Pınarkent

Pınarkent
Help on coat of arms
Pinarkent, looking south
Basic data
Province (il) :	Denizli
District ( ilçe ) :	Denizli
Coordinates :	37 ° 48 '  N , 29 ° 13'  E Coordinates: 37 ° 48 '4 "  N , 29 ° 12' 42"  E
Height :	325  m
Residents :	5,390 (2012)
Telephone code :	(+90) 258
Postal code :	20085
License plate :	20th
Structure and administration (status: 2014)
Structure :	3 districts
Mayor :	Ali Taşdemir ( AKP )
Postal address :	Cumhuriyet caddesi, Tel .: [phone] 20145 Pınarkent

Pınarkent ( Turkish for source town ) is a small town in the Denizli district of the Turkish province of the same name .

geography

Pınarkent is located about 16 km east of the provincial capital Denizli on the south side of the fertile Aksu valley (German: white water ). The valley is bordered in the north by the 600 m high foothills of the Cökelez Mountains and framed in the south by the 1,000 meter high foothills of the Eşler Mountains. Pınarkent lies on its northern slope between 102 m (Aksu Valley) and 488 m (60th street) height. From a plate tectonic point of view, the Aksu Valley lies on the Anatolian Plate , in the area of ​​tension with the Aegean and African plates . Earthquakes and tremors are relatively frequent; the last three occurred on July 13, 2013 (strength 3.0 on the Richter scale ), on June 10, 2012 (strength 2.2) and on March 19, 2012 (strength 3.2).

The place is connected to the district and provincial capital Denizli by the national road 320, which leads further east towards Dinar and runs north of the city. A motorway from Aydın to Kocabaş , which will run along the northern edge of the valley, is being planned. The railway line from Izmir to Afyon goes through the town, but trains no longer stop. The neighboring communities are Honaz in the southeast, Akkale in the west, Kocadere in the north and Kocabaş in the east.

The valley floor is very fertile due to the numerous alluvial sediments from the Anatolian highlands and is intensively cultivated. The valley has a mild Mediterranean climate. Temperatures can reach 45˚C in summer and drop to -10˚C in the mountains in winter. The season with the highest rainfall is winter.

According to the last census, Pınarkent had 5,390 inhabitants (as of December 2012).

date	Residents (main residences)
1965	1,244
1970	1,307
1975	1,447
1980	1,539
1985	1,632
1990	2,169
2000	2,791
2007	4,973
2008	4,909
2009	4,946
2010	5,108
2011	5,265
2012	5,390

history

During the Byzantine period the area was settled by Greeks. From around 1100 the area was conquered by the Turkmen dynasty of the Danischmenden (Turkish: Danişmendliler ). They lived nomadically in this area. In 1176 the Seljuks defeated the Danischmenden and ruled the valley, from the 14th century the Ottomans took over . In the 18th century, after a few skirmishes, the Ottomans succeeded in persuading the Turkmen to give up nomadism and they settled in what is now Pinarkent. This was accompanied by the conversion from extensive sheep pasture to agriculture. In the 20th century, thanks to modern irrigation systems, the earnings situation could be increased enormously and there were more sales markets thanks to better transport routes. The village was declared a city on November 15, 1992. In 2013 a large recreational area, the Akköprü, was built with a football field, water and barbecue areas. The Greek population living in the area since ancient times, which made up almost half of the population at the beginning of the 20th century, was completely expelled after the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1923 under the 1923 Convention on the Exchange of Population between Greece and Turkey .

Administration and politics

The administrative area of ​​Pınarkent, which belongs to the district (Turkish: ilçe ) Denizli, is divided into the three districts (Turkish machalla ) Çömleksaz , Koyunaliler and Böceli , each of which is administered by a muhtar ( village chief ). In addition to the respective Muhtarlar, the whole city elects a mayor and a six-member city council.

Mayor (Turkish: belediye başkanı ) has been Ali Taşdemir of the AKP since 1994, who was re-elected in 2014. The AKP has had a majority in the city council since 2009. In the last parliamentary elections in 2009, the AKP (Islamic-Conservative) received 46%, the CHP (Republican People's Party) 38%, the DSP (Democratic Left Party) 11% and the MHP (nationalist, right) 3% of the votes.

economy

The main line of business is intensive agriculture in the Aksu valley. Cotton cultivation dominates; a fruit cluster of cotton is therefore on the city seal. In the meantime, four textile companies for processing local cotton have settled in the city and they offer jobs (Serge, Afzana, Munir, Eralgüç). In addition, travertine (tufa limestone) is mined. Most employees commute to Denizli. Tourism does not matter, although the city is only 22 km from Pamukkale , but off the tourist routes. The ruins of Kolossai , known from Paul's letters to the Colossians, are located about eight km southwest of Pinarkent and are not open to tourists.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Turkish Institute for Statistics ( Memento from March 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Yerelnet.org , accessed June 9, 2011
3. ↑ http://www.haritamap.com/tamekran/354008.html ( Memento from April 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ http://www.depremler.org/pinarkent-denizli-depremi-60528
5. ↑ http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/UstMenu.do?metod=ategorist
6. ↑ Anasayfa> Devlet Kurumları> Belediye Başkanlıkları> Denizli Merkez - Pınarkent Belediyesi
7. ↑ http://www.haberdenizli.com/ilceler/denizlinin-sirin-beldesi-pinarkent-h7949.html
8. ↑ http://www.yerelnet.org.tr/belediyeler/belediye.php?belediyeid=128899