and Aegean Regions. Agrilion and Belekoma are among the oldest known names of the province. Bilecik is in the land where the Ottoman Empire was born. Established around the Sakarya River and known for its ponds and streams, the region bears the traces of history from ancient times to the present.
HISTORY
The life of the city in ancient times is shown in the general history of the Bitinya (Bithynia) region, which includes Bilecik in historical sources. Known history of the Bithynia region BC. It starts with Thynler, one of the Thrace tribes living here in the 1950s. The region later passed under the rule of Egypt, Hittite, Phrygian, Cimmerian, Lydia, Pers, Macedonia, Bithynia Kingdom, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire. Bilecik’s first known name is Belekoma.
Bilecik, which has witnessed the civilization and domination of many peoples in history, is the place where Kayı tribe came from Central Asia with 400 tents and was the founding center of the Ottoman Empire in Söğüt. In addition to the fact that the history of the province is very old and the place where the Ottoman Empire was founded, it also played an important role in the establishment of the Republic with the tough struggles and victories it won in the War of Independence. Most of the historical artifacts in Bilecik, on which there are many archaeological and historical monuments, are mosques, tombs, inns, baths, examples of civil architecture, imaret and similar structures built during the Ottoman period.
Many local and foreign visitors come to the “Commemoration of Ertuğrul Gazi and Söğüt Festivals”, which are traditionally held by the members of the Kayı Boyu Tribe for 720 years and are celebrated with magnificent ceremonies held every year (the last three days of the second week of September). In the ceremonies, the henna night and lives of the nomads are animated, and javelin shows are performed.
DISTRICTS
Districts of Bilecik province; Bozüyük, Gölpazarı, İnhisar, Osmaneli, Pazaryeri, Söğüt and Yenipazar.
Bozüyük: Bozüyük is a settlement center that was formed during the Phrygians period. After 1908, the accident center was built by connecting to Ertuğrul Livası. With Bozüyük Bilecik becoming a province, it gained the status of a district in 1924.
Gölpazarı: Gölpazarı, which was affiliated to the Harmankaya Landlordship during the Byzantine period, was taken by Osman Gazi. Since its foundation, Gölpazarı has been referred to as Resulşel, Dönen and Akçaova (Akçaoba), and finally Gölpazarı.
Inhisar: While Inhisar was previously a subdistrict of Söğüt, despite its modest population, it was made a district in 1991 considering its geographical location.
Osmaneli: Osmaneli is a very old settlement; Remains of Thracians, Romans and Byzantine reveal this.
Pazaryeri: The first settlement in the Pazaryeri was in 1273. Souvenirs and touristic earthenware and wooden goods are also produced in the Bazaar.
Söğüt: Söğüt was taken from the Byzantines in 1232 as a result of a siege and struggle by Ertuğrul Gazi. The district, where Ertuğrul Gazi Tomb is located, is an important tourism center.
Yenipazar: Yenipazar, whose former name was Kırka, was connected to Bolu’s Göynük district before the Republic. In 1926 it was attached to Gölpazarı as a subdistrict, and in 1988 it became a district.
