Acıpayam is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Denizli Province,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 1,772 km², and its population is 54,888 (2022). It lies in high country between the Aegean and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

regions. A plain, watered by two reservoirs, known for growing melons and watermelons, on the road between the city of

Denizli Denizli is a city in Aegean Region, Aegean Turkey, and seat of the province of Denizli Province, Denizli. The city forms the urban part of the districts Merkezefendi and Pamukkale, Denizli, Pamukkale, with a population of 691 783 in 2024. Denizl ...

and

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

. Its altitude is 895 m.

Etymology

The name Acıpayam means ''bitter almond'' (''payam'' being a loanword from Persian) in the local dialect, the town was formerly named ''Garbipayam'' and ''Garbikaraağaç''.

History

The plain has been settled since 2000 BC, and

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

were here in 1500 BC, followed by the

Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

and more civilizations up to the Byzantines and then the arrival of the Turkish peoples. From 1097 the area was in the hands of the

Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...

. Turkish rule was interrupted by the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

but afterwards was settled by the Oghuz Turks and eventually was absorbed into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Climate

Acıpayam has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''), with hot, dry summers, and cool, moderately wet, somewhat snowy winters.

Acıpayam today

As well as agriculture some of Denizli's textile industry has spread to Acıpayam too, where there is a cellulose factory. In the past the people would migrate seasonally to pick tobacco or cotton in other parts of Turkey, today this is not necessary.

Places of interest

* Keloğlan Cave - a 145m long cave, open to visitors.

Composition

There are 56 neighbourhoods in Acıpayam District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. * Akalan * Akşar * Alaattin * Alcı * Aliveren * Apa * Aşağı * Avşar * Bademli * Bedirbey * Benlik * Boğazdere * Çakır * Çamlık *

Çiftlikköy Çiftlikköy is a town in Yalova Province in the Marmara region of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Eur ...

* Corum * Çubukçular * Darıveren * Dedebağı * Dodurgalar * Eskiköy * Gedikli * Gölcük * Gümüş * Güney * Hacıkurtlar * Hisar * Karahüyük * Karaismailler * Kelekçi * Kırca * Köke * Kumavşarı * Kurtlar * Kuyucak * Kuzören * Mevlütler * Oğuzköy * Olukbaşı * Ören * Ovayurt * Pınarbaşı * Pınaryazı * Sandalcık * Sırçalık * Suçatı * Uçarı * Yassıhüyük * Yazır * Yeni * Yeniköy * Yeşildere * Yeşilyuva * Yolçatı * Yukarı * Yumrutaş

References

External links

A local news web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acipayam Populated places in Denizli Province Districts of Denizli Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey