Manyas

Manyas lies amid the plains and hills south of the Sea of Marmara, near the lake that shares its name. The older settlement is associated with Byzantine Poimanenon, a fortified centre in a district of fertile fields and roads. During the Byzantine period the area saw fighting involving Turkish and Latin forces; its castle and neighbouring fortifications guarded the approaches through the countryside. The rise of the Karası principality and the Ottomans later changed the region's political order.