Emirdağ

Emirdağ
City
Emirdağ
Coordinates: 39°01′N 31°09′E / 39.017°N 31.150°E
Country  Turkey
Province Afyonkarahisar
Government
 • 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
Licence plate 03
Website www.emirdag.gov.tr

Emirdağ is a town and district of Afyonkarahisar Province in Turkey, between the city of Afyon and Eskişehir. It covers an area of 2,009 km², and the population (2010) is 42,111 of which 19,991 live in the town of Emirdağ itself. The mayor is Cengiz Pala (AKP).

The Emirdağ Mountains (Emir Mountains) rise steeply behind the town. The region is vulnerable to earthquakes. The weather is very cold in winter.

History

The area has been occupied since at least 1437 BC by a succession of peoples beginning with Hittites, Lydians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. The ruins of the ancient Phrygian and Byzantine city of Amorium (fr) lie about 12 km away from Emirdağ.

Emirdağ used to be one of the four main Byzantine cities in Anatolia, hometown of the Byzantine Amorian dynasty (Michael II, Theophilus and Michael III), but was completely destroyed and its inhabitants massacred 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 and Yörük nomads were settled here by the Ottoman Empire. Until the foundation of the Turkish Republic the town was named Aziziye in honour of Sultan Abdülâziz.

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 KARGIN (MHP) is elected as new mayor in 2014. The council has an alderman for external affairs, currently Metin Edeer (MHP), who has been living in Brussels since 1978, where he runs two restaurants and presides over an association of people from Emirdağ (EYAD); he visits Emirdağ during the summer holidays.[3]

Previous mayors:

Mayors and electoral results in the district

There are 6 municipalities (belediye)[4][5] 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
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

32856

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.

Other famous Emirdağ people include:

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. ↑ Mehmet Koksal, Emirdag et son échevin belge des Affaires étrangères, 14 April 2004 (French)
  4. ↑ Emirdağ Kaymakamiği. Belediyelerimiz
  5. ↑ A Harfi ile Başlayan Belediyeler

External links

Coordinates: 39°01′N 31°09′E / 39.017°N 31.150°E