Denizli Tripolis Archaeological Site

Denizli Tripolis Archaeological Site

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY

Archaeological research in the Tripolis Ancient City is carried out under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Bahadır Duman, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and Pamukkale University by the decision of the Council of Ministers.

The works are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Denizli Governorship, Pamukkale University, Turkish Historical Society, Türkiye Employment Agency, Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, and Buldan Municipality.

In the ancient city of Tripolis, from 2012 to the present; Excavation and restoration works of many buildings belonging to public and civil architecture in the city center such as the Housing Area, Church, Column Street, Monumental Fountain, Main Street, Vaulted Structure, Podium Structure, Agora, Arched Structure, Tabernas, and Sanctuary have been completed.

Tripolis Ancient City; It is located within the borders of Denizli Province, Buldan District, Yenicekent Neighborhood in the Central Western Anatolia Region. The remains of the public and civil architecture of the city at the northwest end of the Lykos/Çürüksu Valley are spread over an area of approximately 3 km2 on the southern slope of a hill overlooking the valley.

Archaeological data obtained during the surveys carried out in Hamambükü and Yenice/Akkaya mounds, located in the east and southeast of the city, prove that the settlement traces in the area where Tripolis is located date back to the Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic Period. The most important data showing that Tripolis is located at a very important strategic and geopolitical point in the Lydia Region is due to its location on the transit route of trade routes. The two main roads starting from Pergamon and Smyrna converge in Sardis, reach Tripolis via Philadelphia, and continue into Anatolia by proceeding in the direction of Hierapolis - Laodikeia. This trade route has ensured the importance of Tripolis to be preserved throughout the ages.

The city, which first appeared on the stage of history in the Hellenistic Period with the name Apollonia, was named Antoniopolis for a while during the visit of Mark Antony to Asia Minor in 41 B.C. The name of the city is mentioned as Tripolis in all of the coin finds that were minted during the Augustus Period and found in archaeological excavations. The Çürüksu Valley, which includes Tripolis, consisted of independent cities until the Magnesia War between the Seleucids and the Pergamon Kingdom in 190 B.C. The Kingdom of Pergamon, which won the war with the support of Rome, took over the administration of the region with the Apameia Peace signed in 188 B.C. After the death and testament of Attalos III, The Kingdom of Pergamon, in 133 B.C, the region was attached to the Roman Empire. The city name, which was included in the Sardis Conventus for a while during the Roman Imperial Period, is included in the city lists that make up the Apameia Conventus in the Flavian Period.

In the city, which was founded in the Hellenistic Period, public buildings such as a stadium, theater, bath, city gates, street, and parliament building were built with the restructuring from the 2nd century A.D. In the city, which changed hands between the Byzantines and Turks in the first half of the 13th century A.D, an agreement was signed with Ioannes Ducas Vatatzes, King of İznik, and the Seljuk Sultan Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev II in 1243 A.D. In the years 1304-1306, Turkish domination was established in the region with İnancogullari and Germiyanoğulları, and in 1429 it passed to the dominion of the Ottomans.