[1] Afyon is in the mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, 250 km (155 mi) south-west of Ankara along the Akarçay River.

In Turkey, Afyonkarahisar stands out as a capital city of hot springs and spas,[4] an important junction of railway, highway and air traffic in West-Turkey,[5] and the place where independence was won.

[6] In addition, Afyonkarahisar is one of Turkey's leading provinces in agriculture,[7] globally renowned for its marble[8] and is the world's largest producer of pharmaceutical opium.

After the death of Alexander the city (now known as Akroinοn (Ακροϊνόν) or Nikopolis (Νικόπολις) in Ancient Greek), was ruled by the Seleucids and the kings of Pergamon, then Rome and Byzantium.

Akroinοn became an important fortress in the Armeniakon theme due to its strategic location and natural defences and was first mentioned in Byzantine history when it was attacked in 716 and 732 by Arabs invaders.

[13] The city was still held by the former in 1112 but was lost to the Sultanate of Rum at some time before 1146 when Manuel I Komnenos won a victory here.

[11][14] The Turks were unable to firmly control the city until around 1210,[14] renaming it to Kara Hissar ("black castle") after the ancient fortress situated upon a volcanic rock 201 meters above the town.

The region was a major producer of raw opium (hence the name Afyon) until the late 1960s when under international pressure, from the US in particular, the fields were burnt and production ceased.

Docimian marble was highly admired and valued for its unique colors and fine grained quality by ancient people such as the Romans.

Emperors such as Augustus, Trajan and Hadrian made extensive use of Docimaean marble to many of their major building projects.

"Afyon Alkaloids" factory is the largest of its kind in the world,[9][38] with high capacity processing ability and modern laboratories.

Afyon's climate is ideal for the cultivation of this plant, hence a large amount of poppy plantation occurs in this region.

Though, a strong limitation came some decades ago from international laws, cause of the opium content of poppy plants peels.

Nevertheless, Afyon is the largest producer of poppy in Turkey[47] and accounts for a large amount of global production.

Afyon is on the route of the planned high-speed rail line between Ankara and Izmir.Zafer Airport, located 60 km from city center, serves Afyonkarahisar.

There is little in the way of bars, cafes, live music or other cultural amenities, and the standards of education are low for a city in the west of Turkey.

[citation needed] Nonetheless, the city does host one seat of higher education, Afyon Kocatepe University.

This is a natural crossroads, the routes from Ankara to İzmir and from Istanbul to Antalya intersect here and Afyon is a popular stopping-place on these journeys.

Some of these places are modern well-equipped hotels and spas; the mineral waters of Afyon are renowned for their healing qualities.

With its rich architectural heritage, the city is a member of the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions [1].