Akşehir

Akşehir is a town and district of Konya Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 114,918 of which 63,000 live in the town of Akşehir.[3] The town was known in the Roman and Byzantine empires as Philomelium or Philomelion (Greek: Φιλομήλιον) respectively.

For other uses, see Akşehir (disambiguation).
Akşehir
District
Location of Akşehir within Turkey.
Akşehir
Location of Akşehir within Turkey.
Coordinates: 38°21′N 31°25′E
Country Turkey
ProvinceKonya
Government
 • MayorAbdulkadir Oğul (AKP)
Area
 • District815.77 km2 (314.97 sq mi)
Elevation
1,025 m (3,363 ft)
Population
 (2012)[2]
 • Urban
62,054
 • District
94,575
 • District density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
42xxx
Area code(s)0332
Licence plate42
ClimateCsb
Websitewww.aksehir.gov.tr

The town is situated at the edge of a fertile plain, on the north side of the Sultan Dagh.[4]

Climate
Climate data for Aksehir
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 5
(41)		 7
(44)		 11
(51)		 16
(60)		 21
(69)		 25
(77)		 28
(82)		 28
(82)		 25
(77)		 18
(64)		 13
(55)		 7
(44)		 17
(62)
Average low °C (°F) −2
(28)		 −1
(30)		 1
(33)		 5
(41)		 9
(48)		 12
(53)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 10
(50)		 6
(42)		 2
(35)		 0
(32)		 5
(41)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 71
(2.8)		 66
(2.6)		 69
(2.7)		 69
(2.7)		 56
(2.2)		 46
(1.8)		 18
(0.7)		 13
(0.5)		 18
(0.7)		 48
(1.9)		 56
(2.2)		 76
(3)		 610
(23.9)
Source: Weatherbase [5]

History

Philomelion was probably a Pergamenian foundation on the great Graeco-Roman Highway from Ephesus to the east, and to its townsmen the Smyrniotes wrote the letter that describes the martyrdom of Polycarp. Cicero, on his way to Cilicia, dated some of his extant correspondence there; and the place played a considerable part in the frontier wars between the Byzantine emperors and the Sultanate of Rum. It became an important Seljuk town, and late in the 14th century passed into Ottoman hands. There Bayezit I of the Ottoman Empire is said by Ali of Yezd to have died after his defeat at the Battle of Ankara.[4]

Modern times

The town's landmarks include the alleged tomb of Nasreddin Hoca, the tomb of Seydi Mahmut, the house used as headquarters by the Turkish Army during the last phase of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), other monuments and old Turkish houses.

Between 5 July and 10 July each year, commemorations with concerts and other social activities are held to the memory of Akşehir's famous resident, Nasreddin Hodja.

With its rich architectural heritage, Akşehir is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions.[6]

Name

The Turkish name Akşehir literally means "white city". It is a compound of two words, namely ak, "white", a Turkic word; and şehir, "town", which is from Persian شهر‎ shahr, "town".

In English usage other spellings of the name include Ak-Shehr, Ak-Shahr, Akshehr, Akshahr, Akshehir, and Aqshahr.

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See also

Notes
  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. Turkish Statistical Institute. "Census 2000, Key statistics for urban areas of Turkey" (in Turkish). Archived from the original (XLS) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  4.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ak-Shehr". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 458.
  5. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Aksehir, Turkey". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  6. The European Association of Historic Towns and Regions. "Historic Towns of Turkey". Archived from the original (DOC) on 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2008-03-22.

References
Attribution

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