Tripolis

Tripolis is an ancient Lidian site located on the east of Yenicekent town of Buldan district, in Denizli province. The site is about 40 kilometers to the north of Denizli city center, 30 kilometers to Laodicea and 20 kilometers to Hierapolis. It was established right on the Great Menderes river plain connecting the Aegean shores to inner Anatolia and to the Mediterranean. It used to be an important and rich city due to its location on the trade routes in the junction of Lidia, Caria and Phrygia regions.

It's beleived that Tripolis was founded during the 6th century BC, but there aren't much historical data related to the Lidian, Persian and Hellenistic periods because excavations were made only in 1993 and recently after 2007 until today. Most of the ruins on the site are from Roman and Byzantine periods, especially between 1st and 4th centuries AD. According to Pliny the Younger, an author of the 1st century AD known for his letters which are an invaluable historical source for the time period, the city was called as Apollonia during the Helenistic period and as Antoniopolis during the 1st century BC. It was named as Tripolis during the Roman and Byzantine eras, and then as Diribol by the Turks. During the Byzantine period Tripolis became an important bishopric center for Christians.

On the coins of the city goddess Leto, Menderes River (Meander), and the games can be noticed. Best samples of monumental buildings are constructed during the Roman period. Many earthquakes and wars hit Tripolis in the history therefore only ruins of some important buildings can be seen on site today. Tripolis was surrounded with thick city walls in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The walls were built on a sloped land and were fortified with watch towers. There are also ruins of a Roman road, a Greco-Roman theater which had a capacity of approximately 10.000 people, a Roman bath, a Byzantine basilica, Bouleterion (parliament), Agora (market place), Stadium, and the Necropolis with graves and sarcophagi.