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Yeşilyurt

You can get to the hamlet of Yeşilyurt, which lies 14 kilometres from the city centre, by minibuses that run every hour. The region, famed for its cloth weaving, has a history that goes back to 1500 BC, to the ancient city of Pisye, traces of which still remains. Its original name was possibly Pissuwa in the Luvi language but with Hellenisation process,it could have become Pisye. Until recently, Yeşilyurt was called Pisi Köy, meaning the village of Pisi, reflecting the Turkish pronouncing of its ancient name. The first written document mentioning the ancient city of Pisye has been dated to 196 BC. The document tells how this settlement, along with Idyma and Kyllandis, was recaptured by General Niagoras of   Island of Rhodes from the Macedonian King Philip V. The Pisye acropolis is 1.5 kilometres to the south of Yeşilyurt. Two kilometres before the hamlet, on the top of the hill by the road there is an area scattered with many pottery pieces called by locals Aslanlı (With a Lion). There are also worked pieces of stone from ancient times, suggesting there might have been an outlying district in this region some time in antiquity. Even within the hamlet some old buildings such as mosques have rare stones from antiquity that have been salvaged and used in their construction.

Silkworms are bred in Yeşilyurt and silk has been produced here for 200 or 250 years. The various woven materials, whose production was once fading, are offered for sale through the Muğla Handcraft Limited Co. (MELSA), founded by the office of the Muğla Governor. The cloth made in the region is very healthy since the raw material used is cotton thread, sheep wool, ready wool or pure silk. As these materials are resistant to changes in temperature they are preferred for both summer or winter clothing. The locals produce their own silk and grow sheep to provide wool. As well as being able to purchase these materials in the hamlet, you can also find them on sale in the MELSA Ltd. Co. shop in Muğla below the İl Özel İdare building.