Uşak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Uşak
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 Uşak
Location in Turkey
Uşak
Location in Turkey Aegean
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| Country | Turkey | |
| Province | Uşak | |
| District | Uşak | |
| Elevation | 906 m (2,972 ft) | |
| Population
(2022)
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236,366 | |
| Time zone | TRT (UTC+3) | |
| Postal code |
64000
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| Area code | 0276 | |
Uşak (pronounced "oo-shak") is a city located in the middle part of Turkey's Aegean Region. It is the main city of Uşak Province and Uşak District. In 2022, about 236,366 people lived there.
Uşak is about 210 km (130 mi) away from İzmir, which is a big city and port. Uşak is special because it sits where the Central Anatolian plateau meets the Aegean Region. This gives it a mix of climates and farm products. The city has always been known for its strong industries. Uşak was the first city in Turkey to have an electricity network for its homes and businesses. It was also the first place where workers and leather factory owners signed a group agreement during the Ottoman times. The first factory of modern Republican Turkey, which made sugar, was also built here by local business people. Today, Uşak continues its industrial traditions with two large industrial zones.
Contents
Discovering Uşak's Past: A Journey Through Time
The Uşak region has a long and interesting history. The first organized kingdoms here were the Phrygians in the east and the Lydians in the west, around 700 BC.
Ancient Treasures and Empires in Uşak
A famous collection of ancient items, called the Karun Treasure, was found in Uşak in 1965. These treasures were secretly taken out of Turkey but later brought back from a museum in New York City. This event made international news and showed how advanced these ancient Anatolian kingdoms were.
The Lydian region was later taken over by the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. Then, Alexander the Great and his followers ruled from the 4th century BC. After that, Uşak was ruled by many different groups. These included the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Seljuks, the Germiyanids, and finally the Ottoman Empire starting in 1429.
Uşak's Name and Modern History
After the Turkish people took control of the area, the city became known as Uşak. This Turkish name means "servant." From 1867 to 1922, Uşak was part of a larger area called Hüdavendigâr vilayet.
The Greek Army occupied Uşak between August 28, 1920, and September 1, 1922. During their retreat, a Greek general named Nikolaos Trikoupis was captured near Uşak. Uşak was a district center within Kütahya Province until 1953. In that year, Uşak Province was created, and Uşak became its capital city.
Uşak's Economic Story: From Carpets to Modern Industry
Uşak has been important for trade for a long time. Since at least the 1600s, Uşak traded with the Dutch Republic. This trade is even shown in a painting by the artist Vermeer called "The Procuress." The painting shows a rug that was likely made in Uşak. It covers a large part of the painting and has designs of medallions and leaves. This shows how Uşak's products were popular in Europe.
In the early 1900s, the metal mercury was found in Uşak. The city also continued to make many carpets.
Among other towns in Uşak Province, Banaz is the biggest. It is known for its many different farm products and its forests. Ulubey is famous for its deep canyon, which many visitors come to see.
Geography and Climate of Uşak
The city of Uşak has 29 different neighborhoods. Some of these include Kurşunluk and Muharremşah.
Uşak's Weather Patterns
Uşak has a Mediterranean climate, which means it has cool, wet, and often snowy winters. Its summers are hot and dry.
- The highest temperature ever recorded in Uşak was 41.9 °C (107.4 °F) on August 18, 2023.
- The lowest temperature ever recorded was −19.9 °C (−3.8 °F) on January 5, 1942.
| Climate data for Uşak (1991–2020, extremes 1939–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.3 (64.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.6 (97.9) |
40.2 (104.4) |
41.9 (107.4) |
36.6 (97.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
26.6 (79.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
41.9 (107.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) |
8.9 (48.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
26.8 (80.2) |
20.9 (69.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
9.2 (48.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
1.8 (35.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
0.7 (33.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.9 (−3.8) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
6.8 (44.2) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−18.9 (−2.0) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 64.3 (2.53) |
65.2 (2.57) |
55.9 (2.20) |
65.6 (2.58) |
48.7 (1.92) |
27.5 (1.08) |
17.7 (0.70) |
12.4 (0.49) |
20.7 (0.81) |
50.2 (1.98) |
59.0 (2.32) |
77.3 (3.04) |
564.5 (22.22) |
| Average precipitation days | 9.03 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 8.07 | 4.27 | 2.57 | 2.07 | 3.4 | 5.93 | 6.13 | 10.1 | 78.9 |
| Average snowy days | 6.07 | 6.47 | 3.13 | 0.27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.07 | 0.87 | 3.07 | 19.95 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 74.1 | 70.6 | 66.3 | 62.9 | 60.5 | 55.3 | 47.8 | 47.6 | 52.5 | 62.0 | 67.5 | 75.1 | 61.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 111.6 | 107.4 | 145.7 | 177.0 | 232.5 | 282.0 | 297.6 | 282.1 | 243.0 | 189.1 | 120.0 | 99.2 | 2,287.2 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 7.5 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 6.3 |
| Source 1: Turkish State Meteorological Service | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (humidity), Meteomanz(snow days 2000-2014) | |||||||||||||
Uşak Carpets: A World-Famous Tradition
Long before factories, Uşak was a major place for making and selling goods, especially its famous Ushak carpets. These carpets are sometimes called Holbein carpets. This is because a 16th-century painter named Hans Holbein the Younger drew them in great detail in his paintings. This shows how popular they were in Europe. The carpets from Uşak became so well-known around the world that the word "Ushak" is now an English word that comes from Turkish.
Even though the designs of Uşak carpets have changed over time, large-scale weaving still happens today. The city's name is still very important in the carpet market, for both handmade and machine-made carpets. Also, the district of Eşme, which is in Uşak Province, is famous for its special flat-woven rugs called kilims.
Uşak's Sister Cities
Uşak has special connections with other cities around the world. These are called "twin cities" or "sister cities."
More to Explore About Uşak
- Ushak carpet
- Karun Treasure
- Uşak Museum of Archaeology
