Sögüt
Encyclopedia
Söğüt is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. Söğüt has an area of 599 km² (231 sq mi) and borders Bilecik
Bilecik
-External links:* http://www.eksisozluk.com/show.asp?t=bilecik%20diye%20bir%20yerin%20asl%C4%B1nda%20olmamas%C4%B1%20 Bilecik Conspiracy* http://www.bilecikaktuel.com* * http://www.voyagerbook.com/eng/iller/11/11.asp*...

 to the west, Gölpazarı
Gölpazari
Gölpazarı is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Vedat Kazıcı .-Features:Gölpazarı is a small town with 11,424 population. Despite its proximity to the most important metropolises of Turkey, and its fertile lands, the town never experienced...

 to the north, İnhisar
Inhisar
İnhisar is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The population is 1034 . The mayor is İsmail Cambaz ....

 to the northeast, Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...

 to the southeast, and Bozüyük
Bozüyük
Bozüyük is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Ahmet Berberoğlu .-Features:Bozüyük is the biggest town in Bilecik Province...

 to the southwest. The 2000 census put the population at 21,012 citizens, and according to a 2010 estimate, the population was 19,425. Söğüt has 5 boroughs and 23 villages. Two of these villages, Çaltı and Küre, have a municipality. Söğüt is 31 km away from Bilecik and 52 km away from Eskişehir. It depends economically on Eskişehir. The mayor is Osman Güneş (AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...

).

History

Söğüt was a Seljuk Turkish tribe in western Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

 that later gave birth to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. It was a small but sophisticated tribe that extended from the Kayi branch of the Seljuk Turks that in the 12th and 13th centuries invaded Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

. The village of Söğüt was surrounded by three greater Turkish tribes; Eskenderum in the north, Eskişehir in the east, Konyali in the south; and with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 in the west. Legend has it that the bey (chief) of the tribe in the late 13th century, Ertuğrul
Ertugrul
Ertuğrul was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. He was the leader of the Kayı clan of the Oghuz Turks...

, bravely kept the enemies at bay so that his son, Osman
Osman I
Osman I or Othman I or El-Gazi Sultan Osman Ghazi, or Osman Bey or I. Osman, Osman Gazi Han), nicknamed "Kara" for his courage, was the leader of the Ottoman Turks, and the founder of the dynasty that established and ruled the Ottoman Empire...

, could conquer them all during his reign, 1299 to 1324. When Osman's son, Orhan
Orhan I
Orhan I or Orhan Bey was the second bey of the nascent Ottoman Empire from 1326 to 1359...

, came to power after his father's death he renamed the tribe Osmanli
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...

 in honour of his father. The village of Söğüt (formerly Thebasion until 1231) later grew into a town that served the Osmanli tribe as capital until the capture of the Byzantine city of Prusa
Bursa, Turkey
Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. The metropolitan area in the entire Bursa province had a population of 2.6 million as of 2010, making the city fourth most populous in Turkey. The city is equally one of the most industrialized metropolitan centers in the...

 in 1325 when the capital was moved to the far more luxurious palaces of the Byzantines.

Söğüt was the birthplace of Sultan Osman I
Osman I
Osman I or Othman I or El-Gazi Sultan Osman Ghazi, or Osman Bey or I. Osman, Osman Gazi Han), nicknamed "Kara" for his courage, was the leader of the Ottoman Turks, and the founder of the dynasty that established and ruled the Ottoman Empire...

. It was conquered by Ertuğrul
Ertugrul
Ertuğrul was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. He was the leader of the Kayı clan of the Oghuz Turks...

 for the Anatolian Seljuks from the Nicean Empire in 1231. It was called Thebasion before the Turkish conquest.

Today

Today Söğüt is a small town in the humid river valley of Bilecik Province in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. Turkish history
History of Turkey
The history of the Turks begins with the migration of Oghuz Turks into Anatolia in the context of the larger Turkic expansion, forming the Seljuq Empire in the 11th century. After the Seljuq victory over forces of the Byzantine Empire in 1071 at the Battle of Manzikert, the process was accelerated...

 and life-size statues of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

s are exhibited in the Söğüt Ethnographical Museum. It is also the 3rd biggest district center in its province after Bozüyük
Bozüyük
Bozüyük is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Ahmet Berberoğlu .-Features:Bozüyük is the biggest town in Bilecik Province...

 and Bilecik
Bilecik
-External links:* http://www.eksisozluk.com/show.asp?t=bilecik%20diye%20bir%20yerin%20asl%C4%B1nda%20olmamas%C4%B1%20 Bilecik Conspiracy* http://www.bilecikaktuel.com* * http://www.voyagerbook.com/eng/iller/11/11.asp*...

. Its market is open every Thursday and some people visit the city from the districts of İnhisar
Inhisar
İnhisar is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The population is 1034 . The mayor is İsmail Cambaz ....

 and Yenipazar
Yenipazar, Bilecik
Yenipazar, formerly Kırka, is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Karadeniz region of Turkey. The population is 1061 . The mayor is Cengiz Arıkan .-External links:*...

for shopping.

External links

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