45 · City guide
Manisa
Capital of Lydia, at the foot of Spil
Manisa is an Aegean province just northeast of İzmir, spread across the fertile plain formed by the Gediz River. Sardis and the Bin Tepe tumuli were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025; Akhisar (Thyatira) and Alaşehir (Philadelphia) are home to two of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. In the city center, the Muradiye, Sultan and Ulu mosques carry the centuries-old tradition of the Mesir Macunu Festival. The Kula-Salihli UNESCO Global Geopark, with its volcanic cones and fairy chimneys, and Spil Dağı National Park, with the endemic Manisa tulip and wild horses, are nature stops. Hot springs such as Kurşunlu and Urganlı, the plain's sultana grape vineyards and the Kırkağaç melon complete the province's rural side.
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Reservoir and pond
Afşar Dam Lake
Alaşehir, Manisa
The lake of a dam built in the 1970s that irrigates Sarıgöl's sultana vineyards.
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Ağlayan Kaya (Weeping Rock, Niobe Rock)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A rock formation at the foot of Spil Dağı likened to the face of a weeping woman and associated with the legend of Niobe.
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Aigai Ancient City
Yunusemre, Manisa
The best-preserved ancient city of the Aeolis region, built at the top of Gün Dağı in the Yunt Mountains.
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Nature park
Akhisar Musalar Nature Park
Akhisar, Manisa
A 13-hectare nature park in the village of Musalar in Akhisar, declared on 2 June 2026, known for its capped fairy chimneys along a stream.
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Akhisar Museum
Akhisar, Manisa
An archaeology and ethnography museum opened in 2012 in a former hospital building dated 1932, opposite the Thyateira site.
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Akhisar Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque)
Akhisar, Manisa
Dated to the late 15th century, one of the early examples of the search for a centrally planned mosque.
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Tumulus of Alyattes
Salihli, Manisa
The largest burial mound of Bin Tepe, belonging to the Lydian King Alyattes, 355 m in diameter and 69 m high.
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Archaeological site
Apollonis Ancient City
Akhisar, Manisa
A Hellenistic city bearing the name of a Pergamene queen, built on the Konurca Kalesi hill 14 km west of Akhisar.
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Monument and statue
Atatürk and National Sovereignty Monument
Şehzadeler, Manisa
An Atatürk monument by sculptor Tankut Öktem, unveiled in 1985 on Manisa's Cumhuriyet Meydanı.
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Church of St. John (St. Jean)
Alaşehir, Manisa
A 6th-century basilica associated with the early Christian community of Philadelphia, with its massive brick piers still standing.
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Bin Tepe Lydian Tumuli
Salihli, Manisa
A necropolis on the plain between the Gediz and Lake Marmara, made up of more than a hundred tumuli of Lydian kings and nobles.
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Çeşnigir Mosque
Şehzadeler, Manisa
One of the city's oldest mosques, commissioned in 1474 by Çeşnigir Sinan Bey, a freedman of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.
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Çukur Hamam (İshak Çelebi Hammam)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A half-buried 14th-century hammam commissioned by the Saruhanoğulları Bey İshak Çelebi for the Ulu Mosque complex.
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Demirci Carpet Weaving
Demirci, Manisa
The centuries-old handmade carpet tradition of Demirci, which also wove carpets for the Ottoman palaces.
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Reservoir and pond
Demirköprü Dam Lake
Salihli, Manisa
The broad lake of a dam built on the Gediz River in 1954–1960, surrounded by the Kula volcanic cones.
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Divlit Volcano
Salihli, Manisa
A young volcanic cone with black cinder slopes, the symbol of the Kula volcanic area.
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Archaeological site
Gavurtepe Mound
Alaşehir, Manisa
A steep-sided mound on the bank of the Sarıkız Çayı southwest of Alaşehir, commanding the Gediz plain.
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Archaeological site
Gergitha Ancient Settlement
Soma, Manisa
An ancient city near the sources of the Bakırçay, founded by a people settled there by King Attalus I of Pergamon.
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Reservoir and pond
Gördes Dam Lake
Gördes, Manisa
A large dam lake on the Gördes Çayı that irrigates the Akhisar plain and supplies drinking water to İzmir.
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Gördes Carpet Weaving
Gördes, Manisa
The Gördes carpet-weaving tradition, continuing since the 17th century, which gave its name to the double knot in Anatolian carpets.
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Hafsa Sultan Hospital (Museum of the History of Medicine)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
An Ottoman hospital added to the Sultan Complex in 1539, now used as Manisa Celal Bayar University's museum of the history of medicine.
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Hafsa Sultan Hammam (Sultan Hammam)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A 16th-century double hammam added to the Sultan Complex in the name of Hafsa Sultan, mother of Süleyman the Magnificent.
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Halime Hatun Complex
Gölmarmara, Manisa
A complex founded at the end of the 16th century in the name of Halime Hatun, wet nurse of Mehmed III; its mosque, madrasa, soup kitchen remains and double hammam survive.
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Hatuniye Mosque
Şehzadeler, Manisa
The mosque of the complex founded in 1490–91 in the name of Hüsnüşah Hatun, wife of Bayezid II.
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Mosque
Hızır Bey Mosque (Çarşı Mosque)
Soma, Manisa
A mosque in the Soma bazaar commissioned by Yeğenzade Süleyman Bey in 1791–92, according to its inscription.
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Kaval Fountain
Yunusemre, Manisa
One of Manisa's oldest dated fountains, commissioned in 1480-1481 according to its inscription.
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Archaeological site
Kaymakçı Mound
Gölmarmara, Manisa
The largest known Bronze Age settlement in the Gediz valley, overlooking Lake Marmara.
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Kırkağaç Melon
Kırkağaç, Manisa
A geographically indicated melon with a green-and-yellow striped rind, famous for its long keeping quality.
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Kula Fairy Chimneys (Yurtbaşı)
Kula, Manisa
Fairy chimneys around Güvercinlik (Burgaz) formed by the erosion of volcanic and lake sediments.
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Hammam (Turkish bath)
Kula Yeni Hamam (Sungur Bey Hammam)
Kula, Manisa
An Ottoman hammam within Kula's historic bazaar fabric, completed in 1502-1503 according to its inscription.
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Kula-Salihli UNESCO Global Geopark
Kula, Manisa
A UNESCO Global Geopark protecting Türkiye's youngest volcanic area, with volcanic cones, lava flows and fossil footprints.
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Kurşunlu Han
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A two-story Ottoman han with 74 rooms, built in 1488 as part of the Hatuniye Complex.
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Kurşunlu Hot Springs
Salihli, Manisa
Thermal springs 6 km south of Salihli, in the green valley formed by the Kurşunlu stream.
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Kuva-yi Milliye and Republic Monument
Yunusemre, Manisa
A monument at Kayapınar, at the southern entrance to Manisa, commemorating the militia forces of the War of Independence and the Republic.
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Castle
Manisa Castle
Şehzadeler, Manisa
Castle remains rising above the historic city center on the northern slope of Spil Dağı.
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Faith
Manisa Mevlevi Lodge (Mevlevihane)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A historic Mevlevi lodge from the Saruhanoğulları period, visited today as a museum.
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Manisa Museum
Yunusemre, Manisa
An archaeology and ethnography museum displaying finds from Sardis, Magnesia and the surrounding districts, which moved to its new building in 2025.
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Manisa Clock Tower
Şehzadeler, Manisa
The tower in front of the Ulu Mosque's north gate; the clock added here in 1672 is considered one of Türkiye's first clock towers.
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Manisa Palace and Fatih Tower
Şehzadeler, Manisa
The Fatih Tower, the only surviving part of the palace where Ottoman princes served as provincial governors.
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Manisa Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A beylik-period mosque completed in 1366 in the Saruhanoğulları period, overlooking the city from the slope of Spil.
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Marmara Gölü (Lake Marmara)
Gölmarmara, Manisa
A shallow, enclosed barrier lake separated from the Gediz plain by alluvial embankments.
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Mesir Macunu Festival
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A traditional festival reenacting Merkez Efendi's healing of Hafsa Sultan with mesir paste, in which the paste is scattered to the crowd from the Sultan Mosque.
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Mesir Nature Park
Yunusemre, Manisa
A nature park at the foot of Spil Dağı with a pond and waterfalls, where the plants that go into mesir paste are grown.
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Muradiye Mosque
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A tiled Ottoman complex designed by Mimar Sinan and built in the name of Murad III in 1583–1585.
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Archaeological site
Mysian Stratonikeia
Kırkağaç, Manisa
An ancient city in Siledik village, founded in the Hellenistic period and also called Hadrianopolis in Roman times.
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Natural monument
Osmancalı Fossil Forest Natural Monument
Yunusemre, Manisa
A 33-hectare fossil forest containing spruce and wingnut trunks petrified by lahar flows from the Yuntdağı volcanoes.
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Philadelphia (Alaşehir)
Alaşehir, Manisa
An ancient city at the foot of the Bozdağlar on the trade route between Sardis and Kolossai; today beneath Alaşehir.
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Sardis Ancient City
Salihli, Manisa
The capital of the Lydian Kingdom; an ancient city added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025 together with Bin Tepe.
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Temple of Artemis at Sardis
Salihli, Manisa
A Hellenistic temple in the Paktolos valley at the foot of the acropolis, known for its standing giant Ionic columns.
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Sardis Bath-Gymnasium Complex
Salihli, Manisa
The large Roman-period bath and sports complex of Sardis, whose two-story facade has been re-erected.
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Sardis Synagogue
Salihli, Manisa
The largest Jewish place of worship known from the ancient world, with a mosaic floor, adjoining the gymnasium complex of Sardis.
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Saruhan Bey Tomb
Şehzadeler, Manisa
The tomb of Saruhan Bey, who took Manisa in the early 14th century and founded the Saruhanoğulları Beylik.
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Sasa Bey Hammam (City Hammam)
Akhisar, Manisa
A historic city hammam in Akhisar commissioned by Sasa Bey in the 15th century, whose men's section still serves bathers.
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Reservoir and pond
Sevişler Dam Lake
Soma, Manisa
The hill-ringed lake of a dam built for irrigation on the Yağcılı Çayı, north of Soma.
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Archaeological site
Sidas (Saittai) Ancient City
Demirci, Manisa
An ancient city of the Lydia region near İcikler, with stadium, tomb and temple remains.
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Spil Dağı National Park
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A mountain park overlooking the city, declared in 1968 and known for the endemic Manisa tulip and its wild horses.
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Sultan Mosque (Hafsa Sultan Complex)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A 16th-century complex built in the name of Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, mother of Süleyman; the birthplace of the Mesir Macunu tradition.
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Historic Kula Houses
Kula, Manisa
Kula's old neighborhoods, called a 'living museum' for their well-preserved residential fabric bearing Ottoman and Germiyan traces.
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Taş Suret (Cybele Relief)
Şehzadeler, Manisa
A monumental rock relief carved into the rock at Akpınar, depicting a Hittite goddess.
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Mound (höyük)
Ters Tepe Mound (Ters Tepe Höyüğü)
Selendi, Manisa
A settlement 1.5 km west-southwest of Selendi spanning the Chalcolithic to the Roman period; at 18 hectares, the largest mound in Manisa.
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Thyateira (Tepe Mezarı Archaeological Site)
Akhisar, Manisa
The ancient city lying beneath Akhisar; the center of one of the seven churches of early Christianity mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
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Clock tower
Turgutlu Clock Tower
Turgutlu, Manisa
A three-story clock tower in Turgutlu's Atatürk Park, a meeting point in the district center.
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Hot spring
Urganlı Hot Springs
Ahmetli, Manisa
An area on the northern edge of the Gediz graben with hundreds of hot springs leaving colorful travertines.
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Canyon
Yelimera Canyon Natural Monument
Selendi, Manisa
A canyon near the village of Karataş Terziler in Selendi, on the Manisa–Kütahya border, notable for its deep walls, caves and pools.
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Zeynelzade Library
Akhisar, Manisa
A historic building commissioned in 1797 that once held 995 manuscripts and is now a children's library.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Climate
- Hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters on the plain; continental influences are marked in inland areas such as Kula, Demirci and Selendi.
- Geopark
- Kula-Salihli Geopark has viewpoints and signposted stops; do not climb the volcanic cones off the marked paths.
- Best season
- March–May (Mesir festival and Spil tulips) and September–November; summers on the Gediz plain are very hot.
- Museum pass
- Müzekart (Museum Pass) is valid at Ministry-run sites such as Sardis, the Manisa Museum and the Akhisar Museum.
- Getting there
- İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport is the nearest major airport; Manisa is about 40 km from İzmir. Regional trains run on the İzmir–Manisa–Salihli–Alaşehir line.