Isparta

About Isparta

Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District. Its population is 247,580 (2022). 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 Eskişehir is 350 km to the north.

Süleyman Demirel University has introduced thousands of youths from varied backgrounds to the city's mostly conservative fabric in recent years. The city’s football team, Isparta 32 Spor, was founded in 1976 in Isparta. The club’s colors are green and pink, and the team plays its home matches at the 4,345-seat Isparta Atatürk City Stadium. It currently competes in the TFF Second League.

Isparta is a Turkish spelling of Greek Sparta, by prothesis declustering.

Isparta was said to correspond to the ancient city of Baris, which is a namesake and was part of the Roman province of Pisidia. A later theory has it instead as the Eastern Roman fortress Saporda; in Muslim sources it appears as Sabarta. GE Bean characterized the situation thus: "These perpetually shifting conceptions leave the reader quite bewildered." Modern scholars locate Baris...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.