Since its establishment, it has been a crossroads, trade and communication center between Aegean, Central Anatolia and Mediterranean Regions. It is one of the most important cities of Anatolia, which still maintains this feature.

Denizli has an important tourism potential with its historical, natural and cultural riches.

Denizli's history is as old and colorful as Anatolia, which has had an uninterrupted settlement since the Chalcolithic Age (Copper Age), when the first urban cultures emerged. What is Denizli's place in history? Denizli's history has been an important center of settlement and civilization since its establishment.

Denizli Region in Antiquity

Beycesultan Tumulus is the first and most important settlement of Denizli region. (Today, Beycesultan is located 5 km south of Çivril district, just to the right of the Çivril-Denizli highway.) The settlement was built 6000 years ago in BC. It is predicted that it started with the Chalcolithic period in 4000 BC.

When it comes to historical periods, the first known inhabitants of the Denizli region were the Arzawalis. After the Dark Age, which lasted between 1200-1700 BC, the Phrygians dominated the region. According to Xenephon, one of the most important settlements in the western borders of Phrygia was the city of Collosai (today Honaz). After the destruction of the Phrygians, the region passed into the hands of the Lydians. According to the famous Greek historian Herodotus, the eastern border of the Lydian State is the settlement called Karura. The city of Karura is located in Sarayköy district of Denizli today.

The Western Anatolian region and therefore the Denizli region were connected to the Asian state by the Romans in 129 BC and started to be administered by the proconsuls. The Romans rehabilitated the existing roads in the Asian state and turned the road flow from Pergamon to Ephesus and Miletus. Denizli Region has become an important point in the east-west direction.

As a result of the division of the Roman State into two in 395 AD, Anatolia remained under the rule of Eastern Rome, that is, Byzantium. During the Byzantine State, Denizli region lost its importance in Hellenistic and Roman periods and after a while it passed into the hands of the Turks who came to the region.

Turkish Domination in Denizli

The first relations of the Turks with Denizli begin in 1070. After the Great Seljuk Bey Afşin Bey captured Honaz, one of the most developed cities of the region, he plundered Laodikeia and advanced the invasion movement to the Aegean coast. However, this invasion movement was temporary. It was conquered by the Beys in the entourage of .

Denizli and its surroundings constantly changed hands between the Turks and Byzantines until the end of the 12th century, and finally, with the second accession of the Seljuk Sultan Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev, in 1206-1207, it completely fell into the hands of the Turks.

With the Battle of Myriokephalon in 1176, the Seljuk Army succeeded in defeating the Byzantine Army. (Many supporters found the view that the Myriokephalon Pass was near the Çivril district of Denizli and that the war took place here.) After this date, the Turkmens gathered in masses on the Denizli provincial border.

Denizli lands XIII. From the beginning of the century, it was forming the southwest wing of the border region, which the Seljuks defined as “uc”. Denizli lands had a very large Turkmen population in this period. In this period, the existence of 200,000 tent (household) Turkmen population in Denizli alone is enough to give us an idea about this issue. In this respect, Denizli Region is the place with the highest Turkmen population.

During the Principalities Period, the first Turkish Principality was established in Denizli in 1260 and did not last long. Owner Ataoğulları, Germiyanoğulları and İnançoğulları Principalities established dominance in the region.

Denizli in the Ottoman Empire Period

Denizli joined the Ottoman lands for the first time in 1391. However, as a result of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by Timur in the Ankara war in 1402, Denizli was given to the Germiyanoğlu Principality again. In 1429, Denizli was captured by the Ottomans with all the Germiyan lands.

After Denizli passed under the Ottoman rule, the majority of the local people continued to live in the countryside. A significant part of the rural population lived in tribes as nomads. The place names belonging to these have survived until today (such as Avşar, Bayat). The settled urban population, on the other hand, was engaged in commercial activities depending on the craftsmen's guilds.

In his travel book, Ibn Battuta mentions two ahi chiefs named Ahi Sinan and Ahi Tuman in Denizli, which he visited in 1332. According to some sources, Ahi Evran, the founder of the Ahi organization, stayed in Denizli for a while and worked as a gardener there. Socially, Denizli had its peak in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Denizli Administrative Organization History

The Ottoman Empire was administratively divided into provinces, provinces into sanjaks, sanjaks, kazas, and districts into sub-districts. Denizli region was divided into three according to its geographical situation by the Ottomans, who came under its dominion in 1429, and was connected to three separate sanjaks.

Although Asi Karaağaç was connected to Hamid and Tavas to Menteşe, Homa, Işıklı, Çal, Baklan, Denizli, Honaz, Sarayköy and Buldan, which constitute the majority of today's Denizli, were connected to Kütahya sanjak.

The administrative structure of Denizli county continued until the 17th century with minor changes, but when the Anatolian Governorship in Kütahya was disbanded in this century, Denizli lands were included in the Aydın Province and experienced a change.

The first Municipal Organization was established in Denizli in 1876. Denizli, which was turned into a "Sancak" with the connection of Sarayköy, Buldan and Tavas Districts in 1883, became the governor of Aydın with the participation of Çal in 1884 and Acıpayam in 1888, and became a province in 1923 with the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

Origin of Denizli Name

The old name of Denizli was "Ladik" or "Lazik". This word comes from the word Laodikeia and has no meaning in Turkish. The name "Ladik" was also inherited during the transition of the city of Laodikeia, located in the Upper Menderes Valley (6 km north of the present city of Denizli), to the Turks. As there are Khonae-Honas, Khoma-Homa, Tabae-Tavas in the same region, Laodikeia took the name Ladik in accordance with this rule and was recorded in the Seljuk records as such.

However, as a result of the relocation of the city to its present location with the Seljuk rule, the name "Toğuzlu" began to be used alongside the name "Ladik". With the use of the name “Toğuzlu” together with the name “Ladik”, the names “Tonuzlu” and “Tonguzlu” were added to these words.

Famous traveler Ibn-i Batuta says that the city of Ladik, which he visited in 1333, was also called "Donguzlu". He used the expression "Tonguzlu" in Mesalik Ül-Ebsar, which recorded roughly the same years. An Ilkhanid tax record of 1350 writes as "Tonguzlu". The writing of "Tonguzlu" is also seen in a calendar dated 1372. Timur's official historians also kept records as "Donguzlug" and "Tenguzlug". After these dates, we definitely see that the expression "Tonuzlu" is used instead of these expressions. As a matter of fact, the early Ottoman historians Nesri and Aşıkpaşazade used the spelling "Tonuzlu" in their works.

The transformation of the name “Tonuzlu” or “Tuzunlu” to “Denizli” in the XVI. It coincides with the second half of the century. We come across the use of "Dinuzlu" in an Ottoman record dated 1510. Travelers who visited the city during this period used the names "Denyzely", "Denizley", "Denisli", "Degnisli", "Denizli" in their works.

But XVI and XVII. The name "Lazikkiye", which was the continuation of the Laodikeia - Ladik - Lazik line in the Ottoman period, was also used in the centuries. The name "Denizli" was widely used together with "Lazikkiye" after 1675, and finally, after 1700, this usage was firmly established and gained the identity of a name that expresses the region until today.

Bringing yesterday and today together, Denizli is like a dream that will never end. In this section, which we have prepared to tell people all over the world about the historical, cultural and natural riches of Denizli, which dates back thousands of years, and to share the beauties here with you, we have listed the activities you would like to do and the beauties you should see when you come to Denizli.

Page update date: 1/Ağustos/2023 21:08