 The
History of Kumluca
The history of Kumluca, a paradise in the south of Turkey and a
lovely district of Antalya, is very new. However, we know today,
because of the excavations and remains, that lots of tribes and
states have situated in this fertile area before Turks. It is known
that this area was taken by the Shah Süleyman in the period of Anatolian
Selcuks. Nevertheless, we meet no any remnants from that period
around Kumluca today. After Monghols had conquered Anatolia, the
Beyliks period started. Tekelio?ullary Beylik, one of the branches
of Hamito?ullary Beylik, dominated this area. After that in the
period of Bayezyd this region became under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire.
During all these periods there were no any permenant settlements.
Nomad Turks spent different seasons in different regions; especially
in the summer season in the plains of Elmaly and Korkuteli, in the
autumn season around Kuzca and in the winter they turned Kumluca
again. At that time, this area was named Gardyç.
The very first settlement in the fertile plain, where the city center
lies nowadays, was situated about 5 km east, in the skirt of the
hills, because of the marsh, known Sarykavak in 1830.
After Antalya had been made a province in 1914, a new regulation
for the administration of the area was started. According to this
regulation Gardyç was separated as Kemer and Kumluca. So Kumluca
became a district of Finike. In times, nomads settled in the city
center of Kumluca and Kumluca was accepted by law as a town in 1958.
Pre-history of Kumluca
The area has been continuously inhabited by many civilizations
since the very early history. Among these Lykia, Phonecians, Roman
Empire are known to have successively settled in this area.
The Source of the name ‘Kumluca’
According to a story, when there was no settlement today’s city
center a villager from Sarykavak planted water melon in the field
covered with sands. The water melons grew very big. When the man
carried and sold these water melons in another villages, the people
asked him where he had planted these. He responded that he had planted
these water melons in a field covered with sands near the small
river. By the fame of the water melons, this area gradually was
named after the name of the planted field “Kumluca”.
In the past being famous with water melons Kumluca nowadays has
greenhouses to produce vegetables by the help of contemporary techniques.
Kumluca meets the needs of some very crucial quantity of vegetables
in Turkey.
|