Manisa – Magnesia ad Sipylum
Manisa lies in the West of Turkey, some 30 kilometres east of Izmir and the coast of the Aegean Sea. Although this near to the sea, you have first to climb the Sabuncubeli Pass at 500 metres to reach Manisa, which itself has an altitude of 72 metres.
Manisa, meanwhile counting nearly 300,000 inhabitants, lies at the northern foot of Mount Spil (Mount Sipylus), towering 1,517 metres over the city. Mount Spil is rich in magnesium – hence the city’s ancient Latin name Magnesia, or more precisely Magnesia ad Sipylum.
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Ahmet Bedevi - Tarzan of Manisa
Following the footsteps of the Tarzan of Manisa and walking up the steep slopes of the mountain you can enjoy the superb view over the city and the Manisa Valley, the biggest and richest agricultural area of the Aegean region. Manisa is especially known for its grape and raisin. And indeed, Manisa itself supplies over one third of the world’s raisin production!
A further highlight of Mount Spil is Niobe – The Weeping Rock. According to Ancient Greek mythology, Niobe gave birth to seven sons and seven daughters. She became so presumptuous that she mocked the goddess Leto, who had only two children, Apollo and Artemis. Thereupon Leto took vengeance on her and let kill all of Niobes children. This great pain so much grieved Niobe that she was turned into stone. Today, this rock still stands on the slopes of Mount Spil. And legend has it, that even as a rock Niobe is still weeping for the loss of her children.
Coming next: Manisa – City of Crown Princes
Manisa, meanwhile counting nearly 300,000 inhabitants, lies at the northern foot of Mount Spil (Mount Sipylus), towering 1,517 metres over the city. Mount Spil is rich in magnesium – hence the city’s ancient Latin name Magnesia, or more precisely Magnesia ad Sipylum.
Mount Spil
Mount Spil, today a national park, is a much preferred place for wandering and climbing. And it was the home of Ahmet Bedevi (1899, Samarra, near Bagdad - 1963 Manisa), known as “Manisa Tarzanı” (Tarzan of Manisa). After the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922) Bedevi came to Manisa. Being a great lover of nature he soon set out to make Manisa a greener place. He cared so much for nature that he passed most of his time in the woods and mountains, till in the end he started to live entirely in a hut on Mount Spil.
Ahmet Bedevi - Tarzan of ManisaFollowing the footsteps of the Tarzan of Manisa and walking up the steep slopes of the mountain you can enjoy the superb view over the city and the Manisa Valley, the biggest and richest agricultural area of the Aegean region. Manisa is especially known for its grape and raisin. And indeed, Manisa itself supplies over one third of the world’s raisin production!
A further highlight of Mount Spil is Niobe – The Weeping Rock. According to Ancient Greek mythology, Niobe gave birth to seven sons and seven daughters. She became so presumptuous that she mocked the goddess Leto, who had only two children, Apollo and Artemis. Thereupon Leto took vengeance on her and let kill all of Niobes children. This great pain so much grieved Niobe that she was turned into stone. Today, this rock still stands on the slopes of Mount Spil. And legend has it, that even as a rock Niobe is still weeping for the loss of her children.
Niobe - The Weeping Rock
Coming next: Manisa – City of Crown Princes