Usak, city in western Turkey, the capital of Usak province, located 190 km (120 mi) east of Izmir. Usak has a number of carpet workshops and has been noted for its quality carpets for centuries. The city's proximity to Izmir and agricultural production capacity have also made it an important industrial center, with sugar, food and textile industries. A major crossroads, Usak is located on a highway stretching to Izmir in the west and the Turkish capital of Ankara in the northeast. It is also connected to Izmir by railroad. The area around Usak was held by Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, and Romans in ancient times. The Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks alternated control of the region in the 11th and 12th centuries. Incorporated into Ottoman territory as a town in 1429, Usak became the capital of the newly created Usak province in 1953. Population (1990) 105,270.
