Discover Kavaklıdere: Copper Craft and History

Kavaklıdere combines a long tradition of copper craftsmanship with a Friday market. The wider district also includes archaeological sites and the landscape of Yerküpe Yaylası. This distinction is useful when planning your trip: the craft and market relate to the town, while Hyllarima and Yerküpe belong to the wider district context.

Copper Craft and the Bazaar

Estimates suggest that the history of copper craftsmanship in Kavaklıdere dates back around 800 years. The craft has been passed down there as a family tradition for four generations. Another historical snapshot comes from 1916, when Kavaklıdere had a large bazaar with numerous copper smiths. Shops selling copper goods shape the range of products in the bazaar.

Copper craftsmanship also includes Palleci, a distinctive occupational language that is also called Kalaycı language. In the past, it was used by all families who worked with copper; today, only a few master craftspeople still remember it. The craft therefore includes not only copper goods, but also its own language, whose transmission is now entrusted to only a few masters.

Friday Market and Regional Specialty

The Friday market offers another glimpse of what is available locally. It mainly sells locally grown fruit, vegetables, and herbs; spices, cheese, olives, and handicrafts are also available. If the market is important to your travel plans, you can use Friday as a guide when scheduling your visit to Kavaklıdere. Unlike the copperware shops in the bazaar, the products offered here include food and handicrafts.

A regional tea specialty is also associated with the Kavaklıdere district: the tea is prepared with Kardelen and Göktepe otu. Together with the herbs at the market, these names offer a concrete sense of the regional products associated with the area.

Hyllarima: Early Settlement and Ancient Buildings

The ancient city of Hyllarima is located in Derebağ, a neighborhood in Kavaklıdere district. The first settlement dates back approximately 3,500 to 4,000 years, to the Hittite period. The surviving buildings, by contrast, date from the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. The early settlement and surviving architecture therefore represent different periods of history.

At the center of Hyllarima are a theater, a bouleuterion, and an agora. A bouleuterion was a meeting building, and an agora was a marketplace. These terms help place the buildings as distinct parts of the ancient city center: the theater, meeting place, and marketplace each served a different function.

Yerküpe Yaylası and the Wrestling Tradition

Yerküpe Yaylası offers a different view of the district. Its landscape features include centuries-old plane trees, five natural springs, a broad meadow, a waterfall, and a cave. Immediately above Yerküpe Cave, a level area has been set up for picnicking and wrestling. These features encompass both the natural landscape and a space intended for recreation and wrestling.

A specific wrestling event is also associated with Yerküpe Yaylası: on July 13, 2025, Kavaklıdere Municipality held the 31st Menteşe Beşpınar Yağlı Pehlivan Güreşleri there. The event was described as a traditional Turkish wrestling event. When choosing your destination, you can therefore distinguish between focusing on copper craftsmanship and the market in Kavaklıdere, or on the district’s archaeological and landscape attractions.

Discover more destinations: Dalaman, Gökçeovacık, Kumluova Belediyesi, Kızılağaç Mahallesi, Hisarbaşı, Ekincik, Döseme, Göcek

For the main travel overview: Mugla.