Denizli


Denizli is an industrial city in the southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about. Denizli is located in the country's Aegean Region.
The city has a population of about 646,278. This is a jump from 389,000 in 2007, due to the merger of 13 municipalities and 10 villages when the area under Denizli Municipality jurisdiction increased almost fivefold and the population around 50 percent. Denizli is the capital city of Denizli Province.
Denizli has seen economic development in the last few decades, mostly due to textile production and exports.
Denizli also attracts visitors to the nearby mineral-coated hillside hot spring of Pamukkale, and with red color thermal water spa hotels Karahayıt, just north of Pamukkale. Recently, Denizli became a major domestic tourism destination due to the various types of thermal waters in Sarayköy, Central/Denizli, Akköy, Buldan, and Çardak districts.
The ancient ruined city of Hierapolis, as well as ruins of the city of Laodicea on the Lycus, the ancient metropolis of Phrygia. Also in the depending of Honaz, about west of Denizli is, what was, in the 1st century AD, the city of Colossae.
The weather is hot in Denizli in summers, whereas in winters, it may occasionally be very cold with snow on the mountains that surround the city. Some years, snow can be observed in the urban areas. Springs and autumns are rainy, mild climate, warm.

History

In antiquity, it was an important Greek town, called Attouda, that existed through the ancient Greek and Roman eras; it was near the cities and flourished through the Byzantine period.
The city was conquered by the Turks. The inhabitants of Laodicea were also resettled here in the Seljuk period.
Ibn Battuta visited the city, noting that "In it there are seven mosques for the observance of Friday prayers, and it has splendid gardens, perennial streams, and gushing springs. Most of the artisans there are Greek women, for in it are many Greeks who are subject to the Muslims and who pay dues to the sultan, including the jizyah, and other taxes."
In the 17th century, the Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Denizli and recorded the town as follows: "The city is called by Turks as as there are several rivers and lakes around it. In fact it is a four-day trip from the sea. Its fortress is of square shape built on flat ground. It has no ditches. Its periphery is 470 steps long. It has four gates. These are: painters gate in North, saddle-makers gate in the East, new Mosque gate in the South, and vineyard gate in the West. There are some fifty armed watchmen in the fortress, and they attend the shop. The main city is outside the fortress with 44 districts and 3600 houses. There are 57 small and large mosques and district masjids, 7 madrasahs, 7 children's schools, 6 baths and 17 dervish lodges. As everybody lives in vineyards the upper classes and ordinary people do not flee from each other."
The city lived in peace for centuries without being involved in wars in a direct manner. Following World War I during the Independence War, the Greek forces managed to come as close as Sarayköy, a small town northwest of Denizli, but did not venture into Denizli. The most widespread symbols of Denizli province are of textile industry.

Administration

List of districts and 2016 census.
DistrictPopulation
Merkezefendi287,852
Pamukkale337,444
Acıpayam55,279
Babadağ6,498
Baklan5,632
Bekilli7,045
Beyağaç6,611
Bozkurt12,715
Buldan27,335
Çal19,431
Çameli18,238
Çardak8,798
Çivril60,721
Güney10,197
Honaz32,136
Kale20,465
Sarayköy30,173
Serinhisar14,600
Tavas44,517
Grand total1,005,687

Climate

Denizli is located in Aegean region of Turkey, where the climate is not uniform. The inland areas, like Çardak, Bozkurt, Çivril, and Çal districts/counties of the province are cooler and have a higher elevation than the seaside, western part of the Province. Therefore, there are climatic differences within the province and even in the Denizli urbanized area. The land is open to winds coming from the Aegean Sea because the mountains are perpendicular to the sea. Winters are rainy or sometimes snowy, but generally mild.

Denizli today

Economy

During World War I, Denizli mined chromium.

Transportation

is about 45 minutes drive from the city center.
The extension of İzmir-Aydın highway to Denizli has been announced for several years. Initial infrastructure was laid in Aydın, but the rest is still forthcoming. The present Aydın-Denizli road, has a very high level of traffic, especially trucks, with each town along the road possessing its own industrial zone.

Places of interest

Ancient sites of Denizli

Twin towns — sister cities

Denizli is twinned with:

  • Muş, Turkey - since 2011
  • Bilecik, Turkey - since 2008
  • Larissa, Greece - since 2007
  • Łódź, Poland - since 2005
  • Damascus, Syria - since 2010
  • Jiaozhou, China - since 2002
  • Sarajevo, Bosnia - since 2009
  • Muan, South Korea - since 2009
  • Kazvin, Iran - since 2011
  • Lorient, France