A Brief History Of The Dalaman Region in Turkey

Nowadays, the Dalaman region of Turkey is well known for its tourism industry and the busy Dalaman airport transfers, which deliver thousands of tourists to some of the country’s most popular resorts on a daily basis. As one of the largest airports in Turkey, it sees any number of connecting shuttles leave its premises every day, and its influence has contributed to make the surrounding region primarily a link to other Turkish destinations.

And yet, centuries if not millennia before the first of these Dalaman airport transfers ever came about, this area of Turkey was already the backdrop to an interesting enough array of historic events to justify perhaps being better known in the international panorama. Below is a brief overview of the history of the region, from ancient times to the present day.

Early Days

The area was originally called Ahhiyava, when it was first populated by the Greeks and some western Turks in 3000 BC. In those days, the region was primarily known as an agricultural hub, with some of the main exports being olives, timber and fish. In subsequent centuries, the area came to be inhabited by a number of other peoples as well, most notably the Lycians, the Persians and the Lydians.

The next major upheaval in its history would not, however, occur until the 13th century, when the Mentese Bey, leader of the municipality of the same name, took control of the region. This period, which lasted until about 1390, saw the bulk of the Turkish settlers come into the region, beginning to shape its identity as a part of what would become modern-day Turkey.

Over the next two centuries, control of the region was fiercely disputed between the Beys (rulers) of Mentese and the Ottomans, who managed to seize power from the Turks’ hands only to lose it again shortly thereafter. This back-and-forth came to a halt in 1451, when the Mentese were finally defeated and the Ottomans took over in what would become a four-century-long reign.

Shaping the Modern Region

The region, as we know it today, however, would not begin to be shaped until the early 19th century, when the first foreigners began to establish themselves and built hunting lodges and other recreational facilities. An amusing anecdote relating to this period tells of the mix-up of a French company, who when asked to build a hunting lodge and a train station for an Egyptian notable mixed up the locations - with the lodge ending up in Egypt and the train station in Turkey! The company took this in stride and converted the station into a farm, which still exists today.

Over the course of the next century and a half, the region would begin to develop into what it is today: a prominent tourist destination, well served by a bustling airport, built in 1981. An attempt to industrialize the area was also made in the latter half of the 20th century, with a State Production Farm and cellulose factory being inaugurated during this period. The gradual shift towards tourism in the following decades helped put the final touches on the region through which many thousands of tourists travel each day on the course of their Dalaman airport transfers.

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for Dalaman airport transfers, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.