Budget holidays to Turkey.

Denizli

Posted by Janice in Destinations on 10 3rd, 2009 | no responses

Also in the district of Honaz about 10 miles west of Denizli is what was, in the 1st century A.D., the town of Colossae.

A vibrant center of production industries focused on exportation, Denizli is also frequently cited, along with a number of other Turkish cities, as one of the foremost examples of "Anatolian Tigers" in reference to its rapid pace of development.

In summer the weather is very hot, the winters may occasionally be very cold with snow on the mountains that surround the city.

Etymology

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.

In the 17th century, the Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Denizli 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."

Denizli today

Aside its visitor’s attractions, the city of Denizli is known for its textile industry and (and outlet shopping for cut-price clothing), for connected fields of activity such as the dye industry, and for its famous cockerels. The saying goes that Denizli is known for ‘kız’, ‘toz’ and ‘horoz’; respectively, the girls (the girls of the Aegean Region are famously the fairest in Turkey), the dust and the cockerels. There are statues and other images of the birds all over the city. Extremely resourceful in catchy phraseologies evolving from the folk culture, the region also affirms itself by saying "Denizli’nin horozları bellidir" (the cockerels of Denizli make themselves known).

Economy

The textile industry in Denizli grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s making itself a place in the domestic market and for exports. Towels and bathrobes are products associated with Denizli in particular emphasis. Thus, Denizli grew rapidly in the last decades, raising a number of very rich businessmen, some reasonable to very good restaurants, notably one renowned across Turkey for serving only mushrooms in different varieties (Mantar Restaurant), and the look and the amenities of a modern city. The biggest firms in the city include Değirmenci and Funika (especially for bathrobes).

Lifestyle

The city is quite smart with trees along the main avenues and lovely views of the surrounding mountains from many locations. As Denizli has prospered in the 90s new compounds of luxury villas have sprung up on the city’s outskirts in areas like Çamlık. In the city itself air pollution from coal-fired central-heating becomes a problem in winter. There are some highly-regarded high schools and Pamukkale University opened in the 1990s, now in phase of academic maturing. Many young people still leave to go to university in İzmir, Ankara or Istanbul, and sometimes stay there to build careers.

Culture and entertainment

There are large shops, bars and cafes, even some live music, although this is a city that grew recently and is located deep in the countryside. The presence of Pamukkale University improves the cultural amenities of the city. The region’s inhabitants have been influenced by the production of grapes and the wine since centuries and a joyful culture is present in Denizli, although it is coupled with hard working and creative thinking, reflected in an apparent conservatism. For example, it is sometimes difficult to get a license to sell alcohol.

On the other hand, the new wealth in Denizli has been much more rapid than many other places in Turkey in investing in developing an urban culture. Many private clubs and associations are opening up including: The society for the Protection of the Environment and History of Denizli; The Poets and Poetry Lovers Association; the Pizza Appreciation Group and the Jazz-rock Local. There is an annual amateur theatre festival, attended by groups from Turkey and overseas. Denizli has the second-largest number of ranking chess-players in Turkey, after Istanbul. Also, inspired by the unusually high reports of UFO sightings in the region over the years, one of the world’s handful of museums dedicated to ufology was recently opened in Denizli.

Food and drink

The wines of the Pamukkale winery are mostly made from traditional Turkish grapes such as Tokat, Narince and Çalkarası, although now they are planting Shiraz in the area too. They also make a well-known cherry wine. The Denizli kebab is roast lamb served on flat bread. Zafer Gazozu is a locally produced fizzy lemonade.

Transportation

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. The ticket would cost approximately $60.

Driving time to the capital city of Ankara is approximately 7 hours.

Driving time to İzmir is approximately 3 hours, with special alertness to be preserved at all times during the extremely busy Denizli-Aydın section. The extension of İzmir-Aydın highway to Denizli, to better benefit the production hub that Büyük Menderes River valley is, remains announced since years. Initial infrastructure is laid in Aydın, but the rest is yet to come and the present Aydın-Denizli road, although straight and flat, has a very high level of traffic, especially trucks, with each town along the road possessing its own industrial zone.