Burdur is a city in southwestern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The seat of

Burdur Province Burdur Province () is a province of Turkey, located in the southwest and bordering Muğla and Antalya to the south, Denizli to the west, Afyon to the north, and Isparta to the east. Its area is 7,175 km2, and its population is 273,799 (202 ...

and of

Burdur District Burdur District (also: ''Merkez'', meaning "central") is a district of the Burdur Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Burdur.İl Belediyesi
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. it is located on the shore of

Lake Burdur Lake Burdur () is a large Salt lake, saline lake of Tectonics, tectonic origin, positioned at the frontier between Burdur Province, Burdur and Isparta Province, Isparta provinces in southwestern Turkey. It has an area of 250 km2 and a maximu ...

. Its population is 95,436 (2021).

History

Ancient history

Whilst there is evidence of habitation in the province dating back to 6500 BC, the earliest sign of habitation in the city itself dates to Early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. Artifacts from this period have been found in the site of today's railway station. In antiquity, the area was part of the region of

Pisidia Pisidia (; , ; ) was a region of ancient Asia Minor located north of Pamphylia, northeast of Lycia, west of Isauria and Cilicia, and south of Phrygia, corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Antalya in Turkey. Among Pisidia's set ...

. It has been proposed that the city of Burdur has changed location a number of times; the ancient city of Limnombria ("Lake City") was closer to

than the modern city. It is known that in the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

era, the city existed with the name Polydorion (), from which the current name is derived. No remains of Polydorion survive to this day. Burdur may also occupy the site of a town called Praetoria.

Turkish settlement and the Hamidids

The history of the urban development of Burdur is generally held to begin with the Turkish settlement after the

Seljuq Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

victory at the

Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...

in 1071. In the late 11th century, the Kınalı tribe of the

Oghuz Turks The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...

captured the Burdur area and settled there. Turks became the majority of the population of the area after 1211, establishing a number of villages in addition to expanding the town. The first Turkish settlement was in an area known as Hamam Bendi that had a lower elevation than today's city but was farther to the lake than the ancient town of Limnombria. These residents used the site of today's

Grand Mosque of Burdur Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

as an open marketplace, known as Alanpazarı. Realising the high incidence of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

in the area they had settled, these residents then moved uphill, away from the lake. These first residents had not submitted to any state, but

Kilij Arslan II Kilij Arslan II () or ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd () ( Modern Turkish ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192. Reign In 1159, Kilij Arslan attacked Byzantine emperor Ma ...

, the Seljuq Sultan of Rum, captured the area in 1177 and imposed his sovereignty over the local tribes. The town remained under the undisputed sovereignty of the Sultanate of Rum between 1206 and 1260, when it was captured by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

. Developing commerce in the port of

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

increased the significance of Burdur as a centre of commerce.

Tragacanth Tragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern Fabaceae, legumes of the genus ''Astragalus (plant), Astragalus'', including ''Astragalus adscendens, A. adscendens'', ''Astragalus gummifer, A. gummifer ...

obtained from the mountains of Psidia, wine from

Kütahya Kütahya (; historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion; Ancient Greek, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk River, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the seat of Kütahya Province and Kütahya District. In 19 ...

, wax, wood and tar from many parts of Anatolia passed through Burdur, in exchange of which Egyptian spices, cotton and sugar was traded. In 1300, the

Hamidids Hamidids or Hamed dynasty ( Modern Turkish: ''Hamidoğulları'' or ''Hamidoğulları Beyliği'') also known as the Beylik of Hamid, was one of the 14th century Turkish Anatolian beyliks that emerged as a consequence of the decline of the Sultana ...

under

Dündar Bey Dündar Bey was the youngest son of the Kayı Bey Suleyman Shah or Gündüz Alp and the younger brother of Ertuğrul (13th century). He was the uncle of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Biography At the time of the division of the ...

captured Burdur. Dündar Bey had the Grand Mosque of Burdur built around a hilly area in 1300, and the town subsequently developed around the mosque. The Hamidids administered Burdur as a district under the town of

Eğirdir Eğirdir is a town in Isparta Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Eğirdir District.

. The

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

then captured Burdur in 1324 under the governor of Anatolia,

Timurtash Ala ud-Din Timurtash (died 1328; also Temürtaš or Timür-Tash) was a member of the Chobanids who dominated politics in the final years of the Ilkhanate. Early life He was born to Mongol emir and general Chupan as his second son . Timurtash ...

. Dündar Bey's son,

İshak Çelebi Ishak, Ishaq or Eshaq may refer to: * Ishak (name), list of people with this given name or surname * Isaaq, a Somali clan-family in the Horn of Africa * Ishaaq bin Ahmed, the forefather and common ancestor of the Isaaq clan-family * Atakapa, a Nat ...

, recaptured Burdur in 1328. Traveller

Ibn Battuta Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...

visited the town in 1330. In the account of his visit, he described Burdur as a town blessed with natural beauty and a number of orchards and farms, centred around the Burdur Castle near the Grand Mosque. No trace of the castle remains today except for the names of some of the streets, indicating that with the lack of a strategic requirement for a castle, it was gradually destroyed. The account also indicates the presence of a guild of

ahis The Ahi Brotherhood (, ), referred to as Ahi Republic in modern historiography, was a brotherhood union by Ahi Evran in Anatolia (around present-day Ankara) in the 13th and 14th centuries. Etymology The traditional explanation for the name ...

controlling commerce and production. By comparing the description of Burdur with the presentation of other cities such as Eğirdir,

Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...

and

Denizli Denizli is a city in Aegean Region, Aegean Turkey, and seat of the province of Denizli Province, Denizli. The city forms the urban part of the districts Merkezefendi and Pamukkale, Denizli, Pamukkale, with a population of 691 783 in 2024. Denizl ...

, it can be deduced that Burdur was a relatively minor urban centre with limited commerce. It was, nevertheless, still a stop on the trade route between

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

, the cities of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

and the ports of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. Burdur was captured by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1391, when

Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...

conquered the Hamidids. It was initially a district centre and a small town under the

Sanjak of Hamid The Sanjak of Hamid (also ''Hamideli'') was a second-level province (''sanjak'') of the Ottoman Empire. The ''sanjak'' comprised the region around the town of Isparta, which was ruled by the Hamidids, an autonomous Turkish dynasty that submitte ...

. As of 1478, Burdur had four quarters, three being Muslim and one being Christian. The largest of these was the Cami ("Mosque") quarter of the Muslims. There was a small Greek population living in the city until the

Population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. It involv ...

. An abandoned Greek church in the city has been turned into a museum with a giant dinosaur fossil a few years ago.

Climate

Burdur has a hot summer mediterranean climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Csa'') or a temperate oceanic climate (

Trewartha climate classification The Trewartha climate classification (TCC), or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC), is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köp ...

: ''Do''). It has chilly, wet and often snowy winters and hot, long and dry summers.

Education

Mehmet Akif Ersoy University is located in Burdur.

Notable residents

* Burdurlu Dervish Mehmed Pasha Ottoman Grand Vizier 1818-1820 * Burdurlu Ahmet Şükrü Pasha Ottoman Military Doctor, with major improvements in medical awards

References

External links

Site with a few picturesVery many pictures of the Archaeological MuseumBurdur News
{{Authority control Populated places in Burdur Province Burdur District Provincial municipalities in Turkey