Dalaman, the charming township of Muğla Province has become a Municipality in the year of 1967 and a township in the year 1983. It is located on the east of Dalaman Creek which separates the Mediterranean Region and Aegean Region from each other and also takes its name from here, at the borders of the Mediterranean Region, on the Delta Dalaman Creek. It is at the end region of the West Mediterranean between 28-52 longitude and 36-44 latitude. The altitude of the town center is to the sea is 9 km.
Dalaman municipality boundaries being fairly board, its width by bird flight is 27km from South to North, and 17km from East to West. The cost strip in which coves more beautiful than each other are found is 117km long. Due to its airport open to international air traffic, access to Dalaman occurs very easily. Again inside the boundaries of Dalaman, Dalaman Agricultural Enterprise dependent to the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises is present.
One fourth of the Dalaman Plain is covered by the Storax Forest rarely found in the world. And this peerless view constitutes the privilege of living in Dalaman.
On the Dalaman Creek which passes from the West of Dalaman and a the same time has taken its name, courses on which rafting at various stages can be made and thermal springs healing many diseases which are included among the significant Thermal Springs of our country and facilities are found.
On Dalaman coasts you can hunt the best of the Mediterranean and on its mountainous regions, you can find the opportunity of hunting wild games during their seasons.
HISTORY
We can only explain the Prehistoric period history of the environs with Lycia History. The Lycians have founded property in the southwest Anatolia in the 13th century B.C. This sovereignty of Lycia has lasted until the entry of the Persians to Anatolia in the 6th century B.C. Lycains have constituted the most interesting and important civilizations of Anatolia. Lycia, its land and nation should have been the "Lucca Lands" and "Lucca Men" mentioned in the Hittite written resources, the people mentioned with the name Lucca are undoubtedly the Lycians in the Southwest Anatolia. Again, according to the written resources, Lycians are considered to be the ally of the Hittites.
The Lycia land, constitutes the border with Antalya by including the Teke Peninsula on the East. It is limited with Akdağlar on the North, Dalaman Creek on the West and the Mediterranean Sea on the South. Finike and Kınık Plains constitute the fertile soils of Lycia.
The most important city of Lycia being Ksantos, it is the capital of the civilization. The historians say that the initial rules of democracy were applied in "Ksantos" city. The other cities are the cities as Tlos, Soliyma, Leton. Today there are many rock tombs remaining from this civilization which have reached our day without being harmed.
After the Persians, the forces of Alexander the Great have arrived at these lands on 334 B.C. In 180 B.C., Roma has established dominance here.
Dalaman Creek has shifted its bed in the Roman Empire period. This creek which had constituted the Dalyan delta turned to Dalaman direction which is its bed today and in time formed the Dalaman Delta Plain. On that century, Kannos, the border neighbour of Lycia has become impoverished because of the Dalaman Creek disaster.
In the 7th century A.D., the Arabs started to enter to region and the Cities of the Ancient Era were transformed into villages one by in a short time.
With the 1176 Miryakefalon War (in between Isparta-Gelendost-Denizli),the Crusaders Army was defeated by 2,Kılıç Arslan. After that date, the Turks, by entering to all Aegean Regions besides the Southeast Anatolia, completed the conquest of Anatolia.
With the 1243 Kösedağ War, the political structure of Anatolia Seljuk Empire has entered under the Mongolian sovereignty. And after a short while, the division process was lived.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the "Turkish Beyliks Period" started in Anatolia. Menteşeoğulları founded property to the Lycia land.
The Menteşe Beylik, entered into its brightest period at the time of Menteşe Bey. The Menteşe Beylik, which has reached the level in maritime able to compete with Aydınoğulları, has even besieged the Island of Rhodes which was the most powerful in military and commercial domain. The Menteşe Oğulları who united with the Aydınoğulları have fought against Byzantium from time to time.
The Beylik has constituted a great power in the times of Mehmet Bey, Musa Bey, Gazi Ahmet Bey who were among the Menteşe Beys. The Osmanoğulları of the Anatolian Turk Beyliks, have accomplished the beylik period in a short while and progressed rapidly on the way of being a State. At the time of Yıldırım Beyazıt, the state boundaries have reached the borders of the Menteşe Beylik and at the Conqueror's time, these lands were added Ottoman Empire.
Because Milas and Fethiye were also used as marine bases with the conquest of the Aegean Islands, the importance of the southwest Anatolia has increased. This process was the Kanuni period.
This territory which was included in the wakf lands of Selim the 3rd's mother Valide Sultan has been abandoned to "Hasançavuşlar" as of the year 1864 and these vast lands were divided into eleven farms.
Hıdiv's men who established entity here between the years 1905 and 1908 and afterwards until the process of the I. World War, have opened Dalaman Plain to agriculture and have acquired great property. Due to some reasons, Hıdiv Abbas Paşa has left Dalaman.
Today, some artworks related to that process are still standing. With the establishment of the State Production Farm, this period was over.
In 1914, the Otoman Empire enters the war unpreparedly. The most important victory of this war which lasted until 1918 is Çanakkale. From our environs, hundreds of people of whom the hands could hold guns participated in this war and most of them could not return. At the post-war period, Muğla and environment has been subject to Italian invasion; while the Turkish War of Independence was continuing, the Italians withdrew from this region on "April 26, 1921" and were gone.
Dalaman Creek which reached the Mediterranean Coasts, with the name at the present Atakent, is carrying on its progress on these fertile lands with the formation of the Delta Plain; Dalaman Township, with its Industrial Investments and afterwards, the entry of the International Dalaman Airport which is the window opening to the world into service, is rapidly moving on from being a City of Agriculture towards being a City of Tourism.
