Çivril
Encyclopedia
Çivril is a town and district of Denizli Province
in the inner Aegean
region of Turkey
. Çivril district area neighbors those of two districts of Uşak Province
to its north, namely Sivaslı
and Karahallı
, and four districts of Afyonkarahisar Province
from the north-east to the south which are, clockwise, Sandıklı
, Dinar
, Dazkırı
and Dazkırı
, and to its south-west, three districts of the same province as itself depending Denizli
. These last three are Bekilli
, Çal
and Baklan
.
It is the most populated district of the province after Denizli
center and is situated on a plain to the northeast of the city of Denizli
, being actually closer to the neighboring provincial seat of Uşak
.
The population of the district center is 17,989 and the whole district (including the rural area) is 61,815.
and other European countries in the 1960s. Thus Çivril has a number of wealthy citizens living abroad or in Istanbul
and in summer is populated with returning families for holiday. But in general this is a typical quiet rural Anatolia
n district.
(circa 3000 BC) were found. It is assumed that Beycehöyük was the centre of the Arzawa
kingdom, contemporaries of the Hittite
Empire. Later on Phrygians, Carians
, Lydians
, Persians
and Macedonians
passed through the region during recorded history but left very few traces.
It is assumed that the relics of raiders and chariots in mounds and on rocks found at Yavuzca farm, 20 km (12 mi) from Çivril, date back to the Phrygians in whose time the most notable settlement here was called Eumeneia. A tomb located on Beycehöyük dates from Seljuk era.
in 1912. Çivril continued to grow by becoming a township with its own municipality in 1892 and a district center in 1910, attached at first to Afyonkarahisar and to Denizli after 1925. The railway line was closed in 1988 and the transportation relies today on intercity buses.
, a freshwater lake which is an important fishing reserve and recreational are for its region, aside from being one of the sources of Büyük Menderes River. The lake lies at an altitude of 821 m and its area is 73 square kilometres. Its waters are also used for irrigation for the surrounding agricultural lands. It is an important site for breeding waterbirds and large numbers of wintering wildfowl. It has been proposed as an Important Bird Area
The lake is at about 20 km (12 mi) south of Çivril and extends in Çivril Plain. ıt is fed by streams from further east. Another stream, Işıklı Stream, in its turn, departs from the lake to join later Büyük Menderes River.
Denizli Province
Denizli Province is a province of Turkey in Western Anatolia, on high ground above the Aegean coast. Neighbouring provinces are Uşak to the north, Burdur, Isparta, Afyon to the east, Aydın, Manisa to the west and Muğla to the south. It is located between the coordinates 28° 30’ and 29° 30’ E and...
in the inner Aegean
Aegean Region
Aegean Region , is one of the 7 census-defined regions of Turkey, and in Western Asia.It is located in the west part of the country: bounded by Aegean Sea on the west; Marmara Region on the north;...
region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Çivril district area neighbors those of two districts of Uşak Province
Usak Province
Uşak is a province in western Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Manisa to the west, Denizli to the south, Afyon to the east, and Kütahya to the north. The provincial capital is Uşak, and its traffic code is 64. The province covers an area of 5,341 km² and has a population of 335,860...
to its north, namely Sivaslı
Sivasli
Sivaslı is a town and district of Uşak Province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. Sivaslı district area neighbors those of four other districts of the same province from north to south, clockwise Karahallı, Ulubey, Uşak central district, and Banaz and ranges Sandıklı district of Afyonkarahisar...
and Karahallı
Karahalli
Karahallı is a town and district of Uşak Province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. Karahallı district area neighbors those of two other districts of the same province to the north, namely Ulubey and Sivaslı, and to the south those of two districts depending Denizli Province which are Çivril...
, and four districts of Afyonkarahisar Province
Afyonkarahisar Province
Afyonkarahisar Province , also called more simply Afyon Province, is a province in western Turkey.Adjacent provinces are Kütahya to the northwest, Uşak to the west, Denizli to the southwest, Burdur to the south, Isparta to the southeast, Konya to the east, and Eskişehir to the north. The provincial...
from the north-east to the south which are, clockwise, Sandıklı
Sandikli
Sandıklı is a town and a district of Afyonkarahisar Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It has a population of 60.126 of which 33.144 live in the city centre according to the 2010 census. The mayor is İsmail Elibol ....
, Dinar
Dinar, Turkey
Dinar is a town and large district of Afyonkarahisar Province in the Aegean region of Turkey, 106 km from the city of Afyon. The mayor is Saffet Acar ....
, Dazkırı
Dazkiri
Dazkırı is a town and district of Afyonkarahisar Province in the Aegean region of Turkey, 140 km from the city of Afyon on the road to Denizli. The climate in the district is hot and dry in summer, and cold and wet in winter. The mayor is Güneş Zengin .Acıgöl, the second-largest alkaline lake...
and Dazkırı
Dazkiri
Dazkırı is a town and district of Afyonkarahisar Province in the Aegean region of Turkey, 140 km from the city of Afyon on the road to Denizli. The climate in the district is hot and dry in summer, and cold and wet in winter. The mayor is Güneş Zengin .Acıgöl, the second-largest alkaline lake...
, and to its south-west, three districts of the same province as itself depending Denizli
Denizli
Denizli is a growing industrial city in the Southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about a hundred meters. Denizli is located in southwestern Turkey, in the country's Aegean Region.The city...
. These last three are Bekilli
Bekilli
Bekilli is a town and a district of Denizli Province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. Bekilli district area neighbors the district areas of Çal and Çivril, both also depending Denizli to the west, south and east, and those of two districts of Uşak Province to the north, namely Ulubey and...
, Çal
Çal
Çal is a town and a district of Denizli Province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. Çal district area occupies a central position in the northern part of its province and neighbors the central district of Denizli to the south-west and the district areas of Güney to the west and Honaz to the south...
and Baklan
Baklan
Baklan is a town and a district of Denizli Province, in Turkey's Aegean Region. The town is at a distance of about an hour from the city of Denizli, neighboring the town of Çivril, and it is situated on the road to Ankara.-Name:...
.
It is the most populated district of the province after Denizli
Denizli
Denizli is a growing industrial city in the Southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about a hundred meters. Denizli is located in southwestern Turkey, in the country's Aegean Region.The city...
center and is situated on a plain to the northeast of the city of Denizli
Denizli
Denizli is a growing industrial city in the Southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about a hundred meters. Denizli is located in southwestern Turkey, in the country's Aegean Region.The city...
, being actually closer to the neighboring provincial seat of Uşak
Usak
Uşak is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. The city has a population of 180,414 and is the capital of Uşak Province. The mayor is Ali Erdoğan ....
.
The population of the district center is 17,989 and the whole district (including the rural area) is 61,815.
General features
The weather is dry and hot in summer, cold in winter. The villagers of Çivril are mostly occupied with growing the district's well-known tasty apples. Many more migrated to work in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and other European countries in the 1960s. Thus Çivril has a number of wealthy citizens living abroad or in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and in summer is populated with returning families for holiday. But in general this is a typical quiet rural Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n district.
Beycehöyük
During an excavation carried out by the British achaeologists Prof. Seton Lloyd and Prof. James Mellaart between 1953 and 1959 at Beycehöyük, 6 km (4 mi) south of the town of Çivril, several artefacts dating back to the Copper AgeCopper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
(circa 3000 BC) were found. It is assumed that Beycehöyük was the centre of the Arzawa
Arzawa
Arzawa in the second half of the second millennium BC was the name of a region and a political entity in Western Anatolia, the core area of which was centered on the Hermos and Maeander river valleys, corresponding with the Late Bronze Age kingdoms of the...
kingdom, contemporaries of the Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
Empire. Later on Phrygians, Carians
Carians
The Carians were the ancient inhabitants of Caria in southwest Anatolia.-Historical accounts:It is not clear when the Carians enter into history. The definition is dependent on corresponding Caria and the Carians to the "Karkiya" or "Karkisa" mentioned in the Hittite records...
, Lydians
Lydians
The Lydians were the inhabitants of Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spoke the distinctive Lydian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian group....
, Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Macedonians
Ancient Macedonians
The Macedonians originated from inhabitants of the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios...
passed through the region during recorded history but left very few traces.
It is assumed that the relics of raiders and chariots in mounds and on rocks found at Yavuzca farm, 20 km (12 mi) from Çivril, date back to the Phrygians in whose time the most notable settlement here was called Eumeneia. A tomb located on Beycehöyük dates from Seljuk era.
Turkish era
A village depending Sandıklı until the 1880s, Çivril gained importance once it became the terminus for a few years of İzmir-Dinar railway which reached here in 1883. The railway was later extended, to Dinar in 1888 and further east to EğirdirEgirdir
Eğirdir, Turkey is a town and district of Isparta Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.-Features:Eğirdir lies between Lake Eğirdir and the Mount Sivri, and contains a castle said to have been built by Croesus, king of Lydia—though additions were built by the Romans, Byzantines and...
in 1912. Çivril continued to grow by becoming a township with its own municipality in 1892 and a district center in 1910, attached at first to Afyonkarahisar and to Denizli after 1925. The railway line was closed in 1988 and the transportation relies today on intercity buses.
Lake Işıklı
Çivril district area is notable by the large size within its boundaries of Lake IşıklıLake Isikli
Lake Işıklı is a freshwater lake in Turkey's inner Aegean Region extending on Çivril Plain between the provinces of Denizli and Afyonkarahisar. The lake is bordered by the boundaries of several districts, namely, clockwise Çivril , the principal urban center of the region, and Kızılören, Dinar and...
, a freshwater lake which is an important fishing reserve and recreational are for its region, aside from being one of the sources of Büyük Menderes River. The lake lies at an altitude of 821 m and its area is 73 square kilometres. Its waters are also used for irrigation for the surrounding agricultural lands. It is an important site for breeding waterbirds and large numbers of wintering wildfowl. It has been proposed as an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
The lake is at about 20 km (12 mi) south of Çivril and extends in Çivril Plain. ıt is fed by streams from further east. Another stream, Işıklı Stream, in its turn, departs from the lake to join later Büyük Menderes River.
Other places of interest
- The ancient and as yet superficially explored city of EumeniaEumeniaEumenia is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae....
is located on the shore of Lake Işıklı near Çivril and the locality is arranged into a recreational area.
- There are a number of waterfalls on Işıklı Stream between Lake Işıklı and Büyük Menderes River, among which the falls called Gümüşsu is famous for the natural beauty of the surroundings which are arranged into a recreational area.
- To the north of the district center is the beautiful township of Gürpınar which was previously known as Bulkaz. Another waterfall is located practically within the township.