Bilecik Province () is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in midwest

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, neighboring Bursa to the west, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north, Bolu to the east, Eskişehir to the southeast and Kütahya to the south. Its area is 4,179 km², and its population is 228,673 (2022). Most of the province laid down in Marmara Region but eastern parts of Gölpazarı and Söğüt district and districts of İnhisar and Yenipazar remained in Black Sea Region, smaller southeastern parts of Bozüyük and Söğüt remained in Central Anatolia Region and smaller southwestern part of Bozüyük remained in Aegean Region.

History

The region was inhabited as early as 3000 BC, and was part of the territory controlled by such notable civilizations as the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

(1400–1200 BC), the

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

ns (1200–676 BC),

Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...

ns (595–546 BC),

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ns (546–334 BC), Romans (74–395 AD) and Byzantians (395 AD to late 13th century, with two brief occupations by

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

s in between). The region also contains Söğüt, the small town where the Kayi tribe of Turkomans under Osman Gazi united as the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

and founded the Ottoman Beylik which would later develop into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

which was founded in 1299, and is the source of important archeological as well as cultural artifacts.

Geography

Bilecik Province contains wide array of geographical and climatic zones in its borders. The province is dominated by hills and deep valleys. The western end of the Anatolian Plateau is also located in the province. Sakarya River and Karasu are the most important rivers in the province.

Districts

Bilecik province is divided into 8 districts (capital district in bold): * Bilecik * Bozüyük * Gölpazarı * İnhisar * Osmaneli * Pazaryeri * Söğüt * Yenipazar

Demographics

Sites of interest

In Söğüt a site of interest is the Ethnographical Museum. The town Bilecik is famous for its numerous restored Turkish houses. Some other sites of interest in the province are: Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi Mosques, Seyh Edebali and Mal Hatun mausoleums, Köprülü Mehmet Pasha Mosque, Köprülü Caravanserai, Kaplikaya tombs, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, and Gülalan Pavilion.

Gallery

Image:Cengellerkoyu2.jpg, A view from Çengeller village in Gölpazarı Image:Şeyh edebali türbesi.jpg, Sheikh Edebali tomb Image:Bilecik Kültür Merkezi.jpg, Bilecik Cultural Center Image:Dursun Fakih Türbesi.JPG, The türbe of Dursun Fakih in Söğüt Image:Bilecik, Küçükelmalı tabiat parkı göleti.jpg, Küçükelmalı Nature Park Pond File:Bilecik_Mosque.jpg, Bilecik Mosque File:Bilecik_Orhan_Gazi_Cami_1758.jpg, Bilecik Osman Gazi Mosque

History

Geography

Districts

Demographics

Sites of interest

Gallery

See also

References

External links