Sultandağı is a town of

Afyonkarahisar Province Afyonkarahisar Province ( tr, ), also called more simply Afyon Province, is a province in western Turkey. Adjacent provinces are Kütahya to the northwest, Uşak to the west, Denizli to the southwest, Burdur to the south, Isparta to the southea ...

in the Aegean region of

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 in ...

. It is the seat of Sultandağı District.İlçe Belediyesi
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 January 2023. Its population is 5,195 (2021). It is located at 68 km from the city of

Afyon Afyonkarahisar (, tr, afyon "poppy, opium", ''kara'' "black", ''hisar'' "fortress") is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in the mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along t ...

on the road to

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 ...

, near Lake Akşehir at the foothills of the

Sultan Mountains The Sultan Mountains ( tr, Sultandağ), also known as Sultan Dagh range or Sultan Dag, is a short mountain range on the western edge of the Anatolian Plateau, Turkey with highest elevation of . The town of Sultandağı is their namesake. They are ...

(Sultandağ), a meeting point of the Aegean and central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

n geographical zones. The mayor is Osman Acar ( CHP).

History

The area has been settled since antiquity but the town that stands today, formerly known as İshaklı, was founded by the Seljuk lord İshak Bey and named after him. The name Sultandağı comes from the mountains' use as a stronghold for the armies of the Seljuk sultan when fighting the Byzantines. At that time the Silk Road from the Arabian Peninsula passed through here on the way to the Aegean coast. Sultandağı is famous for cherries which is exported to over 50 countries. Every year, "Cherry Festival" takes places in Sultandagi. In this festival, the farmers competes to exhibit their cherries to the jury. taking the "size" criteria into consideration, the jury tries to decide the owner of the biggest cherries in the related year. Usually, the first winner is awarded with gold, fuel for their tractors, etc. During the festival, famous singers performs on the stage. Some of these singers are Orhan Hakalmaz, Murat Basaran, Izzet Altinmese, Lara, Sumer Ezgu, etc. There was a large earthquake in 2001 which caused little loss of life; it was this event which led most people to focus their attention on the town.

References

Populated places in Afyonkarahisar Province Sultandağı District {{Afyonkarahisar-geo-stub