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Yozgat is a city and the capital district of Yozgat Province in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. According to 2019 census, population of the district is 421,200 of which 106,280 live in the city of Yozgat.


History

The first surveys were started in the year 1993. Since then archaeologists have uncovered countless artifacts belonging to 5 different ancient civilizations from the area and as well as artifacts that belong to 5 different eras – the Bronze, Hellenistic, Hittite, Copper and Upper Byzantine eras. Surface excavations and surveys were also undertaken on the Kerkenes plateau by Dr. Geoffery Summers, a British archaeologist. The plateau is believed to be the home to the lost city of Pteria. The search for this lost city as well as other old world constructions began in 2013, and it plans to go on till the month of August as well. The expedition covers an area which is surrounded by walls and is known to date back to almost 2600 years. According to historical reports, Pteria was destroyed, burned and abandoned during the Battle of Pteria between the Lydians and the Medes. This battle ended during a solar eclipse on 28 May 585 BC, and it was understood to be an
omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...
that the gods wanted the fighting to stop. Another excavation site in the region that deserves to be mentioned is in Kusaklu Tumulus. A team headed by Dr. Stefania Mazzoni has been working at the site since the year 2008, and it is believed that the Hittite civilization as well as the city of Zippalandawas once existed in the region. As a part of these excavations a 2000-year-old Roman bath that was said to be used to heal people from their wounds has been discovered. Traces of the Roman,
Seljuq Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) 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 * Seljuk (warlord) (d ...
, Byzantine and Ottoman eras have also been found in the region. With so much of history yet to be uncovered from a single city,
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
s remain hopeful of unearthing many more wonders of the ancient world in the next few months. It has already been proved that the area was home to numerous civilizations that date all the way back to the Roman era. Archaeologists remain hopeful of managing to unearth many more old world structures and secrets as time passes by. After the old administrative center of the region, Tavium (
Büyüknefes Büyüknefes is a town established on the ruins of Tavium, capital city of the Galatians. There is a fountain located in the middle of the village which, according to its inscription, dates back to 1843-1844. It is a rectangular fountain, made o ...
), became ruined, a new centre was created by Çapanoğlu, the founder of a powerful derebey family and called Bozok.


Ottoman era

The Ottoman Empire annexed Yozgat in 1398. At around 1911, it was the chief town of a sanjak of the same name in the
Ankara Vilayet The Vilayet of Angora ( ota, ولايت آنقره, Vilâyet-i Ankara) or Ankara was a first-level administrative division ( vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, centered on the city of Angora (Ankara) in north-central Anatolia, which included most of ...
. There was a trade in yellow madder (
Stil de grain yellow Stil de grain yellow or sap green is a pigment derived from berries of the buckthorn species ''Rhamnus saxatilis'', which are commonly called Avignon berries or Persian berries after two historical areas of supply; latterly Italy was a major so ...
) and mohair. The sanjak was very fertile, and contained good breeding-grounds in which cattle, horses and even camels were reared for the local agriculture and foreign trade. Yozgat was the site of a prisoner of war camp in the First World War, holding British and Empire officers captured at the Siege of Kut, including E. H. Jones and
C. W. Hill Cedric Waters Hill (3 April 1891 – 5 March 1975) was an Australian officer in the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Air Force who, together with E. H. Jones, escaped from the Yozgat prisoner of war camp in Turkey during the First World ...
, whose escape attempts were recounted in the book ''The Road to En-dor''.


Geography

The town is located at an elevation of 4,380 ft (1,335 m), situated 105 mi (170 km) east of Ankara, near the head of a narrow valley through which the Ankara–Sivas road runs. Like much of the Anatolian Plateau, the lands around Yozgat have been deforested over thousands of years of human habitation. This makes the climate and weather harsh, in summers and winters. However, Turkey has taken great steps to reforest at least some of the region.


Climate

Yozgat has a
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
( Köppen: ''Dsb,''
Trewartha Trewartha and Andrewartha are Cornish family names (and placename, Dexter). There are places called Trewartha in the parishes of Merther, St Agnes, St Neot and Veryan. According to the ''Handbook of Cornish Names'' by G. Pawley White, "Trew ...
'': Dc'') with cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Hottest month averages at during the day. Winter temperatures can drop as low as at the height of the season.


Sights

The main sights of the city of Yozgat are the
Yozgat Clock Tower Yozgat Clock Tower is situated in the middle of the square in Yozgat city center, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, trans ...
built in 1908 and the
Çapanoğlu Mosque The Çapanoglu Mosque is a mosque in the city of Yozgat, Turkey. Influenced by European architectural styles, the mosque was constructed in two parts, by members of the Çapanoğlu dynasty, Çapanoglu family: the first part was constructed by Ç ...
built by the Çapanoğlu family, who are the founders of Yozgat.
Yozgat Pine Grove National Park The Yozgat Pine Grove National Park ( tr, Yozgat Çamlığı Millî Parkı) is a national park consisting of pine trees in Yozgat, Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It was established on February 5, 1958 as the country's first national park. Th ...
is an area of in which different types of pine trees grow, some up to 500 years old.


Sport

The city's football team Yozgatspor plays in the
Turkish Regional Amateur League The Turkish Regional Amateur League ( tr, Bölgesel Amatör Ligi) is the fifth tier of the Turkish football league system. The tier comprises a number (usually 11-13, varies by season) of groups across Turkey, each consisting of teams grouped ac ...
.


Notable people

* Agah Efendi (1832–1885), journalist, publisher of the first Turkish newspaper *
Nasuh Akar Nasuh Akar (10 May 1925 – 18 May 1984) was a Turkish sports wrestler, who won the gold medal in the Bantamweight class of Men's Freestyle category at the 1948 Olympics. Wrestling career He was born in the village Yiğitler of Boğazlıyan dis ...
(1925–1984), Olympic gold medalist wrestler *
Celal Atik Celal Atik (1918 – 27 April 1979) was a Turkish wrestler and coach. He competed both in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, but had his best achievements in the freestyle, winning gold medals at the 1948 Olympics, 1951 World and 1946 and 194 ...
(1918–1979), Olympic gold medalist wrestler * Bekir Bozdağ (1965), Deputy prime minister *
Cemil Çiçek Cemil Çiçek (; born 15 November 1946) is a Turkish politician who was the Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 4 July 2011 and 7 June 2015. Previously he was Minister of Justice from 2002 to 2007 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2007 to ...
(1946), Speaker of Turkish Grand National Assembly *
Aylin DaÅŸdelen Aylin DaÅŸdelen (born 1 January 1982 in YiÄŸitler village, Yenifakılı, Yozgat, Turkey) is a European champion Turkish female weightlifter competing in the Women's 53 kg and 58 kg divisions. At the championships held 2003 in Loutrak ...
(1982), European champion female weightlifter * John Ilhan (1965–2007), Turkish-Australian businessman *
Lütfullah Kayalar Lütfullah Kayalar (born 1952 in Yozgat, Turkey) is a Turkish lawyer from profession and politician, who served twice as government minister. He graduated from the Law School of Ankara University with a Bachelor of Laws degree. He entered politi ...
(1952), former Minister of Finance *
Soner Özbilen Soner Özbilen (born 1947) is a Turkish folk singer, conductor, and compiler. The origins are Albania (Kosovo) Early life Soner Özbilen was born in Boğazlıyan in 1947 from Albanian parents, they were immigrants from Kosovo. He finished p ...
(1947), folk singer *
Bozoklu Mustafa Pasha Bozoklu Mustafa Pasha (1638 – December 1698) was an Ottoman statesman who served as grand vizier from 1693 to 1694. His epithet ''Bozoklu'' means "from Bozok" (modern Yozgat, Turkey).İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı, Türki ...
(1693–1694), Ottoman Grand Vizier *
Yusuf Izzet Pasha Yusuf Izzet Pasha (; born 1876 in Yozgat – died April 15, 1922 in Ankara) was a Turkish general of Circassian origin, who served both the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turki ...
(1876–1922), Ottoman and Turkish general *
Mehmet Topuz Mehmet Topuz (born 7 September 1983) is a former Turkey, Turkish football (soccer), footballer, who last played for Fenerbahçe S.K. (football team), Fenerbahçe. Club career Topuz had begun his career in Yolspor, a local club located in Kayseri. ...
(1983), footballer * Mehmet Nidâ Tüfekçi (1929–1993), folk singer *
Mehmet Yıldız Mehmet Yıldız (born September 14, 1981 in Yozgat, Turkey) is a Turkish football player. He last played as a striker for Ankaragücü. Career Mehmet spent much time being loaned out from Sivasspor and also being sold a couple of times. Fir ...
(1981), footballer *
Nubar Ozanyan Nubar Ozanyan ( hy, Նուպար Օզանեան, born Fermun Çırak, 1956–2017) was a Turkish-born Armenian radical communist revolutionary, who served as a commander in the militant Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist (TKP/ML). Fight ...
(1956-2017), Turkish-born Armenian communist


References

*


External links


District governor's official website
__NOTOC__ {{Authority control Districts of Yozgat Province