Emirdağ

Emirdağ
City

Location of the Emirdağ district in Afyonkarahisar Province
Emirdağ

Location in Turkey

Coordinates: 39°01′N 31°09′E / 39.017°N 31.150°E / 39.017; 31.150Coordinates: 39°01′N 31°09′E / 39.017°N 31.150°E / 39.017; 31.150
Country  Turkey
Province Afyonkarahisar
Government
 • Governor Mehmet Özel
 • Mayor Cengiz Pala (AKP)
Area[1]
 • District 2,047.76 km2 (790.64 sq mi)
Elevation 1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 19,069
 • District 39,391
 • District density 19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 03600
Area code(s) 0272
Vehicle registration 03
Climate BSk
Website www.emirdag.gov.tr

Emirdağ is a town and district of Afyonkarahisar Province in Turkey, between the city of Afyon and Eskişehir. 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.[3] 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

The actual name of Emirdağ was Amorion. (Greek: Ἀμόριον) After Arab conquests of Anatolia was the city named as Ammūriye by Arab-Islamic sources. Emirdağ was called after the Ottoman rule as Hergen Kale which refers to the old city outside the town. After 17th century, the city was named as Muslucalı (Which means "From Mosul") due to the mass immigrations of Turkmens from Mosul and Rakka.[4] From 1867 until the foundation of the Turkish Republic, the town was named Azîziyye in honour of Sultan Abdülâziz. After the Turkish war of independence at 1932 the name "Emirdağ" was restored by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk which derives from Seljuk commander Emir Ahmed Mengücek who defeated the Byzantines by the Battle of Bolybotum and rested by the mountain range near the area during the battle, therefore the mountain was named as "Emirdağ".[5]

"Emir" means High officer and "dağ" means mountain.

History

The area has been occupied since at least 1437 BC by a succession of peoples beginning with Hittites, Lydians, Persians, and Greeks.

The ruins of the Hellenistic and Byzantine city of Amorium lie about 12 km east of Emirdağ. Amorium was one of the four principal Byzantine cities in Anatolia, and was the home of the Byzantine Amorian dynasty. It was conquered in 838-845 by the Abbassid Caliph Al-Mu'tasim.

The area was settled by Turkmen from 1068 onwards and particularly following the battle of nearby Bolvadin, between the Byzantines and the Seljuk Turks. Later further waves of Turkmen followed including the Dulkadirids; Yörük nomads were settled here by the Ottoman Empire.

During the Greco-Turkish War, Emirdağ was occupied by Greek forces from September 1921 to September 1922.

Emirdağ today

Many Turkish migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands originally came from Emirdağ and the surrounding villages, including Karacalar where there is a strong Alevi 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 (and smart cars) 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 (Brussels) since 1978, where he runs two restaurants and presided over an association of people from Emirdağ (EYAD); he visits Emirdağ during the summer holidays.[6]

Previous mayors:

Mayors and electoral results in the district

There are 6 municipalities (belediye)[7][8] in the district, and 57 villages (köy)

Population Statistics

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

Total Town Center Urban
2014 38.269 19.093 19.197
2010 42.111 19.991 22.120
2009 42.848 20.253 22.595
2008 43.706 20.531 23.175
2007 46.199 21.898 24.301

Muhacir settlements

According to Sevan Nişanyan'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.[9]

The village of Yusufağa was founded in 1901 by Bulgarian emigrants.[10]

Emirdağ Folk Songs

Emirdağ Folk Songs are very famous.

Some Emirdağ Folk Songs:

Settlements

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. ↑ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/6WFCR7KBp
  4. ↑ Avşar Türkmenleri, Oğuz Menderes Kaya
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Mehmet Koksal, 'Emirdag et son échevin belge des Affaires étrangères', Minorites.org, 14 April 2004 (French)
  7. ↑ Emirdağ Kaymakamiği. Belediyelerimiz
  8. ↑ A Harfi ile Başlayan Belediyeler
  9. ↑ Sevan Nişanyan, "Davulga", Index Anatolicus
  10. ↑ Sevan Nişanyan, "Yusufağa", Index Anatolicus

External links

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