Eskişehir
Eskişehir is located near an ancient Phyrigean city, Dorylaion, which was captured first by Lydians (676-546 B.C.) and then by Persians (546-331 B.C.) who declared the region the Phrygia governmental territory. After the reign of Alexander The Great, the city was annexed to the Roman empire on 133 B.C. Dorylaion, with its thermal springs and pleasent weather, had its golden age during the Byzantian period. During the byzantian era, the city became the vacation point of emperors who blessed the city with palaces and roman baths. Starting with the Arab attacks during VIIIth century, it was captured first by Abbas bin Velit (708), and then by Hasan bin Kahtaba (778) and it was renamed to Duruliya (or Druliya).
The city center is within the northeastern Anatolian region (on the Porsuk river), however the villages extend to western Black Sea, Marmara, and (non-coastal) Aegean regions. Despite its brilliant history, the city reduced to a relatively small town by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, the city started to grow again by the immigratian from the Crimea (Russian) region supported by the construction of one of the first railways (1894) connecting the city to Istanbul and Izmir. These events elevated the city population to over 30.000 who had constructed new residential areas to the north of the railroad. Although almost half of the city was burnt down and pillaged by the Greeks in 1922, the city recovered very rapidly due to some of the important industrial constructions in the early republic period. The critical industries were railroad and train factories, large scale mills, plane repair factories, quarrays, cement and sugar production facilities, agricultural machinery factories and vegetable oil factories. The city started to grow in all directions doubling the reesidential areas which boosted the population (which was 32.000 in 1927) to 90.000 in 1950, 153.000 in 1960, 216.000 in 1970, and over 366.000 in 1985. During this growth, the city converted to a modern look with pleasent walking places around the Porsuk river. Today, Eskisehir is one of the largest, agriculturally, industrially, and commercially most active cities, hosting two important universities (Anadolu University and Osmangazi University).
The population density of Greater Eskişehir (44 per squared kilometer) is below the Turkish average. However, the population is densely located within the central city (85%). Most of the included town and village populations do not exceed 4.000 _ 5.000. Currently Eskişehir does not have a pronounced population growth as compared to the Turkish average.
Commercially or industrially important mines around Eskişehir can be listed as chromium (in villages of Taştepe, Başören, Gündüzler, Alpu, Kavak), boric salts (Kırka), Meerschaum (Center and Mihallıççık), Perlite (Center and Seyitgazi), and Asbestos (Mihallıççık). With a wide variety of production facilities (engine and motor factories, train construction, brick, cement, sugar, and food production), Eskişehir adds to 1% of the industrial input in Turkey. It is located on the current highway and railway crossroads connecting four western regions, and it is renowned as the gate of central Anatolia.
 
Spots of Eskişehir
SPA
The efficiency of thermal springs for the cure of certain diseases is well known throughout history. Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) and Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.) report several methods utilising thermal baths for curing. There are several SPA cites in Turkey, all having the common characteristics of
  • Hot water springs,
  • Springs containing different amounts and types of mineral salts,
  • Springs with gas containing carbon dioxide and sulphur, or radioactive elements.
In central Eskişehir, thermal springs are located in the south of Porsuk river where several touristic hotels with SPA facilities exist. The local thermal spring water is 45 C" and it is supposed to have positive effects on kidney stones, pancreas stones, gout, and skin deseases. Besides, being a spring with bicarbonate and magnesium to form hyperthermal properties, the cites are known to have curing effects on stomach diseases, rheumatism, gyneacological diseases, bone defects, digestion problems, wounds, and certain types of paralysis.
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Meerschaum (Sea Foam - Luletasi)
Meerschaum forms by hydrating of magnesium and silicium under certain depths of rock segments. The microscopic crystals are connected irregularly. Physically, it has a very delicate texture and pale white colour. Due to the forming reactions, it is always encountered in humid form. This humidity helps cleaning and purifying meerschaum and enables easy processing. In time, meerschaum dries and becomes a light and tough material. If exposed to humidity or any other gas, meerschaum absorps it. While dehydrating, the tar and other impuritieas are hold within the material. This property of meerschaum makes it a very suitable materail for producing pipe and cigar filter. It is also conveniently used for industrial filtration systems.
Initially, meerschaum was only exported in raw form to Europe for processing. Today, complete processing is done by artists educated for this specific purpose in Turkey. Due to its delicate and beautiful look and handling, pipes and other artifacts made of meerschaum are collectible and sought after not only by smokers, but also by several people having artistic concerns all around the world.
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Phyrigean Valley
During the Aegean drift in 1200 B.C., Phyrigeans of Thrace origin passed the Bosphorus and Gallipoli straits to enter Anatolia. Around these dates, the Hittite empire collapsed. By the termination of the Hittite record engravings, a dark age continues between 1200 and 800 B.C. At the end of this age, Phyrigeans take over as a powerful kingdom around central Anatolia (Gordion, near Ankara).
The first recorded Phyrigian king in the history is Gordios after whom the city named Gordion. After him, his son, the famous king Midas, had the throne. The Phrygian influencial area was the Sakarya Valley including Eskişehir, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya, also called the classical Phrygian Valley. Several settlements were formed in this area between 8th ~ 6th centuries, B.C.
The most important ruins reaching today are in Yazilikaya (Engraved Rock). The Midas monument and other artifacts get tourists_ attraction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygia
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Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre is a Turkish poet and Sufi mystic who had lived in a village near Eskisehir in 13th century.. He has exercised an immense influence on Turkish literature, from his own day until the present.
Following the Mongol invasion of Anatolia facilitated by the Seljuk Turkish defeat at the 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ, Islamic mystic literature thrived in Anatolia, and Yunus Emre became one of its most distinguished poets. He is one of the first poets known by name to have composed extensively in the Turkish language, and his poems despite being fairly simple on the surface evidence his skill in describing quite abstruse mystical concepts in a clear way. His philosophy is related with divine concepts such as _love_, _peace_, _knowledge_, _dignity_ and _generousity_. His poems still attract literature researchers, philosophers and theologists.

His poems, written in the tradition of Anatolian folk poetry, mainly concern divine love and human destiny;

http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/%7Edurduran/yunus/yunus1.html

Yunus'dürür benim adım
Gün geçtikçe artar ödüm
İki cihanda maksudum
Bana seni gerek seni

Yunus Emre is my name
my fire increases day by day
In the two worlds, my goal is this
it is You I need, You
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Nasrettin Hoca
Nasreddin Hodja is Turkey's (and perhaps all of Islam's) best-known trickster. His legendary wit and droll trickery were possibly based on the exploits and words of a historical imam. Nasreddin reputedly was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.
Many of his famous anecdotes can be reached from:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/hodja.html
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