Yatağan, located in the southwest of our country, is at the junction of Aydın-Muğla highway and is on the road to Bodrum and Milas. It is 27 km from Muğla and 79 km from the neighboring province Aydın. away. It does not have a coastline to the sea, but has a rural geography.
It is surrounded by Gökbel and Yatağan Mountains in the north, Göktepe Mountains in the east, Marçal Mountain extending up to Ören (Milas) in the south, Bencik Mountains running parallel to this and extending to the Milas district border, and Aldağ and Kurukümes Mountains in the west. Yatağan district center is surrounded by Menteşe in the south, Çine in the northwest, Milas in the west and Kavaklıdere in the east.
Climate
In the Yatağan region, predominantly Mediterranean climate is observed. Summers are hot and dry, winters are mild and rainy. It is also seen that the winter months are harsh, rainless and windy. The hottest months are July-August, and the coldest months are January-February.
Transportation
Yatağan, located at the junction of Muğla – İzmir highway, is easy to reach by road. It is possible to reach every part of the country via İzmir at many times of the day.
Transportation by air is provided from Milas-Bodrum Airport, 50 km from Yatağan.
History
Known for its thermal power plant rather than its touristic features, Yatağan actually contains many natural and historical riches.
The history of Yatağan, which is very close to Muğla city center, is mentioned together with the history of Muğla. The name of Yatağan in ancient times, together with the Muğla region, is known as “Karya” and later as “Hinge”. The first settlers in the region are Leleges and Kars.
After the Carians, the Region (Yatağan with the Muğla region) respectively; Lydians, Persians, Alexander the Great, Kingdom of Pergamon, Roman Empire, and with the division of the Roman Empire in 395, it came under the rule of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.
After the 1071 Malazgirt victory of Anatolia, it entered a rapid Turkization process. When the Anatolian Seljuk State was defeated by the Mongols in the Battle of Köse Mountain in 1243, Kuri Bey’s grandson Menteşe Bey took advantage of this confusion and established the Menteşe Principality. This name is given to the region based on the name of the Menteşe Bey. Menteşe Bey conquered the Caria region by besieging western Anatolia from land and sea. This is the first region in Western Anatolia to be conquered by the Turks. In this process, Muğla and its region were taken under the domination of the Turks by Menteşe Bey (1282 according to some rumors, in 1284 according to some rumors).
Menteşe principality maintained its independence until 1389. Later, the Menteşe Principality could not stand up to the Ottoman Principality, which suddenly developed among other Turkmen principalities; During the reign of Yıldırım Bayezid (1391), the Ottoman Empire, which had a policy of gathering all Turkish principalities under one roof and gradually turned towards the world empire, came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
This first Ottoman domination in the region was temporary; After the Çubuk Victory in 1402, Menteşe came under the rule of Timur and remained independent for 22 more years; In 1424, the father of Fatih Sultan Mehmet II. It was definitely included in the Ottoman lands by Murat.
Meanwhile, after the 1402 Ankara War, the Akhis in the Ankara region dispersed to various parts of Anatolia in order to get rid of the Mongol oppression. Ahi Ebubekir and his brother Ahi Sinan come to the Menteşe region with their community. Here they multiply and establish Ahiköy.
Ahiköy, which has a fertile plain surrounded by mountains in Muğla Province, became the district center in 1944, taking the name of Yatağan Mountain at its foot.
PLACES TO VISIT
• Stratonikeia
• Lagina
• Panamara
• Memorial Tree
