Isparta

Isparta (Greek: Σπάρτη, Baris/Βάρις in Byzantine Greek) is a city in western Turkey and the capital of Isparta Province. The city's population was 222,556 in 2010 and its elevation is 1035 m. It is known as the "City of Roses".

Isparta
Municipality
Isparta from the air (February 2011)
Isparta
Coordinates: 37°45′53″N 30°33′24″E
CountryTurkey
ProvinceIsparta
DistrictIsparta
Government
 • MayorŞÜKRÜ BAŞDEĞİRMEN (AKP)
Area
 • District682.41 km2 (263.48 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)[2]
 • Urban
198,385
 • District
219,904
 • District density320/km2 (830/sq mi)
Post code
32000
Websitewww.isparta.bel.tr

Isparta is well-connected to other parts of Turkey via roads. Antalya lies 130 km to the south and Eskişehir is 350 km to the north.

Süleyman Demirel University has introduced thousands of youths from varied backgrounds to the city's mostly conservative fabric in recent years. The city's football team, Ispartaspor, plays in Group 7 of the Turkish Regional Amateur League.

History

Pre-historic

Roman era

Isparta is a Turkish spelling of Greek Sparta, by prothesis declustering.[3]

Isparta was said to correspond to the ancient city of Baris, which is a namesake and was part of the Roman province of Pisidia.[4] A later theory has it instead as the Eastern Roman fortress Saporda; in Muslim sources it appears as Sabarta.[5] GE Bean characterized the situation thus: "These perpetually shifting conceptions leave the reader quite bewildered." [6] Modern scholars locate Baris near Kılıç, in Keçiborlu district, Isparta province.[7][8]

At an early stage it became a Christian bishopric, a suffragan of the Metropolitan see of Antioch of Pisidia, the capital of the province. The names of two of its bishops are known with certainty: Heraclius participated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and Leo in the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. In addition, Paulus was at the Council of Constantinople (869) and Stephanus was at the Council of Constantinople (879), but one or both of these may have been of the Baris in the Roman province of Hellespontus.[9][10] Like most sees in Asia Minor, it faded away.

  • 1203: Conquered by the Seljuq Turks.
  • Late 13th century: Becomes part of the Hamidids.
  • 1381: Isparta is sold to the Ottoman sultan Murad I by the Hamidid Emir.
  • Late 19th century: Muslim refugees from the Balkans settle around Isparta. The Bulgarian refugees brought the knowledge of kazanlik rosewater production with them, leading to Isparta's nickname: city of roses.
  • 1914: According to the 1914 Ottoman population statistics, the district of Isparta had a total population of 54.465, consisting of 46.698 Muslims, 6.648 Greeks and 1.119 Armenians.[11]
  • 1922: The Greek inhabitants of the area were forced to move to Greece under the Greco-Turkish population exchange.

On November 30, 2007, Atlasjet Flight 4203 crashed on approach to Isparta Süleyman Demirel Airport, killing all 57 passengers and crew.

Sights

The city lies close to a fault line and is thus prone to violent earthquakes. Some historical buildings and houses remain from the 19th century, but are rare compared to the number of modern buildings.

There are several important mosques in Isparta, including the pre-Ottoman Hızır Bey Mosque (c. 1325), the Kutlubey or Ulu (Grand) Mosque (1429, with major restorations made in the 19th century) and Hacı Abdi Mosque (1569). The city boasts a mosque by the Ottoman royal architect Mimar Sinan — the 16th century's Firdevs Pasa mosque. It is also known as Mimar Sinan Mosque. There are several remains of Greek Orthodox churches from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods (14th–19th century). The Byzantine fortress is mostly in ruins.

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, 'Baris in Pisidia' is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular bishopric, nominal suffragan of Nicomedia,[12] since the diocese was nominally restored in 1933: Latin adjective Baren(us) in Pisidia (Latin). It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank:[13]

  • Alfred Bertram Leverman (1948.04.24 – 1953.07.27) as Auxiliary Bishop of Halifax (Canada) (1948.04.24 – 1953.07.27); later Bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick (Canada) (1953.07.27 – 1968.09.07), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Altava (1968.09.07 – death 1972.04.28)
  • José de Almeida Batista Pereira (1953.12.22 – 1955.11.07) as Auxiliary Bishop of Niterói (Brazil) (1953.12.22 – 1955.11.07), Bishop of Sete Lagoas (Brazil) (1955.11.07 – 1964.04.02), Bishop of Guaxupé (Brazil) (1964.04.02 – retired 1976.01.16); died 2009
  • António Cardoso Cunha (1956.03.09 – 1967.01.10), first as Auxiliary Bishop of Beja (Portugal) (1956.03.09 – 1965), then as Coadjutor Bishop of Vila Real (Portugal) (1965 – 1967.01.10), next succeeded as Bishop of Vila Real (1967.01.10 – retired 1991.01.19), died 2004.

Economy
Main article: Carpet weaving in Isparta

The main economic activities of Isparta are the production of rosewater and handmade carpets. Tourism, both local and increasingly international due to "biblical tourism", is becoming an important source of revenue.

In the early 20th century, carpetmaking was a major industry in Isparta.[14]

Climate

Isparta has a hot summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa) with continental influences. Winters are cool and rainy and often snowy, summers are hot and dry. The lakes around the city have an important moderating influence on the climate. Precipitation occurs mostly in January and December. Monthly rainy days decrease until August. Rainy days increase again with September.

Climate data for Isparta
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)		 19.0
(66.2)		 26.8
(80.2)		 28.4
(83.1)		 34.8
(94.6)		 36.2
(97.2)		 39.2
(102.6)		 41.2
(106.2)		 37.1
(98.8)		 32.2
(90.0)		 25.4
(77.7)		 20.0
(68.0)		 41.2
(106.2)
Average high °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)		 7.8
(46.0)		 11.6
(52.9)		 16.5
(61.7)		 21.7
(71.1)		 26.5
(79.7)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.5
(86.9)		 26.5
(79.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 13.8
(56.8)		 8.2
(46.8)		 18.4
(65.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)		 2.9
(37.2)		 6.1
(43.0)		 10.7
(51.3)		 15.5
(59.9)		 20.1
(68.2)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.2
(73.8)		 18.7
(65.7)		 13.0
(55.4)		 7.5
(45.5)		 3.5
(38.3)		 12.2
(54.0)
Average low °C (°F) −1.8
(28.8)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 1.0
(33.8)		 4.9
(40.8)		 8.6
(47.5)		 12.4
(54.3)		 15.4
(59.7)		 15.1
(59.2)		 10.9
(51.6)		 6.7
(44.1)		 2.4
(36.3)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 6.2
(43.1)
Record low °C (°F) −19.2
(−2.6)		 −21.0
(−5.8)		 −18.5
(−1.3)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 4.4
(39.9)		 4.9
(40.8)		 7.0
(44.6)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 −11.5
(11.3)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −21.0
(−5.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 78.8
(3.10)		 62.6
(2.46)		 56.8
(2.24)		 52.7
(2.07)		 53.6
(2.11)		 32.4
(1.28)		 14.3
(0.56)		 11.2
(0.44)		 16.8
(0.66)		 37.5
(1.48)		 45.6
(1.80)		 83.1
(3.27)		 545.4
(21.47)
Average rainy days 12.5 11.1 11.1 10.7 10.7 6.8 3.0 2.2 3.6 6.6 7.9 12 98.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 120.9 134.4 186 207 269.7 324 359.6 347.2 291 220.1 156 102.3 2,718.2
Source 1: Turkish State Meteorological Service[15]
Source 2: Hong Kong Observatory[16]

Notable people
  • Zeki Demirkubuz, film director, screenwriter, producer and film editor
  • Süleyman Demirel, former prime minister and president of Turkey, was born in the village of Islamköy close to Isparta
  • Said Nursî, Islamic thinker who spent the last decade of his life in this city
  • Mustafa Doğan, footballer
  • Hussein Avni Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier
  • Halil Hamid Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey

Twin towns/Sister cities

Isparta is twinned with:

gollark: Oh hey, voice chat is active now?
gollark: That server also has some channels bridged to my successful* IRC network.
gollark: We created a channel in which you are not allowed to have opinions. I removed a person who had an opinion.
gollark: I successfully "moderate" another server. Observe.
gollark: But I have a mostly useless Discord bot!

See also

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. Studies in Etymology and Etiology: With Emphasis on Germanic, Jewish, Romance and Slavic Languages, page 316, by David L. Gold
  4. Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition (1913-1936), section "Isparta", Mordtmann, J. H.
  5. Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, section "Isparta", Flemming, B.
  6. Anatolian Studies. Volume 9. 1959. Notes and Inscriptions from Pisidia, Part 1, page 74, by G. E. Bean
  7. Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 65, and directory notes accompanying.
  8. Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
  9. Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, Vol. I, coll. 1049–1050
  10. Raymond Janin, v. 2. Baris, in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. VI, 1932, col. 808
  11. Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 180-181
  12. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 847
  13. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0281.htm GCatholic
  14. Prothero, G. W. (1920). Anatolia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 110.
  15. http://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=ISPARTA. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. Climatological Normals of Isparta
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