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Geyve is a municipality and district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023. Its area is 662 km2, and its population is 50,799 (2022). The closest international airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, from Geyve. It is the largest district of Sakarya Province in terms of area. Geyve is located at the foot of Geyve Gorge, which is set between two mountain ranges and lies along the Sakarya River. Geyve region has an impressive green landscape and productive nature. Geyve is relatively close to many important cities in Turkey; to Istanbul, 30 km to Adapazarı, to Izmit, 139 km to Bursa, to Eskişehir, to Bolu by road.
Geyve lies on the North Anatolian Fault System. According to historical records, many devastating earthquakes have occurred in the last two millennia along the surrounding area. A detailed study is provided at Segment Structure of the Southern Strand of the North Anatolian Fault System and Paleoseismic Behaviour of the Gemlik Fault, NW Anatolia
In recent history, on 22 July 1967, a strong, 7.2 Richter magnitude scale earthquake hit Geyve and had given considerable damage to the town. On 17 August 1999, Geyve, despite the proximity to epicenter of earthquake, was not destroyed as the neighboring Adapazarı and Gölcük. Unfortunately, Turkish earthquake scientists had made several worrying reports that the next expected Marmara earthquake could impact Geyve and Akyazı region as there had been an additional fault under Geyve, which had not broken in the last 300 years. Some of the Turkish media reports regarding the statements can be found at the following links; [3], [4]
Sakarya River is passing through Geyve, and is one of the important water sources for the land/agriculture. Geyve Karaçay Creek is also passing through the town center. On June 6, 2014, Geyve has experienced a significant flooding caused by Karaçay Creek after heavy rain, resulting in tremendous destruction and one fatality.
Since the end of the 1990s, Geyve has been a popular trekking destination, presenting different routes especially with its proximity to Istanbul.
Alifuatpaşa Train Station was serving Geyve for over 100 years until February 2012 when Ankara-Istanbul railway was closed for Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway construction. Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway, which is expected to be finished by 2014, will run through Geyve. Even though it is not certain, the high-speed train is expected to stop at the neighboring towns, Pamukova and Arifiye.
The demography of the town has been significantly impacted by the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of Geyve had a total population of 32,607, consisting of 22,133 Muslims, 5,873 Armenians, 4,520 Ottoman Greeks, 79 Protestantism, 1 Jew and 1 foreign citizen.Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 128-129 Several old photographs and evidence have been collected by a local researcher-collector in the following link.
The origin of Geyve's name is controversial. Evliya Çelebi, famous Ottoman Empire traveller, in his Seyahatnâme states that Geyve's name comes from the Byzantine princess named Geyve.
Geyve has also been important as it was on the historical Silk Road or Silk Route. Geyve–Tarakli road can still be accessed, even though the road lost its importance.
Geyve was one of the symbolic towns in the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923). Geyve Gorge had a strategic importance during the War of Independence. Alifuatpaşa, Geyve is one of the first resistance fronts of the war, commanded and led by Ali Fuat Cebesoy against British Army heading to Anatolia. The founder of the Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, visited Geyve two times in 1920 and 1922 during the War of Independence.
Another significant landmark is Elvanbey Imarethanesi (public kitchen), which was constructed in 1451 by Elvanbey. It was told to be serving to the traveling of Anatolia. The building was used as Geyve Public Library between 1969 and 2013. In 2013, the building was converted to a museum.
The neighboring town of Taraklı presents the examples of Ottoman houses that presents examples of Ottoman style wooden houses. The well known Lake Sapanca is 32 km from Geyve.
The Doğançay Waterfall is a natural monument located in Maksudiye village of Geyve.
The former coach of Fenerbahce S.K., Aykut Kocaman and the former Fenerbahce S.K. president Tahsin Kaya was born in Geyve.
Roses of Geyve (Geyve'nin Gülleri) was cited in the famous poem of Sezai Karakoç's Mona Roza.
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