UÅŸak () is a city in the interior part of the
Aegean Region of
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 ...
. It is the seat of
UÅŸak Province and
UÅŸak District.
[İl Belediyesi]
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023. Its population is 236,366 (2022).
UÅŸak city is situated at a distance of from
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
, the region's principal metropolitan center and port city. Benefiting from its location at the crossroads of the
Central Anatolian plateau and the coastal
Aegean Region, and from a climate and agricultural production incorporating elements of both of these zones, UÅŸak has also traditionally had a strong industrial base. UÅŸak was the first city in Turkey to have an urban electricity network, and the first city where a collective
labor relations agreement was signed, during the
Ottoman era, between
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
industry employees and workers. It was here that the first factory of
Republican Turkey, a
sugar refinery, was set up through a private sector initiative among local businessmen. The tradition of industriousness continues today around two
industrial zones.
History
The first known organized states to have ruled over the region of present-day UÅŸak were the
Phrygians in the eastern portion and the
Lydians in the west during the seventh century BC. The
Karun Treasure, discovered by clandestine
treasure hunters in UÅŸak in 1965, and whose smuggling outside Turkey and subsequent retrieval decades later from New York City's
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
made international headlines, gives an indication of the high degree of civilization attained by these
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
n states. The region of
Lydia was later taken over by the
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...
in the 6th century BC and by
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 ...
and his successors as of the 4th century. Thereafter, UÅŸak was ruled successively by the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
, the
Byzantine Empire
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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
, the
Seljuks, the
Germiyanids and finally 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 ...
(as of 1429).
Later, following Turkish conquest and domination over the area, the city became known by its Turkish name of ''UÅŸak''; which means "servant." From 1867 until 1922, UÅŸak was part of
Hüdavendigâr vilayet.
UÅŸak was occupied by the
Greek Army between 28 August 1920 and 1 September 1922. During the Greek retreat, Greek general
Nikolaos Trikoupis was captured near Uşak at the village of Göğem, today buried under a
dam reservoir.
UÅŸak was a district center within
Kütahya Province until 1953, when Uşak Province was constituted and Uşak became its provincial capital.
Economic history
At least since the 17th century there was trade between UÅŸak and the Dutch republic as reflected in the rug shown thrown over the bannister in Vermeer's painting "The Procuress." The rug was probably produced in UÅŸak, covers a third of the painting and shows
medallions and
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
.

In the early 20th century,
mercury was discovered in UÅŸak.
The town also manufactured
carpet.
Among other district centers in UÅŸak Province,
Banaz is the largest and is notable for its varied agricultural production as well as for its forests, while
Ulubey's
canyon is a natural site attracting many visitors.
Geography
The city of UÅŸak consists of 29 neighbourhoods, including
KurÅŸunluk and
MuharremÅŸah.
Climate
UÅŸak has a
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Csa'') or an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Trewartha: ''Doak''), with cool, wet, regularly snowy winters and hot, dry summers.
Highest recorded temperature: on 18 August 2023
Lowest recorded temperature: on 5 January 1942
UÅŸak carpets

In pre-industrial times, UÅŸak was already a major center of production and export, particularly of
Ushak carpets. Ushak carpets are also called
Holbein carpets in reference to the 16th century painter
Hans Holbein the Younger who depicted them in minute detail in his paintings, reflecting their popularity in European markets. The level of international popularity attained by UÅŸak's carpets became such that the word "Ushak" is considered an
English word of Turkic origin.
Merriam-Webster Unabridged - Ushak
A heavy woolen oriental rug tied in Ghiordes knots and characterized by bright primary colors and an elaborate medallion pattern.
Although UÅŸak's carpet patterns have evolved since then, large-scale weaving still continues and the name of the city still has an important presence in the market for carpets, both hand-woven and industrial. On the other hand, the district of EÅŸme, which is also in UÅŸak Province, is famous for its '' kilims''.
Twin cities
* Offenbach - Germany
* Astana
Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
- Kazakhstan
* Besni - Turkey
* Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
- Belgium
See also
* Ushak carpet
* Karun Treasure
* UÅŸak Museum of Archaeology
References
Uşak's Population Is Increasing: A Look at TÜİK's March 2023 Report
There is a population increase in UÅŸak, a district in Turkey. Turkish Statistical Institute reports were shared
The population of servants is increasing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usak
Populated places in UÅŸak Province
Provincial municipalities in Turkey
UÅŸak District