Kütahya () (historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

which lies on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is inhabited by some 578,640 people (2022 estimate). The region of Kütahya has large areas of gentle slopes with agricultural land culminating in high mountain ridges to the north and west.

History

Byzantine period

The ancient world knew present-day Kütahya as Cotyaeum (Κοτύαιον). It became part of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Phrygia Salutaris, but in about 820 became the capital of the new province of Phrygia Salutaris III. Its bishopric thus changed from being a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of Synnada to a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

, although with only three suffragan sees according to the '' Notitia Episcopatuum'' of

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as ...

Leo VI the Wise (886-912), which is dated to around 901–902. According to the 6th-century historian

John Malalas John Malalas ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Malálas''; – 578) was a Byzantine chronicler from Antioch (now Antakya, Turkey). Life Malalas was of Syrian descent, and he was a native speaker of Syriac who learned how to write in Greek later ...

, Cyrus of Panopolis, who had been prefect of the city of Constantinople, was sent there as bishop by Emperor Theodosius II (408-50), after four bishops of the city had been killed. (Two other sources make Cyrus bishop of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

instead.) The bishopric of Cotyaeum was headed in 431 by Domnius, who attended the

Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church t ...

, and in 451 by Marcianus, who was at the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, B ...

. A source cited by Le Quien says that a bishop of Cotyaeum named Eusebius was at the

Second Council of Constantinople The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and re ...

in 553. Cosmas was at the

Third Council of Constantinople The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretic ...

in 680–681. Ioannes, a deacon, represented an unnamed bishop of Cotyaeum at the Trullan Council in 692. Bishop Constantinus was at the

Second Council of Nicaea The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by the Old Catholics, the Anglican Communion, an ...

in 692, and Bishop Anthimus at the Photian Council of Constantinople (879), No longer a residential bishopric, Cotyaeum is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

Ottoman period

Under the reign of Byzantine Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...

the town was fortified with a double-line of walls and citadel. In 1071 Cotyaeum (or Kotyaion) fell to the Seljuk Turks and later switched hands, falling successively to the Crusaders, Germiyanids, and Timur-Leng (Tamerlane), until finally being incorporated into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

in 1428. It was initially the center of

Anatolia Eyalet The Eyalet of Anatolia ( ota, ایالت آناطولی, Eyālet-i Anaṭolı) was one of the two core provinces (Rumelia being the other) in the early years of the Ottoman Empire. It was established in 1393. By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ...

till 1827, when the Hüdavendigâr Eyalet was formed. It was later center of the sancak within the borders of the

Hüdavendigâr Vilayet The Hüdavendigâr Vilayet ( ota, ولايت خداوندگار, Vilâyet-i Hüdavendigâr) or Bursa Vilayet after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 20th c ...

in 1867. Troops of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt briefly occupied it in 1833. During this time a large number of Christian

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

settled in Kotyaion/Kütahya, where they came to dominate the tile-making and ceramic-ware production. Kütahya emerged as a renowned center for the Ottoman ceramic industry, producing tiles and

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ...

for mosques, churches, and official buildings in places all over the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. The craft industry of Armenian ceramics in Jerusalem was started by Armenian ceramicist , master of a Kütahya workshop between 1907 and 1915, who was deported from Kütahya in early 1916, during the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

, and rediscovered, living as a refugee in Aleppo in 1918, by Sir

Mark Sykes Colonel Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet (16 March 1879 – 16 February 1919) was an English traveller, Conservative Party politician, and diplomatic advisor, particularly with regard to the Middle East at the time of the First Wo ...

, a former patron. Sykes connected him to the new military governor of Jerusalem,

Sir Ronald Storrs Sir Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs (19 November 1881 – 1 November 1955) was an official in the British Foreign and Colonial Office. He served as Oriental Secretary in Cairo, Military Governor of Jerusalem, Governor of Cyprus, and Governor of N ...

, and arranged for Ohannessian to travel to Jerusalem to participate in a planned British restoration of the

Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock ( ar, قبة الصخرة, Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra) is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a site also known to Muslims as the ''al-Haram al-Sharif'' or the Al-Aqsa Compound. Its initial ...

. The fortifications of the city and its environs, which were vital to the security and economic prosperity of the region, were built and rebuilt from antiquity through the Ottoman Period. However, the dates assigned to the many periods of construction and the assessment of the military architecture are open to various interpretations. At the end of the nineteenth century the population of the

kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

of Kütahya numbered 120,333, of which 4,050 were

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...

, 2,533

, 754

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and the remainder Turks and other Muslim ethnicities.Hovannisian and Manuk-Khaloyan, "The Armenian Communities of Asia Minor," p. 34. Kütahya and the district itself were spared the ravages of the

of 1915, when the Ottoman governor, Faruk Ali Bey, went to extreme lengths to protect the Armenian population from being uprooted and sent away on death marches. However, Faruk Ali Bey was removed from office in March 1916, and the city's Armenian community suffered in the aftermath under the rule of his successor, Ahmet Mufti Bey. Kütahya was occupied by the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

on 17 July 1921 after

Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir The Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir ( el, Μάχες Κιουτάχειας-Εσκί Σεχίρ (Δορυλαίου), tr, Kütahya-Eskişehir Muharebeleri), was fought between July 10 and July 24 (or June 27 and July 10 in the old calendar, the ...

during the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

and was then captured in ruins by the Turkish Army after the Battle of Dumlupınar during the

Great Offensive The Great Offensive ( tr, Büyük Taarruz; ) was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kin ...

on 30 August 1922.

Economy

Turkish - Bowl - Walters 481732 - View A

The industries of Kütahya have long traditions, going back to ancient times. Kütahya is famous for its kiln products, such as

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wa ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

, which are glazed and multicoloured. Modern industries are

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

refining, tanning,

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insolu ...

processing and different products of

meerschaum Sepiolite, also known in English by the German name meerschaum ( , ; ; meaning " sea foam"), is a soft white clay mineral, often used to make tobacco pipes (known as meerschaum pipes). A complex magnesium silicate, a typical chemical formula ...

, which is extracted nearby. In the Ottoman period, Kütahya was a major cotton production center of the empire. Modern local agricultural industry produces

cereals A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food ...

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

and

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet ('' Beta vulgaris''). Together ...

. In addition stock raising is of much importance. Not far from Kütahya there are important mines extracting

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

. Kütahya is linked by rail and road with Balıkesir to the west, İstanbul 360km to the northwest,

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

to the southeast, Eskişehir northeast and

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

east.

Traditional ceramics

A small ewer, now in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, gave its name to a category of similar blue and white

fritware Fritware, also known as stone-paste, is a type of pottery in which frit (ground glass) is added to clay to reduce its fusion temperature. The mixture may include quartz or other siliceous material. An organic compound such as gum or glue ma ...

pottery known as 'Abraham of Kütahya ware'. It has an inscription in

Armenian script The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally had ...

under the glaze on its base stating that it commemorated Abraham of Kütahya with a date of 1510.'Abraham of Kütahya' ewer, British Museum Accession Code
G.1
/ref> In 1957 Arthur Lane published an influential article in which he reviewed the history of pottery production in the region and proposed that 'Abraham of Kütahya' ware was produced from 1490 until around 1525, 'Damascus' and 'Golden Horn' ware were produced from 1525 until 1555 and 'Rhodian' ware from around 1555 until the demise of the İznik pottery industry at the beginning of the 18th century. This chronology has been generally accepted.

Climate

Kütahya has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

: ''Csb''), or a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dsb''), with chilly, wet, often snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation occurs mostly during the winter and spring, but can be observed throughout the year. Kütahya is forecast to be the city most affected by global warming in Turkey.

Culture

Kütahya's old neighbourhoods are dominated by traditional Ottoman houses made of wood and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

, some of the best examples being found along Germiyan Caddesi. It has many historical mosques such as Ulu Camii, Cinili Camii, Balikli Camii and Donenler Camii. The Şengül Hamamı is a famous Turkish bath located in the city The town preserves some ancient ruins, a Byzantine castle and church. During late centuries Kütahya has been renowned for its Turkish earthenware, of which fine specimens may be seen at the national capital. The Kütahya Museum has a fine collection of arts and cultural artifacts from the area, the house where Hungarian statesman

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, polit ...

lived in exile between 1850 and 1851 is preserved as a museu

File:Kutahya Sultanbagi Region 8791.jpg, Kütahya Old houses in Sultanbağı region File:Kutahya Sultanbagi Region 8933.jpg, Kütahya Old houses in Sultanbağı region File:Kutahya City Museum 9080.jpg, Kütahya City Museum File:Kutahya City Museum 9089.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Felt maker File:Kutahya City Museum 9093.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Saddle maker File:Kutahya City Museum october 2018 9119.jpg, Kütahya City Museum Biscuit maker File:Kutahya archaeological museum 1002.jpg, Kütahya archaeological museum Stele File:Kutahya Ceramics museum 1002.jpg, Kutahya Ceramics museum File:Kutahya Ceramics museum 1781.jpg, Kutahya Ceramics museum Figurines File:Kutahya Kossuth Museum 8747.jpg, Kütahya Lajos Kossuth house File:Kutahya Kossuth Museum 8767.jpg, Kütahya Lajos Kossuth house File:Kutahya Ulu Cami 9050.jpg, Kütahya Ulu Cami File:Kutahya Dönenler Cami 1835.jpg, Kutahya Dönenler Mosque File:Kutahya Dönenler Cami 1840.jpg, Kütahya Dönenler Mosque File:Kutahya Castle Hill 8800 Panorama.jpg, Kütahya Castle Hill

Education

Kütahya_Dumlupınar_Üniversitesi_Taç_Kapı

The Main Campus and the Germiyan Campus of the Kütahya Dumlupınar University are located in the city.

Transport

The main bus station has bus links to most major Turkish cities. Zafer Airport is active. Kütahya is also the main railroad endpoint for the Aegean region.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kütahya is twinned with: *

Bavly Bavly (russian: Бавлы́; tt-Cyrl, Баулы) is a town in the Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Bavly River ( Ik's tributary), southeast of Kazan. Population: History It was founded in 1755, granted urban-type settlement status in 1950, ...

, Tatarstan,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital o ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

* Pécs,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

* Anqing,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

* Danniyeh,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

Notable people

Alexander of Cotiaeum Alexander ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος; 70–80 AD – 150) of Cotiaeum was a Greek grammarian, who is mentioned among the instructors of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. We still possess an epitaph () pronounced upon him by the rhetorician ...

(c.70-80CE - c.150CE), Greek grammarian * Evliya Çelebi (1611-1682), traveler and author. * Kadri Paşa (1832-1884), Ottoman Grand Vizier * Komitas (1869-1935), Armenian composer, musicologist * Âsım Gündüz (1889-1970), military officer in Ottoman and Turkish armies * Mustafa Kalemli (born 1943), politician * Ayla Dikmen (1944-1970), singer * Abdullah Aymaz (born 1949), writer, journalist * Aydilge Sarp (born 1979), singer *

Halil Akkaş Halil Akkaş (born 1 July 1983) is a Turkish middle-distance runner who won the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2005 World Student Games. He finished fourth in the 5000 m final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. At the 2007 E ...

(born 1983), middle-distance runner * Özge Kırdar (born 1985), volleyball player * Veli Kızılkaya (born 1985), football player * Danla Bilic (born 1994), internet personality * Hande Baladın (born 1997), volleyball player

Gallery

File:Rüstem paşa medresesi.jpg, Rüstem Pasha Madrasa File:Kütahya çinili cami şadırvanı.JPG, Tiled Mosque File:Evliya çelebi'nin evi müzesi.JPG, Evliya Çelebi Museum File:Anasultan türbesi2.jpg, Mother Sultan File:Kütahya,kale - panoramio.jpg, Kütahya Castle File:Kütahya hükûmet konağı.jpg, Government House File:Kütahya ulu cami doğu.JPG, Grand Mosque

References

Source and external links

The Government of Kütahya

Province Culture And Tourism Directorate

City of Tiles

Pictures from Kütahya

Kütahya weather forecast information

Photos from another source of ancient Roman city of Aizanoi in Kütahya province

A website about a nitrate processing factory in Kütahya

A website about the sugar refinery facility in Kütahya

Official website of Kütahya Ceramic Company

Kütahya Photo Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutahya Districts of Kütahya Province