In 1932 the name Emirdağ was given by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk which derives from the Seljuk commander Emir Ahmed Mengücek, who defeated the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Bolybotum, and rested on the mountain range near the area.

[4] The area has been occupied since at least 1437 BC by a succession of peoples beginning with Hittites, Lydians, Persians, and Greeks.

[citation needed] The ruins of the Hellenistic and Byzantine city of Amorium lie about 12 km east of Emirdağ.

The area was settled by Turkmen from 1068 onwards and particularly following the battle of nearby Bolvadin, between the Byzantines and the Seljuk Turks.

[5] Many Turkish migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands originally came from Emirdağ and the surrounding villages, including Karacalar where there is a strong Alevi minority.

People originally went abroad to work as miners in the 1950s and nowadays are typically occupied with running restaurants, cafes, and bars.

This is still a typical Turkish country town and quite conservative; the tea-gardens are segregated into areas for families and single men.