Study in Bornova, Turkey

Study in Bornova, Turkey

Bornova, and ancient district facing the Aegean Sea, is a densely urbanized section of the Izmir Metropolitan area. The home of Ege University and some of the most advanced biomedical research facilities in Turkey, it is one of the few places in the Aegean more famous for its laboratories than its beaches. Still, there can be no doubt that it shares the same serene beauty for which the Eastern Mediterranean is famous, and the eminent libraries of Ege University are interspersed among shopping centers and ubiquitous swaying palm trees.
 
Izmir has been continuously inhabited since ancient prehistory, and over time has steadily grown into Turkey's third-largest city. It was founded almost 5000 years ago by the Trojans, and gave birth to the renowned ancient poet Homer before being destroyed by various Greek states. Restored to glory by Alexander the Great, it became the city of Smyrna, which would have a place of honor is one of the chief ports of the expensive and long lived Ottoman Empire. Recent decades have brought several near misses with disastrous urban blight, but is near has steadfastly faced these problems and emerged as a strong, proud, and self-reliant (though perhaps not especially tourist friendly) city. Its population, already over 3.7 million, is growing with startling rapidity, and it shows no signs of losing its place as the long-standing commercial capital of western Turkey.
 
As might be expected of a city that elected a professor as its mayor, Bornova is a place where higher education is taken seriously. Ege University, its top institution, is among the premier research universities in Turkey, and is a popular destination for some of the more elite graduates from Turkish secondary schools. It was founded as a combination medical school and agricultural college in 1955, its founders envisioning it as a major modernizing force in a country that was still seeking to reestablish its place in the world after the 2 great wars of the 20th century. Over time, it has steadily added new facilities and faculties in various fields, and today the university structure includes 12 faculties and 8 institutes, each concentrating in its own area of study and serving a population of carefully selected students. These include the standard disciplines that can be found at any major university–medicine, engineering, education, etc.–along with specialized programs in fields relevant to the local economy, such as fisheries, solar energy, and Turkish world studies. It is the presence of Ege University, more than any other single factor, that has put Bornova on the map and made it a prominent part of Izmir's sprawling metropolitan area. It’s reputation as an academic city also attracts foreign students in search of Turkish classes, and a growing expatriate community from all over the world helps connect these students to their home countries.