Herakleia
Herakleia, the ancient city of Latmos Herakleia in Kapıkırı Village located to the north-east of Bafa Lake’s coastline on the skirts of Latmos Mountain that is 39 km away from Milas. Besparmak Mountains covered by steep forests, was known as ‘Latmos mountain’ in ancient times surrounds the Latmos Gulf (Latmikos Kolpos). Known for its natural beauty, this antique city is named Latmos or Latmia at the same time. However, Strabo especially mentioned that it is called Latmos because of the mountains surrounds. The word of Latmos has been translated in Hellen language. This region was known as ‘Lada’ because of the mother goddess of Lada. Hellens changed the name of ‘Lada’ as Latmos. It is not known exactly where the name of Heraleia came from. However, Mausolus tried to reconstruct the city according to Helenistic style in IV. BC. and he changed its name to Herakleia to be presupposed. After Mausolus’s death, the city was controlled for ten years by Pleistarkhos’s domination from the Ptolemaios dynasty at the beginning of III. BC. At this time, it was called ‘Pleistarkheia’, later it was named ‘Aleksandreia at Latmos’s coastline’ by Lysimakhos, but all these names were not permanent names. Because the same name was shared with the other cities in Anatolia, ‘Latmos Herakleia’ had been named to distinguish it from them.
The earliest remains in the region indicates mountain culture with the rock drawings dating back to 8. thousand BC. Hittite Hieroglyphic inscription was found to document certain knowledge of Hittites came to the coastline of Aegean on the first rock drawings of west Anatolia in Turkey.
Herakleia Ancient City established on the skirt of the Besparmak (Latmos) Mountains by Bafa Lake is located nearby Kapikiri village and where it was established. It got its first name was from the Latmos mountain in the 6th century BC. The new Herakleia Ancient City had just been established, it was supported by bastions. The Athena Temple was positioned on the large Agora. The temple which was built in the 3rd century BC was one of the well-preserved ruins. Many ruins of the monastery are encountered at Herakleia which was at the centre of monastery life in the medieval ages.
