Assoc. Sonay Ayyıldız, Kocaeli University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geophysical Engineering, Dr. İsmail Talih Güven and Historian Onur Şahna gave speeches.
President of Kocaeli Intellectuals Association, Atty. Gürkan Uysal, in his opening speech, said, “I am 40 years old and Kocaeli is the eighth city I have lived in. This city has one of the most beautiful locations in the world geographically, but unfortunately it has been the victim of unplanned and bad urbanization throughout history. I want my children to grow up in this city and I want to spend the rest of my life in this city. With serious projects, Kocaeli can become a much more beautiful, more livable city and achieve the beauty it deserves. The problems of this city and their solutions should be expressed by experts on the subject, not by amateur city lovers. That's why we have three experts among us today, and today they will tell us how to make Kocaeli more beautiful,” he said.
President of Kocaeli Intellectuals Association, Atty. After Gürkan Uysal's opening speech, the panel was moderated by Kocaeli Intellectuals' Association Board Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tahir Serkan Irmak took over.
The first presentation of the panel, moderated by Irmak, was made by Prof.Dr. Historian Onur Şahna, who also worked as Halil İnalcık's assistant, made it happen. In his presentation, Onur Şahna stated that Kocaeli was first established as the Kingdom of Astakos in today's Başiskele region. Later, the city of Niceomedia was founded in today's Izmit region by the Kingdom of Bithynia, and after the Romans captured Nicemodeia, the city became the capital of the Roman Empire for a long time. During this period, Izmit (Nicomedia) was one of the four largest cities in the world, along with Rome, Alexandria and Antakya. He stated that the city has always been the capital throughout its history and that it has been one of the most important trade points throughout history as it is located at the intersection of trade routes. Onur Şahna stated that the second largest Herakles Statue in the world is located in Izmit, that there is a theater and a hippodrome with a capacity of 40 thousand people, and that the size and width of the columns found in archaeological excavations are compared with the columns in other regions such as Ephesus, and that the size of this city will be better understood, and continued his presentation about Izmit. He stated that there are historical areas that need to be protected, and that among these areas, especially İnbayırı Cistern, Nimfeon, Çukurbağ excavation area, and the Paşasuyu water system consisting of 22 aqueducts, should be protected as a priority.
After the plaque presentation, the participants took souvenir photos and stood for a while longer. sohbet After that, they ended the panel.
