Townapedia
Balabankoyu
Balabankoyu · Original uploader was Onderk at tr.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
BALABAN KÖY MEYDANI VE CAMİİ *©Abdullah Kiyga - panoramio
BALABAN KÖY MEYDANI VE CAMİİ *©Abdullah Kiyga - panoramio · Abdullah kıyga, CC BY 3.0
DAĞ KENARINDAKİ BALABAN KÖYÜ MUHTARLIĞI - panoramio
DAĞ KENARINDAKİ BALABAN KÖYÜ MUHTARLIĞI - panoramio · Abdullah kıyga, CC BY 3.0
Nusretiye camii *©Abdullah Kiyga - panoramio
Nusretiye camii *©Abdullah Kiyga - panoramio · Abdullah kıyga, CC BY 3.0
ISS020-E-48566 - View of Earth
ISS020-E-48566 - View of Earth · Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B...., Public domain
ISS020-E-48565 - View of Earth
ISS020-E-48565 - View of Earth · Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B...., Public domain

Balaban, Turkey

Balaban is a town of 1,326 people in Kocaeli, Turkey.

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Population1,326 GeoNames
RegionKocaeli
Elevation100 m 328 ft
Time zoneEurope/Istanbul
Land area5.0 km²
Nearest airportCengiz Topel Havaalanı (KCO) 5 km

Why visit Balaban

Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 park or trail and 2 places to stay in and around town.

Highlights include Dekaton.

About Balaban

Balaban is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Kartepe, Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,326 (2022).

From the Wikipedia article Balaban, Kartepe (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Museums and landmarks1

Dekaton

Monument and historic site · 4.0 km

Ancient city of Bithynia in modern-day Turkey

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Parks, trails and playgrounds1

çocuk oyun parkı

Park · 2.6 km

Open in Google Maps

Where to stay2

Sessiz Ev Çiftlik Otel

Motel and hotel

14 Dizdaroğlu caddesi, KocaeliiKartepe

Open in Google Maps · +90 262 353 33 13

Güner Hotel

Motel and hotel · 2.2 km

Open in Google Maps

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Churches and places of worship1

nusretiye köyü camii

Place of worship · Sunni · 1.2 km

Open in Google Maps

History

The first settlements date back to ancient times. There are only some materials founded on the village area from Astakos from 712 BCE and also as the inhabitants called as Subaşı area, there are some tunnels and cisterns founded supposedly belonged to Byzantine Empire periods.

Also on the farm place at east side of village, as inhabitants call Taşlı Tarla (en: stony field) there are many materials founded like a piece of valve, keramik pots etc. As a folk story, they belong to "missing mountain" where was overthrown at the big earthquake which happens every 100 years around İzmit on a civilization living there. But its origins are still unknown and there is no academic research about them yet.

Very well known story of Balaban began at the first quarter of the 19th century. Balaban's area known as "Balaban's ranch" where was about 5000 m2 (1000 m2=1/4 acre). At that time a Muslim judge Fevzi Efendi bought these all ranch, and brought his family living in Batum in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). With this big migration until 1880, they began to settle down around the area and they created today's Balaban Village.

From the History section of Balaban, Kartepe on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Map of Balaban

5 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Cengiz Topel Havaalanı (KCO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.

  • İzmit 16 km northwest, about 16 min by car
  • Sapanca 15 km east, about 15 min by car
  • Pamukova 21 km south, about 21 min by car
  • Gölcük 23 km west, about 23 min by car
  • Derince 24 km west, about 24 min by car
  • Körfez 27 km west, about 27 min by car
  • Geyve 27 km southeast, about 27 min by car
  • Adapazarı 29 km east, about 29 min by car
  • Karamürsel 39 km west, about 39 min by car
  • İznik 42 km southwest, about 42 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.