Since its establishment, it has been a crossroads, trade and communication center between the Aegean, Central Anatolia and Mediterranean Regions. It is one of the most important cities in Anatolia that still maintains this feature.
Denizli has a significant tourism potential with its historical, natural and cultural riches.
The history of Denizli is as old and colorful as Anatolia, which has been inhabited continuously since the Chalcolithic Age (Copper Age), when the first urban cultures emerged. What is Denizli's place in history? Since its establishment, Denizli has been an important settlement and civilization center.
Denizli Region in Ancient Times
The first and most important settlement in the Denizli region is Beycesultan Mound. (Today, Beycesultan is located 5 km south of Çivril district, right on the Çivril-Denizli highway.) It is estimated that the settlement started in the Chalcolithic period, 6000 years ago, around 4000 BC.
When it comes to historical periods, the first known inhabitants of the Denizli region were the Arzawa people. 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 collapse 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 a settlement called Karura. The city of Karura is located in Sarayköy district of Denizli today.
The Western Anatolian region, and therefore the Denizli region, was connected to the Roman province of Asia in 129 BC and began to be governed by proconsuls. The Romans renovated the existing roads in the province of Asia and turned the flow of traffic from Bergama towards Ephesus and Miletus. The Denizli Region has become an important point in the east-west direction.
As a result of the division of the Roman Empire into two in 395 AD, Anatolia remained under the administration of Eastern Rome, that is, Byzantium. During the Byzantine State, the Denizli region lost its importance in the Hellenistic and Roman periods and was soon taken over by the Turks who came to the region.
Turkish Sovereignty in Denizli
The first relations of the Turks with Denizli start in 1070. After taking Honaz, one of the most developed cities of the region, Afşin Bey, the Great Seljuk Bey, plundered Laodicea and advanced the invasion movement as far as the Aegean coasts. However, this invasion movement was temporary. After the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, Anatolia was completely conquered, and in the meantime, the Denizli region was conquered by the Beys in the entourage of Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman.
Denizli and its vicinity changed hands constantly between the Turks and the Byzantines until the end of the 12th century, and finally, with the second accession of Seljuk Sultan Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I to the throne, it completely passed into the hands of the Turks in 1206-1207.
With the Battle of Myriokephalon in 1176, the Seljuk Army managed to defeat the Byzantine Army. (The view that the Myriokephalon pass was near the Çivril district of Denizli and that the war took place here has found many supporters.) After this date, Turkmens flocked to the borders of Denizli province in masses.
Denizli lands constituted the southwest wing of the border region that the Seljuks defined as "uc" from the beginning of the XIII century. The lands of Denizli have a very large Turkmen population during this period. The fact that there are 200,000 tent (household) Turkmen populations in the Denizli region alone during this period is enough to give us an idea about this issue. With this aspect, the Denizli Region is the place with the most intense Turkmen population.
In the Beyliks Period, the first Turkish Beylik was established in Denizli in 1260, but it could not last long. Sahip Ataoğulları, Germiyanoğulları and İnançoğulları Beyliks established dominance in the region.
Denizli During the Ottoman Empire
Denizli was first annexed to the Ottoman lands in 1391. However, as a result of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by Timur in the Battle of Ankara in 1402, Denizli was given back to the Germiyanoğlu Beylik. In 1429, Denizli passed into the hands of the Ottomans together with all Germiyan lands.
After Denizli came under Ottoman rule, the vast majority of the local people continued to live in rural areas. A significant part of the rural population lived as nomads in tribes. The place names belonging to them have survived to the present day (Avşar, Bayat, etc.). The settled urban population, on the other hand, was engaged in commercial activities under the auspices of tradesmen's guilds.
In his travelogue, İbni- Battuta mentions two ahi chiefs, Ahi Sinan and Ahi Tuman, in Denizli, which he visited in 1332. In fact, according to some sources, Ahi Evran, the founder of the Ahi organization, stayed in Denizli for a while and worked here as a gardener. Socially, Denizli experienced its peak in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Denizli Administrative Organization History
The Ottoman State was divided into provinces in terms of administration, provinces into sanjaks, sanjaks into districts, and districts into sub-districts. The Denizli region was divided into three in 1429 by the Ottomans, who took over the region according to its geographical situation, and was connected to three separate sanjaks.
Although Asi Karaağaç was connected to the Hamid and Tavas sanjaks to the Menteşe sanjaks, Homa, Işıklı, Çal, Baklan, Denizli, Honaz, Sarayköy and Buldan, which constitute a large part of today's Denizli, were connected to the Kütahya sanjak.
The administrative structure of the Denizli district continued with minor changes until the 17th century, but when the Anatolian Governor Generalship in Kütahya was dissolved in this century, the Denizli lands underwent a change by being included in the lands of Aydın Province.
The first Municipality Organization was established in Denizli in 1876. Denizli, which was turned into a "Sanjak" in 1883 with the connection of Sarayköy, Buldan and Tavas districts, became a sub-province connected to Aydın with the participation of Çal in 1884 and Acıpayam districts in 1888, and became a province with the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
Origin of the Name Denizli
The old name of Denizli was "Ladik" or "Lazik". This word comes from the word Laodikeia and does not mean anything in Turkish. The name "Ladik" was inherited during the transition of the city of Laodikeia, located in the Upper Menderes Valley (6 km north of today's Denizli city), to the Turks. Just like Khonae-Honas, Khoma-Homa, Tabae-Tavas, which are located in the same region, Laodikeia took the name Ladik in accordance with this rule and was recorded as such in the Seljuk records.
However, with the Seljuk rule and as a result of the city being moved to its current location, 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.
The famous traveler Ibn-i Battuta states that the city of Ladik, which he visited in 1333, was also called "Donguzlu". Mesalik Ül-Ebsar, who recorded approximately the same years, used the expression "Tonguzlu". A Ilkhanid tax record from around 1350 reads "Tonğuzlu". Again, the writing "Tonguzlu" can be seen in a calendar dated 1372. Timur's official historians also kept records as "Donguzluğ" and "Tenguzluğ". After these dates, we see for sure that the expression "Tonuzlu" is used instead of these expressions. As a matter of fact, early Ottoman historians Nesri and Aşıkpaşazade used the spelling "Tonuzlu" in their works.
The transformation of the name "Tonuzlu" or "Tunuzlu" into "Denizli" dates back to the second half of the XVI 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.
However, the name "Lazikkiye", which is the continuation of the Laodikeia - Ladik - Lazik line in the XVI and XVII centuries, was also used during the Ottoman Period. The name "Denizli" was widely used together with "Lazikkiye" only after 1675, and finally, after 1700, this use was definitively established and gained the identity of the name that expresses the region until today.
Denizli, which brings yesterday and today together, is like a dream that will never end. In this section, which we have prepared to tell the historical, cultural and natural riches of Denizli, whose history dates back thousands of years, to people all over the world and to share the beauties here with you, we have listed the activities you will want to do and the beauties you must see when you come to Denizli.
