Where to Visit in Kutahya
Kutahya is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk River, at 969 metres above sea level. It is inhabited by some 578,640 people (2022 estimate). The region of Kütahya has large areas of gentle slopes with agricultural land culminating in high mountain ridges to the north and west.
The industries of Kütahya have long traditions, going back to ancient times. Kütahya is famous for its kiln products, such as tiles and pottery, which are glazed and multicoloured. Modern industries are sugar refining, tanning, nitrate processing and different products of meerschaum, which is extracted nearby. In the Ottoman period, Kütahya was a major cotton production center of the empire. Modern local agricultural industry produces cereals, fruits and sugar beet. In addition stock raising is of much importance. Not far from Kütahya there are important mines extracting lignite. Kütahya is linked by rail and road with Balıkesir 250 km (155 mi) to the west, İstanbul 360km to the northwest, Konya 450 km (280 mi) to the southeast, Eskişehir 70 km (43 mi) northeast and Ankara 300 km (186 mi) east. A small ewer, now in the British Museum, gave its name to a category of similar blue and white fritware pottery known as ‘Abraham of Kütahya ware’. It has an inscription in Armenian script under the glaze on its base stating that it commemorated Abraham of Kütahya with a date of 1510. In 1957 Arthur Lane published an influential article in which he reviewed the history of pottery production in the region and proposed that ‘Abraham of Kütahya’ ware was produced from 1490 until around 1525, ‘Damascus’ and ‘Golden Horn’ ware were produced from 1525 until 1555 and ‘Rhodian’ ware from around 1555 until the demise of the İznik pottery industry at the beginning of the 18th century. This chronology has been generally accepted.
Kutahya’s old neighbourhoods are dominated by traditional Ottoman houses made of wood and stucco, some of the best examples being found along Germiyan Caddesi. It has many historical mosques such as Ulu Camii, Cinili Camii, Balikli Camii and Donenler Camii. The Şengül Hamamı is a famous Turkish bath located in the city. The town preserves some ancient ruins, a Byzantine castle and church. During late centuries Kütahya has been renowned for its Turkish earthenware, of which fine specimens may be seen at the national capital. The Kütahya Museum has a fine collection of arts and cultural artifacts from the area, the house where Hungarian statesman Lajos Kossuth lived in exile between 1850 and 1851 is preserved as a museum
Kutahya Museums
