Kütahya

Understand

thumb | 300px | Inside a tile shop Kütahya is at an elevation of 970 m, so it's routinely below freezing in winter, and summers are dry with temperatures approaching 35°C. It's in a valley hemmed in by mountains, so it's on a trade route, and industrial smog gets trapped above it.

In antiquity this was Kotyaion (Κοτύαιον), the city of Kotys - she was a war goddess whose riotous, licentious worship would outdo any modern resort nightclub. The region was called Phrygia, which the Romans took over and divided. They assigned Kotyaion to Phrygia Salutaris, the healthy bit, since presumably they couldn't put it in Phrygia Pacatiana, the peaceful bit. It was on the edge of several empires and was captured by many - including by the proto-Mughals under Timur. One of the longer-lasting reigns was the Germiyanid kingdom of the 14th / 15th centuries, in turn overthrown by their northern neighbours the Ottomans. In 1514 the Ottomans captured Tabriz in Persia and copied a trick of Timur in bringing its artisans, especially tile-makers, to embellish their home cities. Many were Armenian Christians, who established workships here and in Iznik. These towns already made Çini - china-style ceramics - but now the artistry and production boomed.

The Armenians fled in the pogroms of 1915 / 16 and the tile-making trade collapsed, taking 50 years to recover. Kütahya made a living from industry based on agriculture, and from standard bathroom tiles, but it was bypassed by better transport route…

Get around

Walk, the sights are all central, and you're unlikely to use either the dolmuşes (various colours) or yellow city buses.

See

thumb | 300px | Sarcophagus from Aizanoi is the best preserved part of old town, a cobbled alley lined by tastefully restored Ottoman-era mansions. (Yeşil Cami) was built in 1905. It's the interior that's green, with rich tilework. Analıca Mosque 200 m northeast of Grand Mosque is 13th century. Kurşunlu Mosque 200 m northwest of Grand Mosque was built in 1377 and restored in 2018. thumb | 300px | Hungarian House Aizanoi 60 km southwest is usually done as a day trip from Kütahya, as there are few amenities in the adjacent village of Çavdarhisar.

Do

Hot springs and hamams: this is a geothermal area. Football: Kütahyaspor were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in TFF 2. Lig, the third tier. Their Dumlupınar Stadium (capacity 11,500) is 500 m southeast of town centre.

Buy

Supermarkets: Migros is the most central, just north of "the vase" behind Hilton Garden Inn. It's open daily 09:00-22:00. Banks and ATMs also cluster in this area. Tiles (çini) are the big thing here. They come in three grades. Turist işi is the basic stuff in souvenir shops. If you're looking for something that the cat will knock off the table or the kids crack in cookery experiments, go for these, and haggle. Fabrika işi is quality work prepared by apprentices under the supervision of a çinici, a master maker, and his / her own personal work is özel iş. There are shops just north of the Vazo at the beginning of Atatürk Blv, and south towards old town. Çiniciler Çarşısı ("Tile Bazaar") is on the retail park 5 km out on the Eskişehir highway. Think about the weight in your home-bound luggage, and the average baggage-handler's limited appreciation of the grades of traditional tiles. All the produce is modern, and if it's touted as antique, with any luck it's fake. If you're unlucky, you'll be in big trouble for trying to export a genuine antiquity.

Eat

thumb | 300px | "The Vase" at night M&N fish restaurant is next door at Lise Cd 3. Others south and west of the Vase are Osmanli Kebap, Mis Gözleme and Santral Iskembe Salonu. North around Atatürk Blvd is the main strip, with Amir Tantuni, Nora Bistro within the Hilton, Star Gözleme, Pita Kitchen, Fesleğen (below), MPlus Cafe and Hatay Döner.

Drink

North along Atatürk Blvd are Adıyamanlı Çiğ Köfteci Erkan Usta, the Hilton bar, Kokoreç11 Bozüyüklü Alihan Usta, and Tombiş. No 1 Pub is a block west of the clocktower on Akabe Sk.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Archaeology Museum in a former madrasah Çinili Otel 2 is a very basic place next to Gülpalas. Nehir Termal is a spa hotel, west edge of town on Şair Ali Pesendi Cd. It wasn't open in 2022.

Connect

thumb | 300px | The Temple of Zeus, Aizanoi Kütahya and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of July 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

Aizanoi 60 km southwest is worth a day-trip. The highlight is the Temple of Zeus. Afyonkarahisar is another traditional city, with historic houses and hilltop castle. Eskişehir is a university city and transport hub with a small preserved old quarter.