Eskişehir Province


Eskişehir Province is a province in northwestern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Bilecik to the northwest, Kütahya to the west, Afyon to the southwest, Konya to the south, Ankara to the east, and Bolu to the north. The provincial capital is Eskişehir. Most of the province is laid down in Central Anatolia Region. Northern parts of Mihalıççık district and ones of Mihalgazi and Sarıcakaya are located in the Black Sea Region and one of them belong to the Aegean Region.
Eskişehir is an old, culturally developed province of Turkey. It has a population of 844,842. Its urban population is 734,837. Eskişehir has 2 universities, Eskişehir Osmangazi University ESOGU, and Anadolu Üniversitesi, which is the largest university in Turkey and which has some branch offices in Europe.

Districts

Eskişehir province is divided into 14 districts, two of which are included in the greater municipality of Eskişehir.
Eskişehir's population has a high literacy level of 99%. Many universities and military installations are located in and around the city. Turkish technical students are concentrated in the Eskişehir universities. Infrastructural problems have been partially solved in 2004 with the construction of a tram system.
Eskisehir, and neighboring cities were the major settlement area for the descendants of the founders of the Ottoman Empire, about 1000 years ago. Many villages in the province carry the names of the Turkish tribes/clans from those times. Some people in the city of Eskişehir trace their family origin back to Crimea and the Caucasus.

Meerschaum

Eskişehir is internationally known as the source of Meerschaum, a white foamy stone which is used for smoking pipes with detailed carvings. It is called lületaşı in Turkish.