Last modified: 2019-11-23 by ivan sache
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Flag of Kocaeli, two versions - Images by Tomislav Šipek, 28 September 2019
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The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality / Province (1,906,391 inhabitants in 2018; 3,626 km2; municipal website) is located at the easternmost end of the Marmara Sea around the Gulf of İzmit.
İzmit, the provincial capital and main town, was the capital of the Kingdom of Bithynia, as Nicomedia. After the Roman conquest, Nicomedia grew up to the 4th greatest town in the empire, after Rome, Antioch and Alexandria. Nicomedia was proclaimed capital of Eastern Rome in 284 by Diocletian. The subsequent rise of Constantinople and Nicea caused the decline of the town.
Nicomedia was incorporated to the Ottoman Empire in 1137 by Akçakoca, a bey of Sultan Orhan. The town was renamed to İznikmid, and, later, İzmid, experiencing its Gilded Age under Suleiman the Munificent.
In the late 19th century, İzmit blossomed after the establishment, in 1873, of a railway station on the İstanbul-Ankara line. Made the capital of a sandjak in 1888, the town was renamed to İzmit. It has also remained known as Kocaeli (Koca's domain).
Liberated from the successive British and Greek occupation on 28 June 1921, İzmit turned to a main industrial center.
Ivan Sache, 28 September 2019
The flag of Kocaeli (,
photo) is white with the municipality''s emblem. "T.C." stands for "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti", "Republic of Turkey"; "Valiliği" means "Governorate".
The emblem features the same basic elements as the former one: the clock work, the statue of Atatürk, and symbols of industry. The motto "calişinca oluyor" means "It works".
The İzmit clock tower was built in 1900-1901 under the supervision of Governor Musa Kazim Bey. Its design is generally credited to architect Vedat Tek, but some sources quote the architect as Mihran Azarian, an Ottoman Armenian from Bahçecik.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his enthroning, Sultan Abdulhamid II ordered by decree the erection of clock towers in several towns of the empire. A main purpose of these towers was to show time to the public; watches and clocks were luxury items at the time.
The clock tower, built in travertine stones brought from Hereke and Tavşancıl in neoclassical style, has a square plan of 3.65 x 3.65 meters and consists of 4 sections. The three sides of the tower are decorated with fountains with marble motifs. The first floor, which constitutes the ground floor, is constructed wider than the other three floors. The clock tower is 16.40 m high.
There is an entrance on the north side of the tower. Marble columns are located on the sides of the first floor and fountains are located on the three sides (east, west, south).
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the tower are built in a very mobile way. On the 2nd floor, columns were placed in the corners and eyebrow arched openings were placed on each facade. On the second floor, a walkway was created from cast iron railings. The railings, which are extremely elegant, reflect the stylistic features of the period.
On the 3rd floor of the tower, there are eyebrow arched windows on each facade. At the bottom of the windows, marble medallions are inscribed with the sultan's cypher. There are also cylindrical and elliptical flat medallions at the corners of the 3rd floor.
The clock room is located on the 4th floor of the tower. All four facades have a 80 cm diameter clock dial. It is equipped with a mechanism to announce the time by ringing at the beginning of every hour as well as the number of hours at the beginning of the hour. The bell of the watch was produced to give a special tone, to prevent it from being perceived as a church bell tone.
[Municipal website]
The statue of Atatürk, the first statue erected in Kocaeli after the proclamation of the Republic, was built to celebrate the memory of Atatürk and the 10th anniversary of the republic. Atatürk is facing the Gulf of İzmit. The height of the monument, which has an imposing appearance with its marshal uniform and cloak from his shoulders to his boots, gave him an even more magnificent expression.
Atatürk, who saw the monument during his travels between İstanbul and Ankara by train, expressed his gratitude and thanked the people of İzmit.
[GezGör Kocaeli]
Kocaeli's industrial sector contributes 70% of the town's GDP. The Kocaeli Chamber of Industry in the city has c. 300 members, particularly concentrated in Gebze, İzmit and Körfez. Eighteen of the top 100 industrialist companies of Turkey are located in Kocaeli. Major and leading companies such as TUPRAS, Hyundai Assan, Ford Otosan, Honda, Anadolu Isuzu, Pirelli, Goodyear, Pakmaya, Aygaz, Milangaz, Petrol Ofisi, Kordsa, Çelikkord, Nuh Çimento, Marshall, Polisan, CBS and Mannesman Boru operate in the city. Kocaeli holds a share of 13% of the national and foreign trade volume in terms of the manufacturing industry.
Reviewing the share in Turkey of the critical industries operating in Kocaeli, the chemistry industry holds the top rank with a share of 28%, which is followed, respectively, by hardware, automotive, machinery and stone- and earth-based industry. Approximately 10% of the entire national electricity consumption is allocated to and utilized by the industrial operations in Kocaeli.
Kocaeli hosts over a hundred foreign-capital industrial businesses, among which the German investors hold the top ranks in terms of the number of businesses. Furthermore, there are 12 organized industrial zones, 7 of which are currently operative, in the town.
Kocaeli has been holding the top rank, nationally, in terms of the income per capita for a decade, with a figure that is two and a half times the average income per capita realized Turkey-wide.
[Municipal website]
Former flags of Kocaeli
Former flag of Kocaeli, white and blue versions - Images by Tomislav Šipek, 18 October 2017
The former flag of Kocaeli was white with the municipality's former emblem (photo). "Büyükşehir Belediyesi" means "Metropolitan Municipality".
The flag was also used with a blue background and the emblem in white (photo, photo).
Tomislav Šipek, 10 October 2012
Flag of İSU, two versions - Image by Tomislav Šipek, 28 January 2018
The flag of İSU is white with the administration's logo (photo, photo) or made of the logo (photo).
Tomislav Šipek, 28 January 2018
Gebze Technical University
Flag of GTÜ - Image by Ivan Sache, 7 December 2017
GTÜ, established on 11 July 1992, is composed of 4 Faculties and 3 Institutes.
The flag of GTÜ (photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo) is white with the university's emblem.
The "butterfly" emblem was selected by the Board of the university
following a vote by the academic and administrative staff and the students.
[GTÜ website]
Ivan Sache, 7 December 2017
Kocaeli University
Flag of KOÜ - Image by Ivan Sache, 15 January 2018
KOÜ (website) was established by Law No. 3,837, passed in 1992.
The university lost 75% of its assets during the earthquake that occurred on 17 August 1999 and was considered as the disaster of the century. A new campus, Umuttepe, was founded in 2000 in Üçtepeler, 10 km away from İzmit.
KOÜ is composed of 11 Faculties, 7 Schools, 20 Vocational Schools and 3
Institutes.
The flag of KOÜ (photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo) is white with the university's emblem in the center.
The figures on the emblem symbolize young students who support each
other and show friendship and solidarity with others, who celebrate the
stars of science that light humanity with their hands. The figures are
represented in the form of pencil tips, as a symbol of scientific
research. The space between the figures is shaped like a key, thought to
be the key to the information door.
Green is prescribed as Pantone 355 PC / CMYK 55 0 98 O / RGB 0 158 73 /
Web #009E49 / RAL 6001.
[Graphical charter]
Ivan Sache, 15 January 2018
Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce
Flag of KOTO - Image by Ivan Sache, 2 September 2019
The flag of KOTO (photo, photo) is white with the chamber's emblem.
Ivan Sache, 2 September 2019
Kocaeli Chamber of Industry
Flag of KSO - Image by Ivan Sache, 2 September 2019
The flag of KSO (photo, photo, photo, photo) is white with the organization's emblem and name.
Ivan Sache, 2 September 2019
Flag of Kocaelispor - Images by Ivan Sache, 28 September 2019
Kocaelispor (Kocaelispor Kulübü) was established in 1966 as the merger of Baçspor, İzmit Gençlik and Doğanspor. The club played in the top league for the 1980-1988, 1992-2003 (4th in 1993), and 2008-2009, and won the Turkish Cup in 1997 and 2002. Afterwards, the club fell down to lower divisions, being even relegated to the amateur league for the 2014-2016 seasons.
The flag of Kocaelispor (photo) is vertically divided green-white-black with the club's emblem in the center.
Kocaelispor supporter's flags - Images by Ivan Sache, 3 December 2016
The supporters of Kocaelispor use flags horizontally divided green-black-green-black or black-green-black-green (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo).
The flag is also used with five horizontal stripes, green, black, green, black, and green (photo).
Ivan Sache, 28 September 2019