Söğüt, the cradle of the Ottomans

According to tradition, the Anatolian Seljuk sultan granted Ertuğrul Gazi, bey of the Kayı tribe, the pastures of Söğüt and Domaniç on the Byzantine frontier. At the end of the 13th century Ertuğrul's son Osman raided neighbouring Byzantine forts from here, and the beylik that bears his name was born.

The tomb of Ertuğrul Gazi is in Söğüt; the present building was rebuilt in the 19th century under Sultan Abdulhamid II. Every September a commemoration of Ertuğrul Gazi and the Söğüt festival are held here, with guests from across the Turkic world.