Isparta

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Isparta is a city in western Turkey and the provincial capital of the Isparta Province. The city's population is 150,000 and elevation from sea level is 1035 m.

The main economic activities of Isparta are rosewater production and carpet making. Tourism, both local and increasingly international due to "biblical tourism", is also becoming an important source of revenues for the city. The Süleyman Demirel University has introduced thousands of young men and women of various backgrounds to the city's mostly conservative fabric in the recent years. The football team of the city Ispartaspor is in the third level league.

Some historical buildings and houses from the nineteenth century remain, but these are rare compared to the number of modern constructions. There are several important mosques in Isparta, including the pre-Ottoman Hizir Bey mosque (circa 1325), the Kutlubey or Ulu (Great) mosque (1429, with major restorations in the nineteenth century) and Haci Abdi mosque (1569). The city also boasts a mosque by the Ottoman court architect Mimar Sinan, the sixteenth century Firdevs Pasa mosque. There are several remaining Greek Orthodox churches from the Ottoman period in ruined condition. The Byzantine fortress is also mostly in ruins. The city lies close to a fault line and thus prone to violent earthquakes.

Isparta has good connections to other parts of Turkey with both railways and by road. Antalya lies 130 to the south and Eskisehir 350 km to the north.

History of the city

1st millennium CE: Known as Baris and part of the Byzantine Empire.

1203: Occupied by the Seljuqs.

Late 13th century: Becomes part of the Hamidoglu emirate.

1381: Isparta is sold to the Ottoman sultan Murad 1 by the Hamidoglu emir.

Late 19th century: Muslim refugees from the Balkans settle around Isparta. The Bulgarian refugees brought the knowledge of rosewater production with them.

Important Persons

• Süleyman Demirel, former prime minister and president of Turkey, was born in the village of Islamköy close to Isparta.
• The Islamic thinker Said Nursi spent the last decade of his life in this city.

External links

• [Isparta Guide and Photo Album]

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