Elmalı

Elmalı is a municipality and district in Antalya Province in southwestern Turkey. It is a public administrative entity rather than a conventional consumer or commercial brand. The district lies approximately 35 kilometres inland from Korkuteli and about 110 kilometres west of Antalya, in a high plateau valley of the Beydağları range of the western Taurus Mountains. Its landscape is defined by mountain peaks, upland streams, agricultural plains, cedar forests near Lake Avlan, and a climate that is cooler and more continental than that of the nearby Mediterranean coast. The district covered approximately 1,433 square kilometres and had a population of 40,774 in 2022; the town itself had 17,591 residents according to the cited reference material. The settlement has been known historically as Kabalı and Emelas. Archaeological work at the Semahöyük and Müren burial mounds has identified evidence of copper production dating to approximately 2500 BC. In antiquity, the surrounding area formed part of northern Lycia and was connected to regional movement and trade routes, including the route now associated with the Lycian Way. The area was subsequently governed by Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuk authorities. Elmalı later became an important centre of the Teke beylik and was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Bayezid I. It retained strategic importance as a mountain settlement during the Ottoman era and the early Turkish Republic, although later migration toward coastal towns and major Turkish cities reduced its relative economic importance. Agriculture is central to Elmalı's economy. Approximately 37 percent of the district's land is cultivated, and the area is especially associated with apples; the reference material attributes around 12 percent of Turkey's apple production to Elmalı. Other fruit and vegetable cultivation, local chickpea products, and food processing also contribute to the district's identity. Industrial activity is limited, with the cited material identifying a brickworks, flour and feed mills, and a fruit-juice plant. Local cuisine includes gözleme, sesame-based preparations, Antalya-style piyaz, and goat-milk ice cream. Elmalı's cultural profile rests on its traditional architecture, Ottoman and Seljuk monuments, archaeological remains, and mountain environment. Important sites include the Ömer Paşa Mosque and medrese, built in 1602 and associated with the Ottoman architectural tradition; an earlier Seljuk minaret; the Elmalı library's collection of Ottoman writings; historic tombs, mosques, fountains, and the Bey Hamamı bathhouse; and the Lycian castle of Gilevgi. The district also hosts an oil-wrestling tournament in September and a June festival at Tekke commemorating the Sufi figure Abdal Musa. The name Elmalı is internationally and nationally associated with the Elmalı Treasures, an ancient coin hoard discovered during an illegal excavation at Bayındır village in 1984. The hoard contained approximately 1,900 silver coins, including Lycian issues and rare decadrachms. Coins were smuggled abroad, later reassembled with the involvement of collector William Koch and numismatists, and ultimately returned to Turkey after a campaign involving journalist Özgen Acar and Turkish authorities. The coins are exhibited at Elmalı Museum. Today, the municipality's identity combines local administration, agricultural production, historical heritage, and a developing role as a destination for visitors seeking traditional buildings and an inland retreat from the Mediterranean coast.

Elmalı occupies a mountain plateau in the Beydağları range of the western Taurus Mountains, inland from Antalya's Mediterranean coast. Archaeological excavations at Semahöyük and Müren have produced evidence of copper production dating to approximately 2500 BC, demonstrating that the surrounding plain supported organised activity in the Bronze Age. In later antiquity, the region belonged to northern Lycia and lay along routes linking the interior with the Mediterranean world. Although the modern town does not directly correspond to a clearly identified ancient city, the surrounding area contains substantial Lycian remains. The region passed through Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuk political spheres before becoming associated with the Teke beylik, one of the Anatolian principalities. Elmalı served as a headquarters of the Teke clan's beylik and entered the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Bayezid I. Under Ottoman rule and during the first years of the Turkish Republic, its upland position gave it the character of a regional mountain stronghold and administrative centre. Historic structures from these periods, including mosques, religious schools, baths, fountains, tombs, and a library of Ottoman writings, remain important elements of the town's heritage. The modern district developed as an agricultural area. Its relatively high elevation produces colder winters and hotter, drier summers than the coast, while mountain streams support cultivation. Apples became the district's signature agricultural product, alongside other fruit, vegetables, chickpeas, and food-processing activities. Economic change and the search for employment led many residents to move toward coastal settlements or Turkey's larger cities, leaving Elmalı less industrialised and less populous than major regional centres. Elmalı's cultural and historical prominence increased through the discovery of the Elmalı Treasures. In 1984, an illegal excavation at Bayındır uncovered a hoard of roughly 1,900 silver coins, including Lycian coins and exceptionally rare decadrachms. The collection was taken abroad and dispersed before being reassembled. Journalist Özgen Acar and Turkish authorities helped bring the matter into public view in the late 1990s, contributing to the hoard's return to Turkey. The coins are now displayed at Elmalı Museum and form a major part of the district's heritage identity. The district also preserves links to major religious and intellectual figures. Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, born in Elmalı in 1877, was a Muslim scholar, Ottoman parliamentarian, and author of a widely recognised Turkish Qur'an translation. Abdal Musa, a prominent Sufi figure associated with the broader Bektashi tradition, is commemorated at Tekke, where he is buried. Annual cultural events, including the Abdal Musa festival and a September oil-wrestling tournament, complement the district's historical monuments and agricultural identity. Contemporary Elmalı attracts some day visitors and holiday-home residents from nearby coastal towns, while its municipality continues to represent the district's local administrative and cultural interests.

• 2022

  Recorded district population

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  The district population was reported as 40,774, with 17,591 residents in the town.

• 1990

  Return and exhibition of the coin hoard

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  After international controversy and efforts by journalist Özgen Acar and Turkish authorities, the reassembled hoard was returned to Turkey and associated with Elmalı Museum.

• 1984

  Discovery of the Elmalı Treasures

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  An illegal excavation near Bayındır uncovered a major hoard of ancient silver coins, later known as the Elmalı Treasures.

• 1877

  Birth of Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, a prominent Muslim scholar and translator of the Qur'an into Turkish, was born in Elmalı.

• 1602

  Construction of the Ömer Paşa Mosque and medrese

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  The Ömer Paşa Mosque and associated religious school were built during the Ottoman period and remain among Elmalı's most notable historic structures.

• Early copper production evidence

  [1]Elmalıen.wikipedia.org

  Excavations at Semahöyük and Müren identified evidence of copper production dating to approximately 2500 BC.

A highland municipality and agricultural district positioned around local food production, mountain landscapes, historic Anatolian heritage, and archaeological significance.

• Agricultural produce

  Apples

  Apples are Elmalı's defining agricultural product and a central part of the district's economic identity. The cited reference describes the district as producing approximately 12 percent of Turkey's apples. Apple cultivation takes advantage of the upland climate and irrigated agricultural areas, alongside other fruit and vegetable production.

• Local food

  Leblebi

  Leblebi, made from dried chickpeas, is identified as a local speciality of Elmalı. It represents the district's connection to Anatolian snack and pulse-based food traditions rather than a formally branded commercial product.

• Museum collection · 1984

  Elmalı Treasures

  The Elmalı Treasures are a collection of approximately 1,900 ancient silver coins, including Lycian issues and rare decadrachms. Discovered in 1984 and later returned to Turkey, the collection is exhibited at Elmalı Museum and functions as the district's best-known archaeological heritage offering.

• 1984

  Illegal excavation and overseas dispersal of the Elmalı Treasures

  The Elmalı coin hoard was found through an illegal excavation at Bayındır village and subsequently smuggled to the United States and European countries. The controversy eventually contributed to efforts to reassemble and return the collection to Turkey.

  Source

Read more

1. 1Elmalıen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Elmalı Municipality official websiteelmali.bel.tr