Çardak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Çardak
12th century Hanabad Caravanserai in Çardak
12th century Hanabad Caravanserai in Çardak
Location of Çardak within Turkey.
Location of Çardak within Turkey.
Country Flag of Turkey Turkey
Region Aegean
Province Denizli
Population [1]
 - Town 11,253
 - Urban 5,649
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 20x xx
Licence plate 20
Website: www.cardak.bel.tr

Çardak is a town and a district of Denizli Province of Turkey. It is situated on the road from Denizli to Ankara near the banks of the Lake Acıgöl.

Denizli's airport (Çardak Airport) is in Çardak.

A very notable sight in the town is the caravanserai of Hanabad, built in the 13th century by the local ruler Esedüddin Ayaz during the reign of Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I. It bears typical characteristics of Seljuk caravanserais and on its stones are carved fish, cow and human relics.

A small village until the early years of the Turkish Republic, Çardak started growing as of 1958 when it was made into a district. Streets and buildings are well arranged and it is a tidy little town.

Street in Çardak
Street in Çardak

The economy centers around agriculture as well as surface mining of sodium sulfate reserves in Lake Acıgöl whose name means, literally and appropriately, "the bitter lake". Services rendered to the airport are also taking an increasingly important share in the town's economy. Hanabad Caravanserai is presently in phase of being restored.

[edit] See also