Isparta
Bulgarian refugees in the late 1800s transplanted rose cultivation techniques that now produce 60% of the world's rose oil. Süleyman Demirel University adds 90,000 students. By 2026, competition-driven overproduction may collapse prices.
Isparta demonstrates how refugee displacement can transplant an entire industry across borders—Bulgarian exiles in the late 19th century brought rose cultivation techniques that now produce 60% of the world's rose oil, turning tragedy into aromatic monopoly.
The region's history traces to the ancient city of Baris in Roman Pisidia. After the 1071 Battle of Manzikert opened Anatolia to Turkic settlement, Isparta oscillated between Byzantine and Turkish control for two centuries before becoming permanently Turkish in 1203. In 1381, the Hamidid Emir sold Isparta to Ottoman Sultan Murad I—a rare commercial acquisition of territory. But roses were not yet part of the story. That transformation required the massive population exchanges following the Russo-Turkish Wars of the 1870s and Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.
Muslim refugees expelled from Bulgaria settled around Isparta, bringing with them the knowledge of kazanlik rose cultivation and distillation. Bulgaria's Kazanlak Valley had been Europe's rose oil capital; now its techniques migrated south. The first large distillery opened in 1934, formalizing an industry that Bulgarian refugees had practiced for decades. The Rosa damascena flourished in Isparta's mountain valleys, benefiting from the same alkaline soils and continental climate that made Kazanlak successful. This biological transplantation created a new ecosystem: farmers, distillers, exporters, and global cosmetic firms all connected through a single fragrant commodity.
Today Isparta produces 60% of the world's rose oil, with almost all production exported to international cosmetic companies. The province also hosts Süleyman Demirel University (founded 1992) with approximately 90,000 students across 19 faculties, making education a secondary economic pillar. Lake Eğirdir provides freshwater resources, while biblical tourism to early Christian sites attracts growing visitor numbers. In December 2024, a military helicopter crash during training killed five soldiers. The March 2024 local elections saw Mayor Şükrü Başdeğirmen re-elected with 41.95% of the vote.
By 2026, Isparta will face the classic monoculture risk: fierce competition between rose oil firms bids up farmer prices, potentially crashing global rose oil prices and demonstrating how refugee-transplanted industries can create their own fragility.