- Serinhisar
Serinhisar is a town and district of
Denizli Province ofTurkey . The altitude is 3195 ft.Name
Other names include "Karia" (in
Latin ) and "Kızılhisar" (literally "a red castle"). The latter is the name given by theSeljuk Turks as there were brick built fortifications here. The name was changed to Serinhisar (literally "a cool castle") in 1987, apparently because "red castle" was too symbolic ofcommunism .History
The area was first settled by the
Hittites in 1500 BC, and later passed into the hands of theLydians (800 BC),Persians (546 BC),Ancient Greeks (440 BC),Ancient Macedonians (334 BC) and Romans (133 BC). When the Roman Empire was divided in 395 the area remained within theEastern Roman Empire (Byzantine ) and was then possessed by theSeljuk Turks in 1077, who ruled until 1308.Turkmen s (fromOghuz Turks ' Kayi tribe) were settled in the district in this period. Seljuk rule was interrupted by theCrusades ,Genghis Khan , andTimurlane , who left the area under the rule of theGermiyan dynasty, from whom it passed to theOttoman Empire in 1429. The castle fell into ruin in the Ottoman period and was broken up for building materials, being finally demolished in 1954.The battle of Kazıkbeli
During the
Second Crusade in 1148 the French king was proceeding eastwards having crossed theMenderes River but was stalled at the pass of Kazıkbeli, near Kızılhisar, by the Seljuk armies.erinhisar today
Today Serinhisar is known for its "leblebi" (roasted chick peas), pottery, ropemaking and shoemaking. This is a rural area and its people are conservative.
External links
* [http://www.serinhisar.gov.tr/ District governor's official website] tr icon
* [http://www.serinhisar.bel.tr/ District municipality's official website] tr icon
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