Emirdağ is a town and district of

Afyonkarahisar Province Afyonkarahisar Province ( tr, ), also called more simply Afyon Province, is a province in western Turkey. Adjacent provinces are Kütahya to the northwest, Uşak to the west, Denizli to the southwest, Burdur to the south, Isparta to the southea ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, between the city of

Afyon Afyonkarahisar (, tr, afyon "poppy, opium", ''kara'' "black", ''hisar'' "fortress") is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in the mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along t ...

and

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from "old" and "city") is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 898,369 with a metropolitan population of 797,708. The city is located on the banks of the ...

. The district covers an area of 2,009 km², and the population (2014) is 38,269 of which 19,093 live in the town of Emirdağ itself. The mayor is Cengiz Pala ( AKP). The Emir Mountains rise steeply behind the town. The region is vulnerable to earthquakes. The weather is very cold in winter.

Etymology

During the Hellenistic era the name of Emirdağ was Amorion ( el, Ἀμόριον, Amórion). After the Arab conquests of Anatolia the city was known as Ammūriye by Arab-Islamic sources. The Ottomans called the settlement Hergen Kale, which refers to its old city. After 17th century, the city was named as Muslucalı (Which means "from

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

") due to migrations of Turkmens from Mosul Vilayet and

Rakka Eyalet ota, ایالت رقهEyalet-i Rakka , common_name = Rakka Eyalet , subdivision = Eyalet , nation = the Ottoman Empire , year_start = 1586 , year_end = 1864 , date_start ...

. From 1867 until 1932, the town was called Azîziyye in honour of Sultan Abdulaziz. In 1932 the name Emirdağ was given by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk which derives from the Seljuk commander Emir Ahmed Mengücek, who defeated the

Byzantine Empire 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 ...

at the Battle of Bolybotum, and rested on the

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

near the area. Therefore the mountains were called Emir (

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

) and dağları (mountains).

History

The area has been occupied since at least 1437 BC by a succession of peoples beginning with

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...

Lydians The Lydians (known as ''Sparda'' to the Achaemenids, Old Persian cuneiform 𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭) were Anatolian people living in Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spoke the distinctive Lydian language, an Indo-European language of the ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ns, and

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

. The ruins of the

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

and

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 ...

city of

Amorium Amorium was a city in Phrygia, Asia Minor which was founded in the Hellenistic period, flourished under the Byzantine Empire, and declined after the Arab sack of 838. It was situated on the Byzantine military road from Constantinople to Cil ...

lie about 12 km east of Emirdağ. Amorium was one of the four principal Byzantine cities in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

, and was the home of the Byzantine Amorian dynasty. It was conquered in 838-845 by the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

Caliph

Al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd ( ar, أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling ...

. The area was settled by Turkmen from 1068 onwards and particularly following the battle of nearby

Bolvadin Bolvadin (Ancient Greek: Πολύβοτον/Πολύβοτος and Latin: ''Polybotum''/''Polybotus'') is a city of Afyonkarahisar Province in Turkey. It is the seat of Bolvadin District.Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

. Later further waves of Turkmen followed including the

Dulkadirids The Anatolian beylik of Dulkadir (Modern Turkish: ''Dulkadiroğulları Beyliği''), was one of the frontier principalities established by the Turkoman clans Bayat, Afshar and Begdili after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Capitals ...

; Yörük nomads were settled here by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. During the Greco-Turkish War, Emirdağ was occupied by Greek forces from 16 August 1921 till 22 September 1921.

Emirdağ today

Many Turkish migrants in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

originally came from Emirdağ and the surrounding villages, including Karacalar where there is a strong

Alevi Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...

minority. People originally went abroad to work as miners in the 1950s and nowadays are typically occupied with running restaurants, cafes, and bars. This emigration helps to explain why the population growth in Emirdağ in recent decades has been less than most Anatolian towns (the population of the town in 1960 was 10,069). It also means that in summer the district is swollen with local families returning on vacation. Many of these families have invested their savings in apartment buildings, offices and shops in Emirdağ. This is still a typical Turkish country town and quite conservative; the tea-gardens are segregated into areas for families and single men. There are some basic restaurants and internet cafes. There is a jandarma training camp in Emirdağ and the army is important for the economy of the town in winter. The local cuisine includes arabaşı, a soup with dumplings.

Politics

Ugur Serdar Kargın ( MHP) is elected as new mayor in 2014. The council had an ''alderman for external affairs'' in 2004–2009, Metin Edeer ( MHP), who has been living in

Schaerbeek (French and archaic Dutch, ) or (contemporary Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Etterbeek, Evere and S ...

(

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

) since 1978, where he runs two restaurants and presided over an association of people from Emirdağ (EYAD); he visits Emirdağ during the summer holidays. Previous mayors: *Lütfi Ihsan Dag,

AK Party The Justice and Development Party ( tr, Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, ; AKP), abbreviated officially AK Party in English, is a political party in Turkey self-describing as conservative-democrat. It is one of the two major parties of contempora ...

(2004-2009) *Ismet Güler, CHP (1994-2004) *Ali Kocaman, DYP (1989-1994) *Ömer Faruk Pala, SHP (1985-1989) *Erol Sarıer, ANAP (1984-1985) *Hacı Ali Kılıçalp, AP (1968-1982)

Mayors and electoral results in the district

There are 6 municipalities (''belediye'') in the district, and 57 villages (''köy'') *Emirdağ: Cengiz Pala (

) *Adayazı: Cema Güçlü ( CHP) *Aşağı Piribeyli: Recep Çelik ( MHP) *Bademli: Musa Karamanlı ( MHP) *Davulga: Salih Gündoğan (

) *Gömü: Hakkı Tekin (

)

Population Statistics

The statistics of the population of Emirdağ since 2007 according to TUIK
Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu
are as follows:

Muhacir settlements

According to

Sevan Nişanyan Sevan Nişanyan ( hyw, Սեւան Նշանեան; born 21 December 1956) is a Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist. An author of a number of books ("The Wrong Republic", "The Etymological Dictionary" and others), Nişanyan was awarded the Ayşe ...

's ''Index Anatolicus'', several villages in the area of Davulga were originally Azeri settlements: İncik, Karakuyu, Daydalı, Davulga itself, Avdan, Eşrefli, Yeniköy, Gelincik (before 1928: Vahdetiye), Yarıkkaya and Aşağıaliçomak. The village of Yusufağa was founded in 1901 by Bulgarian emigrants.Sevan Nişanyan,
Yusufağa
, ''Index Anatolicus''

Emirdağ Folk Songs

Emirdağ Folk Songs are very famous. Some Emirdağ Folk Songs: * Al Fadimem * Emirdağ'ı Birbirine Ulalı * Harmana Sererler * Su vermez Diyorlar * Zalım Poyraz * Dabandan * Düz Oyun * Pancar Ektim Emirdağ'ın Düzüne * Ağıl Ören * Yoğurt Çaldım Kazana * Yalan mıydı Yaşar * Ekizce Üstünde Bir Karabulut * Emirdağ'ın Güzelleri * Kuşburnu Pürlenir mi * Ta Yaylanın Yükseğinde Evleri * Erzurum'dan Çevirdiler Yolumu * Eylülde Gel * Emirdağı'na Vardım Sabaha Karşı

Settlements

* Ablak, Emirdağ * Adayazı, Emirdağ * Alibeyce, Emirdağ * Avdan, Emirdağ * Ağılcık, Emirdağ * Aşağıaliçomak, Emirdağ * Aşağıkurudere, Emirdağ * Aşağıpiribeyli, Emirdağ * Bademli, Emirdağ * Balcam, Emirdağ * Bağlıca, Emirdağ * Başkonak, Emirdağ * Beyköy, Emirdağ * Beyören, Emirdağ * Burunarkaç, Emirdağ * Büyüktuğluk, Emirdağ * Camili, Emirdağ * Davulga, Emirdağ * Daydalı, Emirdağ * Dağılgan, Emirdağ * Dağınık, Emirdağ * Demircili, Emirdağ * Dereköy, Emirdağ * Ekizce, Emirdağ * Elhan, Emirdağ *Emirdağ * Emirinköyü, Emirdağ * Eskiakören, Emirdağ * Eşrefli, Emirdağ * Gedikevi, Emirdağ *

Gelincik, Emirdağ Gelincik is a village in the Emirdağ District, Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anato ...

* Gökçeyaka, Emirdağ * Gömü, Emirdağ * Gözeli, Emirdağ * Güneyköy, Emirdağ * Güneysaray, Emirdağ * Güveççi, Emirdağ * Hamzahacılı, Emirdağ * Hisar, Emirdağ * Karaağaç, Emirdağ * Karacalar, Emirdağ * Karakuyu, Emirdağ * Karayatak, Emirdağ * Kılıçlar, Emirdağ * Kılıçlı Kavlaklı, Emirdağ * Kırkpınar, Emirdağ * Kuruca, Emirdağ * Kurudere, Emirdağ * Leylekli, Emirdağ * Salihler, Emirdağ * Sığracık, Emirdağ * Soğukkuyu, Emirdağ * Suvermez, Emirdağ * Tabaklar, Emirdağ * Tepeköy, Emirdağ * Tezköy, Emirdağ * Toklucak, Emirdağ * Topdere, Emirdağ * Türkmen, Emirdağ * Türkmenakören, Emirdağ * Umraniye, Emirdağ * Veysel, Emirdağ * Yarıkkaya, Emirdağ * Yarımca, Emirdağ * Yavuz, Emirdağ * Yenikapı, Emirdağ * Yeniköy, Emirdağ * Yukarıkurudere, Emirdağ * Yusufağa, Emirdağ * Yüreğil, Emirdağ * Çatallı, Emirdağ * Çaykışla, Emirdağ * Çiftlikköy, Emirdağ * Örenköy, Emirdağ * Özkan, Emirdağ * İncik, Emirdağ

Notable natives

Emirdağ has long had a rich folk culture and has given us many folk songs ( türkü) and singers including in the 20th century. *

Kubat Kubat is a surname. Those bearing it include: * Bohumil Kubát (1935–2016) Czechoslovakian wrestler * Michaela Kubat (born 1969), German footballer * Kubat (singer) Ramazan Kubat (born 4 October 1974), better known as Kubat, is a Turkish f ...

- popular singer specialising in a hybrid of Turkish folk music with electronic instruments. He was brought up in Belgium of an Emirdağ family. * Azra Akın - Miss World 2002, brought up in the

of an Emirdağ family. *

Tevfik Başer Tevfik Başer (born 12 January 1951) is a Turkish-German film director and screenwriter. His film ''Lebewohl, Fremde'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Filmography * '' Zwischen Gott und Erde'' ...

- film director * Bülent Akın -

Footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who has played for Turkish giants

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

and English club Bolton Wanderers *

Fuat Çapa Fuat Çapa (born 15 August 1968) is a Turkish football manager. Career Çapa coached in Belgium before moving on to Turkey. His career in Belgium spanned four years as he held positions with K.V. Turnhout, K. Patro Maasmechelen, K. Beringen-Heu ...

- Belgian-Turkish football manager. * Cemal Çavdarlı - Former Belgian member of Parliament *Necdet Sağlam - Director at Association Civil Society and Development Institute, Anadolu University

References

External links

Christopher S. Lightfoot, ''Trade and Industry in Byzantine Anatolia – The Evidence from Amorium'', 2005 (abstract)

Archaeological site of Amorium

Emirdağ Municipality web site

News about Emirdağ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emirdag Populated places in Afyonkarahisar Province Populated places in Emirdağ District Archaeological sites in the Aegean Region Cities in Turkey Districts of Afyonkarahisar Province Amorium