Tavas is a town and a district of

Denizli Province Denizli Province ( tr, ) 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. ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, on a wide plain on the road to

Muğla Muğla () is a city in southwestern Turkey. The city is the center of the District of Menteşe and Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey's Aegean coast. Muğla's center is situated inland at an altitude of 660 m and lies at a dista ...

, near to the district of

Kale Kale (), or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a head ...

(and often the two are linked in one breath ''Kale-Tavas''). Population is around 12,720

History

The area has been occupied for a long time, proven by the presence of the mound of ''Medet Höyük'', which appears to date back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

(but which has not been thoroughly excavated or researched). Many civilizations have settled here including the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...

Phrygians The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people, who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity. They were related to the Greeks. Ancient Greek authors used ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ns,

Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cultu ...

, Romans, and Byzantines. In antiquity this land south of the

Menderes River Menderes may refer to: Geography and places in Turkey * Menderes (Istanbul Metro), an underground rapid transit station * Menderes, İzmir, a district of İzmir Province * Büyük Menderes River, a river in southwestern Turkey, known in ancient ti ...

was part of the region of

Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionians, Ionian and Dorians, Dorian Greeks colonized the west of i ...

and was controlled from the nearby castle of Kale (known as

Tabae Tabae or Tabai ( grc, Τάβαι) was a city in ancient Caria, although, according to Strabo it was located in a plain in Phrygia on the boundaries of Caria. The place is now Tavas, near Kale, Denizli in Turkey; some inscriptions and numerous a ...

in antiquity). In the 18th century emigrants from England settled in Garipköy and Sarıabat villages. Tavas was reported as having a

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

industry in 1920.

Tavas today

Like in Denizli, there are textile and clothing industries in the area, and the town also produces leblebi (dried chick peas). This is a rural area and many of the young generation have migrated to the Aegean coast or to larger cities in search of careers (they have a reputation for canny business nous). The remaining people are mainly aging and conservative, there are a great number of mosques on the skyline. Tavas is a small town providing a bank and other essential facilities to the surrounding villages. There is little in the way of entertainment or social amenities (a few cafes and a couple of internet cafes), although the local pizza pide is much admired. People commonly deal with agriculture. Tobacco and chickpeas are most planted products. There is a well-known folk dance ''

Tavas Zeybeği Tavas is a town and a district of Denizli Province of Turkey, on a wide plain on the road to Muğla, near to the district of Kale (and often the two are linked in one breath ''Kale-Tavas''). Population is around 12,720 History The area has been oc ...

'', which is always performed at wedding parties in the town. Tavas is one of the leading places in grain cultivation in Turkey's agriculture.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Denizli Province Districts of Denizli Province