Birgi | |
|---|---|
 Ottoman era houses of Birgi | |
  Birgi Location in Turkey  Birgi Birgi (İzmir) | |
| Coordinates: 38°15′18″N 28°03′54″E / 38.25500°N 28.06500°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | İzmir |
| District | Ödemiş |
| Elevation | 326 m (1,070 ft) |
| Population (2022) | 1,832 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 35750 |
| Area code | 0232 |
Birgi is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Ödemiş, İzmir Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 1,832 (2022).[2] Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde).[3][4] Its current name is a corruption of its medieval Greek name, Pyrgion (Greek: Πυργίον, meaning "Little Tower").
In antiquity, the town was known as Dios Hieron (Greek: Διός Ἱερόν, 'Sanctuary of Zeus'),[5] one of two cities thus named.[6] The city became part of the Roman Republic and the Roman province of Asia with the annexation of the Kingdom of Pergamon.
It was renamed to Christoupolis (Greek: Χριστούπολις) in the 7th century and was known as Pyrgion (Greek: Πυργίον) from the 12th century on.[5] Pyrgion fell to the Turks in 1307, and became the capital of the beylik of Aydin.[5]
Ibn Battuta visited the city and attended a lecture by the eminent professor Muhyi al-Din.[7]
It was subsequently incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1390.[8] Birgi is well known for its classic Seljuk and Ottoman architecture and has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage by ÇEKÜL(Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage) since 1994.
In 2021, archaeologists unearthed a Byzantine fort.[9]
The Roman Era city had an ancient Christian Bishopric attested as an episcopal see from at least 451, It was a suffragan of Ephesus, which it remained under until the late 12th century when it became a separate metropolis.[5]
There are four known bishops of this diocese from antiquity.
Today Dioshieron survives as titular bishopric in the Roman Catholic Church,[10] so far the see has never been assigned.[11][12]
