Tripolis Ancient Cities

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It is situated about 40 km north of Denizli, east of Buldan and Yenicekent Towns, at the foot of a hill which is between Buyuk Menderes River and Yenicekent Town. Tripolis was one of the frontier centers of commerce and agriculture in the Lydia Region which supplied transportation between Karia, Phrygia, and Tripolis. It was one of the richest cities in the region because of its strategic location. It is believed to have been founded by citizens of Pergamum. The best extant monuments date from the 1st - 3rd centuries A.D. According to Plinius, another name of the city was Apollonia. There are names of the goddess Leto, Letoia Phthia Games and the Menderes River on their coins. The city suffered many earthquakes and wars throughout history. Tripolis is mentioned in the list of participants at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. This shows Tripolis was an important religious city during that period.

Although Tripolis is among the Lydian Cities, it is one of the important border, commercial and agricultural centers that provide transportation to the Phrygia and Caria regions. It is one of the cities that are dominated by a large part of the Çumlusu Plain, which is blessed by the Menderes River and Çumlusu Stream, and is among the richest cities in the region with its establishment and urbanism understanding.
Although the first establishment of Tripolis was during the Lydian times, the ruins on the surface show the architectural features and building examples of the Roman and Byzantine Periods.

The ancient city of Tripolis was heavily destroyed since it was the scene of many earthquakes and wars in the mid-second and mid-century and mid-fourth century BC. The city lived its most glorious period during the Roman period. Excavations were carried out by the Museum Directorate in 1993 on the Main Street of the city, where the excavation work started again in 2007.

Ruins of Tripolis

Theater: The Greek-style theater ruins are located in the city center. It had a seating capacity of about 10,000.

Bath: It is 200 m. West of the theater outside of the city walls. The outer walls are still partly standing. The inner sections and walls have collapsed, but the ruins can be seen.

Council Building: It's 150 m south of the bath. Only the ground floor remains.

Apse Structure:

It is between the City Building and the Theater.This name was given because the interior of the north wall of the rectangular building has an apse.The upper part of the building is in ruined condition.

Castle and City Walls: The city walls and the castle were built in the late Roman and early Byzantine Periods. The watchtowers partly support the city walls on the hill. The walls are connected to the tower which is past the theater, built on the north slope at the top of the hill.

Waterways:

Even though Tripolis Ancient City was established by the Menderes River, they obtained the necessary water to meet the needs of the city from the source near the present South District, which is 25 km away from the city.Since it is a mountainous and hilly terrain between the source and Tripolis, there are ruins of watercourse, tunnel, pipe and arch traces on this route.