Adapazarı

About Adapazarı

Adapazarı is a municipality and the capital district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 324 km2, and its population 281,489 (2022). It covers the central and northern part of the agglomeration of Adapazarı and the adjacent countryside.

The history of Adapazarı dates back to 378 BC, when it was called Agrilion (Ἀγρίλιον in Greek). Ancient settlers included Phrygians, Bithynians, Cimmerians, Lydians, Greeks, and Persians, but Adapazarı got its identity from the ancient Hellenistic, Roman, and Greek Byzantine rulers. After Alexander the Great's conquests, the Persians were forced out of the region.

One of the most important remains of historical significance is the Sangarius Bridge (Turkish: Beş Köprü) built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 533 AD. Historically, it was situated on the old military road from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the east, connected, since the end of the 19th century, by a branch line with the Anatolian railway. It was founded in 1400 by 400 Armenian immigrant families who escaped from Timur's oppression in Sivas and was named "Donigaşen" after the name of their leaders. Today's inhabitants are Manavs. The native...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.