Manisa, Turkey

Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the seat of Manisa Province. Historically, the city was also called Magnesia, and more precisely as Magnesia ad Sipylum, by the name of the Mount Sipylus (Mount Spil) that towers over the city. The English language root words "magnet" and "magnesia", their derivations, as well as their equivalents in many other languages, derive from the city's name. In Ottoman times, many of the sons of sultans received their education in Manisa and the city is commonly known as "the city of shahzades" (Þehzadeler þehri) in Turkey, a distinctive title it shares only with a handful of others. Today, Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city of Ýzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in quantity and variety of agricultural production. First time in 2004 and again for 2006/07, Manisa scored as the top Turkish city in terms of cost effectiveness, transport, and overall FDI promotion strategy and development in the ranking drawn among cities across 13 European regions by Financial Times' FDi magazine. Manisa is also widely visited, especially during the March and September festivals and for Mount Spil national park, and is a departure point for other visitor's attractions of international acclaim which are located nearby within its depending region, such as Sardes and Alaþehir (ancient Philadelphia.