Beypazarı

Beypazarı is a Turkish town and district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, approximately 100 km west of the city of Ankara. According to the 2000 census, the population of the district is 46,493, of which 35,775 live in the town of Beypazarı. The district covers an area of 1814km2, and the average elevation in the center is 675m. The district contains three other small towns (Karaşar, Uruş, Kırbaşı) and 64 villages. It used to be an important city in Asia Minor in ancient times.EtymologyThe name Beypazarı means The Bey's market in Turkish, as in the Ottoman period this was an important military base and the cavalry stationed here were an important element of the local economy.HistoryThe area has a long history of occupation by Hittites, Phrygians, Ancient Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire. Like most Luwian cities located in West Anatolia, Lagania supported the Trojans during the famous Trojan war. Beypazarı was known as Lagania (Λαγάνια), meaning rocky peak in the Luwian language during the Roman and Byzantine times, and the town was a regional administrative center.