Kütahya (; historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion;
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western
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 ...
which lies on the
Porsuk River
The Porsuk River also Kocasu-Porsuk River (), ancient Tembris, is a river in Turkey, that flows for . The city of Eskişehir is located on the banks of this river. The river is dammed by the Porsuk dam, forming large reservoirs. The Porsuk flow ...
, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the seat of
Kütahya Province
Kütahya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in the Aegean Region, Aegean region of Turkey. Its area is 11,634 km2, and its population is 580,701 (2022). In 1990, Kütahya had a population of 578,000.
The neighboring provinces a ...
and
Kütahya District.
[İl Belediyesi]
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023. Its population is 263,863 (2022).
The region of Kütahya has large areas of gentle slopes with agricultural land culminating in high mountain ridges to the north and west.
History
Ancient
Although the exact date of its establishment cannot be determined, its history dates back to 3000 BC. According to old sources, the ancient name of Kütahya was Kotiaeon, Cotiaeum and Koti.
In the Iron Age the province was settled by the
Phrygians
The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity.
Ancient Greek authors used "Phrygian" as an umbrella term t ...
. The Phrygians, who came to Anatolia in 1200 BC, entered the lands of the
Hittite Empire
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
and organized as a state. In 676 BC, the
Cimmerians
The Cimmerians were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into W ...
defeated the Phrygian King Midas III and dominated the area and its surroundings. During the time when
Alyattes
Alyattes ( Lydian language: ; ; reigned c. 635 – c. 585 BC), sometimes described as Alyattes I, was the fourth king of the Mermnad dynasty in Lydia, the son of Sadyattes, grandson of Ardys, and great-grandson of Gyges. He died after a r ...
was the King of
Lydia
Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis.
At some point before 800 BC, ...
, the Cimmerian rule was replaced by the Lydian rule.
In 334 BC,
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
, who defeated the Persians near the
Biga River, established dominance in the region. With the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Kütahya and its region passed to one of his commanders,
Antigonos. In 133 BC, Cotyaion/Kotyaion (Κοτύαιον) came under
Roman
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 Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
rule and was called Cotyaeum.
Byzantine Period

The ancient world knew present-day Kütahya as Cotyaeum (Κοτύαιον). It became part of the
Roman province
The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...
of
Phrygia Salutaris
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.
Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...
, but in about 820 became the capital of the new province of Phrygia Salutaris III.
Church history
The most famous event of Christian Church history in Kütahya is the martyrdom of
Menas the Great Martyr and Wonderworker. The future saint Menas was born in 285 AD into a Christian family in Niceous, Egypt. He became a professional soldier in the
Roman Legion
The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...
at age 15 and served in Phrygia during the reign of Emperor
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
(284-305 AD). In 298, the Roman emperor published an edict ordering everyone to worship and sacrifice the Roman gods and the Legions were ordered to capture and persecute Christians. As a Christian, Menas could not sacrifice to the Roman gods or persecute his fellow Christians, so he threw down his soldiers belt (a symbol of rank) and left the military after three years of service. Menas went to a deserted mountain as a hermit to devote his whole life to Christ. In 304 C.E. after 5 years of desert solitude, Menas came Cotyaeum during a feast to Roman god and declared that he was Christian before Pyrrhus, the
Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect' ...
of Phrygia. The Prefect imprisoned Menas and ordered his torture and beheading on a rock outside the city that is still remembered in Kütahya today.
After becoming the capital of Phrygia Salutaris, the bishopric of Cotyaeum changed from being a
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
of
Synnada to a
metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ...
, although with only three suffragan sees according to the ''
Notitia Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church.
In the Roman Church (the mos ...
'' of
Byzantine Emperor
The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well read, leading to his epithet. During ...
(886-912), which is dated to around 901–902. According to the 6th-century historian
John Malalas
John Malalas (; ; – 578) was a Byzantine chronicler from Antioch in Asia Minor.
Life
Of Syrian descent, Malalas was a native speaker of Syriac who learned how to write in Greek later in his life. The name ''Malalas'' probably derive ...
,
Cyrus of Panopolis
Flavius Taurus Seleucus Cyrus ( 426–441), better known as Cyrus of Panopolis () from his birthplace of Panopolis in Roman Egypt, Egypt, was a senior East Roman Empire, East Roman official, epic poet, philosopher and a lover of Greek arts. He liv ...
, who had been prefect of the city of Constantinople, was sent there as bishop by Emperor
Theodosius II
Theodosius II ( ; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), called "the Calligraphy, Calligrapher", was Roman emperor from 402 to 450. He was proclaimed ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' as an infant and ruled as the Eastern Empire's sole emperor after the ...
(408-50), after four bishops of the city had been killed. (Two other sources make Cyrus bishop of
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
instead.) The bishopric of Cotyaeum was headed in 431 by Domnius, who attended the
Council of Ephesus
The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...
, and in 451 by Marcianus, who was at the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; ) was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 Oct ...
. A source cited by
Le Quien
Michel Le Quien (8 October 1661, Boulogne-sur-Mer – 12 March 1733, Paris) was a French historian and theologian.
Biography
Le Quien studied at , Paris, and at twenty entered the Dominican convent in Faubourg Saint-Germain, where he made ...
says that a bishop of Cotyaeum named Eusebius was at the
Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and re ...
in 553. Cosmas was at the
Third Council of Constantinople
The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical a ...
in 680–681. Ioannes, a deacon, represented an unnamed bishop of Cotyaeum at the
Trullan Council
The Quinisext Council (; , literally meaning, ''Fifth-Sixth Meeting''), i.e., the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at Constantinople under Ju ...
in 692. Bishop Constantinus was at the
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics and others. ...
in 692, and Bishop Anthimus at the
Photian Council of Constantinople (879)
The Fourth Council of Constantinople was held in 879–880. It confirmed the reinstatement of Photius I as patriarch of Constantinople.
The result of this council is accepted by the Eastern Orthodox as having the authority of an ecumenical c ...
, No longer a residential bishopric, Cotyaeum is today listed by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
as a
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
.
Justinian fortifications
Under the reign of Byzantine Emperor
Justinian I
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
the town was fortified with a double-line of walls and citadel.
Seljuk, Crusader and Ottoman periods
Political history, 11th century-1867
In 1071 Cotyaeum (or Kotyaion) briefly fell to the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...
, later being recaptured by the Byzantines. It was again captured by the Seljuks in the 1180’s and changed hands several more times, being captured by the
Germiyanids,
Timur-Leng (Tamerlane), until finally being incorporated into 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 1428. It was initially the center of
Anatolia Eyalet
The Eyalet of Anatolia () was one of the two core provinces (Rumelia being the other) in the early years of the Ottoman Empire. It was established in 1393. By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters Its capital was first Ankara in central Anatolia, bu ...
until 1827, when the
Hüdavendigâr Eyalet was formed. It was later center of the sancak within the borders of the
Hüdavendigâr Vilayet
The Hüdavendigâr Vilayet () or Bursa Vilayet after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of .[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha ( ''Ibrāhīm Bāshā''; 1789 – 10 November 1848) was an Egyptian general and politician; he was the commander of both the Egyptian and Ottoman armies and the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman Wāli and unrecognized Khedi ...]
briefly occupied it in 1833.
Armenian ceramics
During this time a large number of Christian
Armenians
Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
settled in Kotyaion/Kütahya, where they came to dominate the tile-making and ceramic-ware production. Kütahya emerged as a renowned center for the Ottoman ceramic industry, producing tiles and
faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...
for mosques, churches, and official buildings in places all over the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. The craft industry of
Armenian ceramics in Jerusalem was started by Armenian ceramicist , master of a Kütahya workshop between 1907 and 1915, who was deported from Kütahya in early 1916, during the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
, and rediscovered, living as a refugee in Aleppo in 1918, by Sir
Mark Sykes
Colonel Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet (16 March 1879 – 16 February 1919) was an English traveller, Conservative Party politician, and diplomatic advisor, particularly with regard to the Middle East at the time of the First ...
, a former patron. Sykes connected him to the new military governor of Jerusalem,
Sir Ronald Storrs, and arranged for Ohannessian to travel to Jerusalem to participate in a planned British restoration of the
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock () is an Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem. It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the List_of_the_ol ...
.
Today two families originating from Kutahya, the Balian and Karakashian families continue the tradition of Armenian Ceramics in East Jerusalem. The Balian studio is known underthe name th
Armenian Ceramics -Balianand that is where the late
Marie Balian transformed the art of ceramic tile murals to a much higher level of art than imagined.
Fortifications
The fortifications of the city and its environs, which were vital to the security and economic prosperity of the region, were built and rebuilt from antiquity through the Ottoman period.
However, the dates assigned to the many periods of construction and the assessment of the military architecture are open to various interpretations.
Late 19th-early 20th century history
At the end of the nineteenth century the population of the
kaza
A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...
of Kütahya numbered 120,333, of which 4,050 were
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
, 2,533
Armenians
Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
, 754
Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, and the remainder
Turks and other Muslim ethnicities.
[Hovannisian and Manuk-Khaloyan, "The Armenian Communities of Asia Minor," p. 34.] Kütahya and the district itself were spared the ravages of the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
of 1915, when the Ottoman governor, Faruk Ali Bey, went to extreme lengths to protect the Armenian population from being uprooted and sent away on death marches.
However, Faruk Ali Bey was removed from office in March 1916, and the city's Armenian community suffered in the aftermath under the rule of his successor, Ahmet Mufti Bey. Kütahya was occupied by the
Greek Army
The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...
on 17 July 1921 after
Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
during the
Turkish War of Independence
, strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...
and was then captured in ruins by the
Turkish Army
The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...
after the
Battle of Dumlupınar
The Battle of Dumlupınar (, ), or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief () in Turkey, was one of the important battles in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) (part of the Turkish War of Independence). The battle was fought from 26 ...
during the
Great Offensive
The Great Offensive () was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kingdom of Greece, ending ...
on 30 August 1922.
Economy

The industries of Kütahya have long traditions, going back to ancient times.
Kütahya is famous for its
kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...
products, such as
tiles
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...
and
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
, which are glazed and multicoloured. Modern industries are
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
refining,
tanning,
nitrate
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...
processing and different products of
meerschaum, which is extracted nearby.
In the Ottoman period, Kütahya was a major cotton production center of the empire. Modern local agricultural industry produces
cereals
A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...
,
fruits
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
and
sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...
. In addition
stock
Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...
raising is of much importance. Not far from Kütahya there are important
mines extracting
lignite
Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...
.
Kütahya is linked by rail and road with
Balıkesir
Balıkesir () is a city in the Marmara Region, Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province ...
to the west, İstanbul 360km to the northwest,
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 ...
to the southeast,
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 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630.
The city is l ...
northeast and
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
east.
Traditional ceramics
A small
ewer
In American English, a pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring liquids. In English-speaking countries outside North America, a jug is any container with a handle and a mouth and spout for liquid – American "pitchers" wi ...
, now in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
, gave its name to a category of similar blue and white
fritware
Fritware, also known as stone-paste, is a type of pottery in which ground glass (frit) is added to clay to reduce its fusion temperature. The mixture may include quartz or other siliceous material. An organic compound such as gum or glue may b ...
pottery known as 'Abraham of Kütahya ware'. It has an inscription in
Armenian script
The Armenian alphabet (, or , ) or, more broadly, the Armenian script, is an alphabetic writing system developed for Armenian and occasionally used to write other languages. It is one of the three historical alphabets of the South Caucasu ...
under the glaze on its base stating that it commemorated Abraham of Kütahya with a date of 1510.
['Abraham of Kütahya' ewer, British Museum Accession Code]
G.1
/ref> In 1957 Arthur Lane published an influential article in which he reviewed the history of pottery production in the region and proposed that 'Abraham of Kütahya' ware was produced from 1490 until around 1525, 'Damascus' and 'Golden Horn' ware were produced from 1525 until 1555 and 'Rhodian' ware from around 1555 until the demise of the İznik pottery
Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century. Turkish stylization is a reflectio ...
industry at the beginning of the 18th century. This chronology has been generally accepted.
Climate
Kütahya has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(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 ...
: ''Csb''), or a temperate continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
(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 ...
: ''Dc''), with chilly, wet, often snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation occurs mostly during the winter and spring, but can be observed throughout the year.
Highest recorded temperature: on 15 August 2023
Lowest recorded temperature: on 29 December 1948
Culture
Kütahya's old neighbourhoods are dominated by traditional Ottoman houses made of wood and stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
, some of the best examples being found along Germiyan Caddesi. It has many historical mosques such as Ulu Camii, Cinili Camii, Balikli Camii and Donenler Camii. The Şengül Hamamı is a famous Turkish bath located in the city
The town preserves some ancient ruins, a Byzantine castle and church. During late centuries Kütahya has been renowned for its Turkish earthenware, of which fine specimens may be seen at the national capital. The Kütahya Museum has a fine collection of arts and cultural artifacts from the area, the house where Hungarian statesman Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (; ; ; ; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman and governor-president of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, r ...
lived in exile between 1850 and 1851 is preserved as a museu
File:Kutahya Sultanbagi Region 8791.jpg, Kütahya Old houses in Sultanbağı region
File:Kutahya Sultanbagi Region 8933.jpg, Kütahya Old houses in Sultanbağı region
File:Kutahya City Museum 9080.jpg, Kütahya City Museum
File:Kutahya City Museum 9089.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Felt maker
File:Kutahya City Museum 9093.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Saddle maker
File:Kutahya City Museum october 2018 9119.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Biscuit maker
File:Kutahya archaeological museum 1002.jpg, Kütahya archaeological museum Stele
File:Kutahya Ceramics museum 1002.jpg, Kutahya Ceramics museum
File:Kutahya Ceramics museum 1781.jpg, Kutahya Ceramics museum Figurines
File:Kutahya Kossuth Museum 8747.jpg, Kütahya Lajos Kossuth house
File:Kutahya Kossuth Museum 8767.jpg, Kütahya Lajos Kossuth house
File:Kutahya Ulu Cami 9050.jpg, Kütahya Ulu Cami
File:Kutahya Dönenler Cami 1835.jpg, Kutahya Dönenler Mosque
File:Kutahya Dönenler Cami 1840.jpg, Kütahya Dönenler Mosque
File:Kutahya Castle Hill 8800 Panorama.jpg, Kütahya Castle Hill
Education
The Main Campus and the Germiyan Campus of the Kütahya Dumlupınar University
Kütahya Dumlupınar University is a public university in Kütahya, Turkey. The university began to operate as a new institution under the name of Kütahya Dumlupınar University on 3 July 1992, with the force of governmental decree numbered ...
are located in the city.
Transport
The main bus station has bus links to most major Turkish cities. Zafer Airport
Zafer Airport () is an international regional airport that serves the cities of Kütahya, Afyonkarahisar and Uşak in Turkey. The airport opened on 25 November 2012.
Location
Zafer Airport is located in the Kuyucak village of Altıntaş distric ...
is active. Kütahya is also the main railroad endpoint for the Aegean region
The Aegean region () is one of the 7 Geographical regions of Turkey, geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya.
Located in w ...
.
International relations
Kütahya is twinned with:
* Bavly, Tatarstan
Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...
, Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
* Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Fo ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
* Pécs
Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
, Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
* Anqing
Anqing ( zh, s=, t=安慶, p=Ānqìng, l=, also Yicheng, Nganking and formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province of China, province, China, People's Republic of China. Its popu ...
, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
* Danniyeh, Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
Notable people
* Alexander of Cotiaeum (c.70-80CE – c.150CE), Greek grammarian
* Evliya Çelebi
Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
(1611–1682), traveler and author.
* Komitas
Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas (; 22 October 1935), was an Ottoman-Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of musi ...
(1869–1935), Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
composer, musicologist
* Âsım Gündüz (1889–1970), military officer in Ottoman and Turkish armies
* Hisarlı Ahmet (1908–1984), ashik
An ashik (; ) or ashugh (; ka, :ka:აშუღი, აშუღი) is traditionally a List of oral repositories, singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as ''Azeri hikaye, hikaye' ...
(folk poet-singer)
* Mustafa Kalemli (born 1943), politician
* Ayla Dikmen (1944–1990), singer
* Abdullah Aymaz (born 1949), writer, journalist
* Aydilge Sarp (born 1979), singer
* Halil Akkaş (born 1983), middle-distance runner
* Özge Kırdar (born 1985), volleyball player
* Veli Kızılkaya (born 1985), football player
* Danla Bilic (born 1994), internet personality
* Hande Baladın (born 1997), volleyball player
See also
* Aizanoi
Aizanoi (), Latinized as Aezani, was a Phrygian city in western Anatolia. It was located at the site of the modern village of Çavdarhisar, near Kütahya, on both sides of the Penkalas river, c. above sea level. The city was an important polit ...
, nearby ancient city
* Anatolian Tigers
In the context of the Turkish economy, Anatolian Tigers () are a number of cities in Turkey which have displayed impressive growth records since the 1980s, as well as a defined breed of entrepreneurs rising in prominence and who can often be trac ...
* Evliya Çelebi Way
* Iznik pottery
Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century. Turkish stylization is a reflectio ...
, ceramics style known from Iznik and Kütahya
* Kumari (Kutahya)
Gallery
File:Rüstem paşa medresesi.jpg, Rüstem Pasha Madrasa
File:Kütahya çinili cami şadırvanı.JPG, Tiled Mosque
File:Evliya çelebi'nin evi müzesi.JPG, Evliya Çelebi Museum
File:Anasultan türbesi2.jpg, Mother Sultan
File:Kütahya,kale - panoramio.jpg, Kütahya Castle
File:Kütahya hükûmet konağı.jpg, Government House
File:Kütahya ulu cami doğu.JPG, Grand Mosque
References
Sources
External links
The Government of Kütahya
Province Culture And Tourism Directorate
City of Tiles
Pictures from Kütahya
Kütahya weather forecast information
Photos from another source of ancient Roman city of Aizanoi in Kütahya province
A website about a nitrate processing factory in Kütahya
A website about the sugar refinery facility in Kütahya
Official website of Kütahya Ceramic Company
Kütahya Photo Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutahya
Populated places in Kütahya District
Provincial municipalities in Turkey
Former Armenian communities in Turkey
Capitals of former nations