Eğirdir is a town and district of
Isparta Province
Isparta Province ( tr, ) is a province in southwestern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Afyon to the northwest, Burdur to the southwest, Antalya to the south, and Konya to the east. It has an area of 8,993 km2 and a population of 448,298 ...
in the
Mediterranean region of
Turkey.
History
The town and the lake were formerly called ''Eğridir'', a Turkish pronunciation and possible appropriation of the town's old
Greek name Akrotori. Moreover, the name "Eğridir" means '(It) is bent.'.
The town was founded by the
Hittites before falling to the
Phrygians in around 1200 BC, and subsequently being conquered by the
Lydians, the
Persians and the forces of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
. The
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
called the town
Prostanna. During the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
era, when it acquired its name of ''Akrotiri'' ("peninsula"), it was the seat of a
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. The
Seljuks conquered it around 1080 and held it until the Hamidoğulları tribe made it the capital of a small principality in 1280, which lasted until 1381.
The 14th century traveller
Ibn Battuta described it as "a great and populous city with fine bazaars and running streams, fruit trees and orchards", which was situated beside "a lake of sweet water".
The
Ottomans took control in 1417. Most of its population consisted of Greek Orthodox people until the population exchanges of the 1920s.
Features
Eğirdir lies between
Lake Eğirdir
Eğirdir ( tr, Eğirdir Gölü, formerly ''Eğridir'') is a lake in the Lakes Region of Turkey. The town of Eğirdir lies near its southern end, 107 kilometers (67 mi) north of Antalya. With an area of it is the fourth largest lake in Turk ...
and the Mount Sivri, and contains the
Eğirdir Castle said to have been built by
Croesus
Croesus ( ; Lydian: ; Phrygian: ; grc, Κροισος, Kroisos; Latin: ; reigned: c. 585 – c. 546 BC) was the king of Lydia, who reigned from 585 BC until his defeat by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 547 or 546 BC.
Croesus was r ...
, king of
Lydia, although additions were built by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
,
Byzantines, and
Seljuks.
The population of Eğirdir was 19,469 in 2010, but swells in the summer months as part-time residents return for the holidays. Eğirdir is a fishing community and local residents fish in Lake Eğirdir year round.
Yeşil Ada (Turkish for "green island") is a small island connected to Eğirdir by a short causeway. Restaurants, hotels, pensions (pansyons or hostels), and a few private residences fill the island. Known for its past as a Greek village, Yeşıl Ada still has quite a few stone homes remaining from the Greek era.
Locals claim that Eğirdir is home to the world's only walk-through minaret.
See also
*
List of lakes in Turkey
*
Sirmione
Sirmione (Brescian: ; vec, Sirmion) is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a his ...
(
Sirmio
Sirmio is a promontory at the southern end of Lake Garda, projecting 3.3 kilometers (2.1 mi) into the lake. It is celebrated in connection with the Roman poet Catullus, as the large ruins of a Roman villa known as the Grottoes of Catullus on ...
peninsula) on
Lake Garda
Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy.
It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...
in
Italy
References
Gallery
File:Eğirdir View 005.jpg, Eğirdir View
File:Eğirdir Dündar Bey Medresesi and Hızır Bey Camii 3002.jpg, Eğirdir Dünbar Bey Medresesi and Hızır Bey Camii
File:Eğirdir Dünbar Bey Medresi and Hızır Bey Camii 019.jpg, Eğirdir Dünbar Bey Medresesi, Hızır Bey Camii
File:Dündar Bey Madrasa.jpg, Dündar Bey Madrasa
File:Eğirdir Dünbar Bey Medresi and Hızır Bey Camii 3009.jpg, Eğirdir Dünbar Bey Medresesi and Hızır Bey Camii years later
File:Eğirdir Hızır Bey Camii 2993.jpg, Eğirdir Hızır Bey Camii interior
File:Eğirdir Museum 031.jpg, Eğirdir Museum
File:Eğirdir, byzantinisch-seldschukische Burg.jpg, Eğirdir, byzantinisch-seldschukische Burg
External links
District municipality's official website
Egirdir, Turkey Information Website
Populated places in Isparta Province
Fishing communities in Turkey
Towns in Turkey
Cittaslow
{{Isparta-geo-stub