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IZMIT
A
fast highway connects Istanbul with lzmit, the capital
of the Kocaeli province. An important city in Roman
times when it was known as Nicomedeia, it is now a
prosperous industrial center. The Saatci Efendi Konak,
a restored typical 18th century Ottoman mansion, now
serves as the Ethnography Museum. Pismaniye, the local
sweet, consists of thousands of thin layers of
stretched sugar. Hereke, west of lzmit, is a major
carpet making center. Renowned throughout the would
for their beauty and quality, these carpets fetch the
highest prices in Istanbul's bazaars. On the Black Sea
coast, north of lzmit, particularly at Kerpe, Kefken
and Kovanagzi, sand), beaches and comfortable guest
houses attract vacationers.
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