Facts about Denizli
Denizli is a Turkish city. It is located in the mountains of southwestern Turkey. It is the capital city of Denizli Province. According to the 2006 census, Denizli has an urban population of near 400,000. The name Denizli means "a locality with a sea or with a lake" in Turkish, but the town is not on the coast. The name mutated through several spellings and must have referred to the abundance of underground water sources or the city's location on the way to western Turkey's lakes region nearby. The area has been occupied since prehistoric times, there were important ancient Greek and Roman towns nearby, (Hierapolis and Laodicea on the Lycus), which persisted through the Byzantine period. The city was founded in its current location after the area has been settled by the Turks. A Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Denizli in the 17th century and recorded the town as follows: "The city is called (Denizli) (which means seaside in Turkish) 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 live 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 the World War I during the Independence War the Greek forces managed to come as close as Sarayköy, a small town 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Denizli, but did not venture into Denizli where resistance was being prepared. Denizli airport is about 45 minutes drive from the city. There is direct flight almost everyday from Istanbul usually in the morning and back to Istanbul in the evening both with Turkish Airlines. Driving time to the capital city of Ankara from Denizli is approximately 7 hours. Driving time to Izmir from Denizli is approximately 3 hours. Honaz mountain is a popular picnic excursion for Denizli's people in summer. The statue of Atatürk at Çinar Meydani in the city centre is renowned for the large testicles on the horse that Atatürk is riding. Sezen Aksu, the singer is from this city. |
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