Isparta

Isparta 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 is well-connected to other parts of Turkey via roads. Antalya lies 130 km to the south and Eskisehir is 350 km to the north.Suleyman Demirel University has introduced thousands of youths from varied backgrounds to the city’s mostly conservative fabric in recent years.

It is located at the western end of the Taurus Mountains.Known as Baris under the Byzantine Empire, it was taken by the Seljuq Turks in 1203–04. Later it belonged to the Turkmen Hamid principality, the last ruler of which sold it to the Ottoman sultan about 1381. The city’s monuments include a ruined medieval fortress and several mosques, of which Firdevs Paşa Cami is a work of the 16th-century master court architect Sinan.Isparta is known for its roses and attar (fragrant oil) of roses and for its carpets. A branchline connects it with the main Anatolian railway.