Vezirhan Explained

Type:municipality
Province:Bilecik
District:Bilecik
Vezirhan
Population Total:2907
Population As Of:2021
Coordinates:40.25°N 31°W
Elevation M:160
Postal Code:11130
Area Code:0228

Vezirhan is a town (belde) and municipality in the Bilecik District, Bilecik Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 2,907 (2021).[2] The name of the town refers to a caravansarai in the town.

Geography

Vezirhan is situated 15km (09miles) north east of Bilecik.

History

The town is very near to Söğüt where the Ottoman Empire was founded, but earliest reliable documents about the town go back to the 17th century. According to these documents, the settlement was a part of Köprülü Mehmet Pasha’s (an Ottoman Grand Vizier) possessions in 1661. The Pasha commissioned a complex in the town (Turkish: külliye) which constituted a caravansarai, a mosque, a Turkish bath, a drinking water well and a bridge over the river. These were dedicated to travellers from Istanbul to Central Anatolia. There was also a church, a sign of Greek presence. But during the compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey (Turkish: mübadele) in 1920s, they left the town.[3]

Economy

The main economic activities are agriculture and animal husbandry. But there are also some factories around the town such as paper, ceramics and moulding.

Notes and References

  1. https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx Belde
  2. Web site: Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2021. 30 January 2023 . TÜİK. tr . XLS.
  3. http://www.vezirhan.bel.tr/?vezirhan=tarih Mayor’s page