AYDIN

Area: 8.007 km²
Population: 824.816 (1990)
Traffic Code: 09

Heir to Anatolia's rich historical heritage and natural beauty, Aydın was conquered by the Trallians who founded the city of Tralles here on top of the old city. Known by such descriptive terms as 'Flowered' and 'Mighty', when the city was leveled by an earthquake, the emperor Andronik rebuilt the city and named it Andropolis after himself. After passing into the hands of the Selçuks, the city was called Aydın Güzelhisarı. During the Ottoman empire it was called "Nefs-i Güzel Hisar der Liva-i Aydın."

Districts

Aydın's district are ;Bozdoğan, Buharkent, Çine, Germencik, İncirliova, Karacasu, Karpuzlu, Koçarlı, Köşk, Kuşadası, Kuyucak, Nazilli, Söke, Sultanhisar, Yenihisar and Yenipazar.

Bozdoğan: Founded on top of foothills of Madran Mountain, which rises up beside plain fed by Akçay river south of the Büyük Menderes river basin. The remains of historical structures found in this town 76 km from Aydın belong to ages long past. One can see the marks of Roman, Byzantine and Selçuk culture as well. The primary examples of this are the village of Neopolis Kavaklı near Koyuncular village, Körteke Castle and the Cisterns and Aqueducts in the villages of Örtülü and Konaklı.

Buharkent: Situated 86 km. from the city, the local economy is totally dependent upon agriculture. The Kızıldere thermal springs are found here.

Çine: Located 38 km from Aydın, Çine is one of the oldest and most important settlements of the area because it linked the ancient regions of Caria and Ionia.

Gerga: Situated north of Ovacık village 6 km southeast of Eski Çine, the ruins of Gerga, a Carian city which can only be reached by walking up the mountain, are definitely worth seeing in spite of the effort required.

Didim: A neighbor of the ancient cities of Miletus and Priene, it is 108 km from Aydın. With transportation from the Bodrum airport via Akbük, it has some of the best sun, sand and sea in the Aegean region.

It has a rich history and is an important tourist vacation spot, among the best on the Aegean coast. A prophetic oracle in ancient times, there is a large temple dedicated to the sun god Apollon here. The ancients' belief in fate was very powerful and they saw Apollon as a god of prophecy who would reveal their fate.

Karacasu: The road to Karacasu passes through Kuyucak and winds through pine trees and olive and citrus groves along the Dandalas Creek. Karacasu was founded on the slopes of the Dandalas valley which leads into the Büyük Menderes valley from the southeast. Located 87 km from Aydın, the climate and geography of the area is quite different from that of the Menderes river basin. It is more like a highland area. Handcrafts such as carpet-weaving, leatherworking and pottery are quite developed and the area has potential in terms of forest products as well.

Karpuzlu: With the introduction of an irrigation system, this town whose economy is based on agriculture is developing quite rapidly. Alinda is an ancient city worth visiting. It is located on a nearby hill. Founded in 340 BC, the city remains include a theater, stadium, stoa, agora and the city walls, all of which are reasonably well-preserved.
Koçarlı: Twenty-two kilometers from Aydın, it is located in the middle of the Büyük Menderes valley on either side of Koçarlı Creek. Most of the arable land is on the Büyük Menderes plain. An old settlement, there is a castle (Amyzon Castle) near the village of Akmescit.

Kuşadası

Kuyucak: Located on the lower slopes of the Aydın Mountains facing the Menderes valley, it is a typical Turkish settlement. The city of Antiocheia, on the banks of Dandalas Creek, was founded by King Antiochus. This ancient city was a resting point for the commercial caravans with their military escorts traveling between Ephesus and Aphrodisias. The mosque found in the market is one of the town's important historical structures.

Nazilli: It is 45 km from Aydın. The ancient city of Mastaura, founded between the highland villages of Bozkurt and Eyeli 3 km from Nazilli, was, in its time, one of the commercial centers in the Menderes river basin.

Söke: Located 59 km west of Aydın, it was founded on the banks of the Büyük Menderes river. A wealthy city with agriculture, trade, tourism and capital, it is located near the famous cities of Didyma, Miletus and Priene. The ancient city of Priene, sits on a natural platform on the southern slope of Mykale Mountain near the town of Güllübahçe 12 km from Söke.

Sultanhisar: Located 25 km from Aydın, it has a view of the Aydın mountains to the north. Nisa (Nyssa) was founded on the slopes of Malgaç Mountain north of Sultanhisar in a place of incredible natural beauty. There is a 3 km asphalt road which leads to the ruins.

Akaraka (Acharake) can perhaps best be described as a health center which still guards its sacred secrets. It is near the village of Salavatlı and according to ancient records was the worship center of a cult devoted to the gods Pluton and Charo (Kore).

Yenipazar: It is 41 km from Aydın. The ancient city of Orthasia (Ortosi) is 5 km to the east in the village of Donduran. It was founded in by the Ionians, but was invaded by the Cimmerian horsemen from the steppes of Asia in the 7th century BC. Later it came under the rule of Lydia, Persia, Rome and the Byzantines.

How to Get

Highway: Aydın and most of the towns are on the E-24 Highway. It is connected by a network of state highways to Izmir to the north, Muğla and Milas to the south and Denizli to the east. Coach Station Tel :(+90-256) 356 47 12

Rail Travel: There is rail transportation available. Station Tel : (+90-256) 225 18 24

Sea Transit: Is provided by the Kuşadası Harbor, the only one in the province. Port Tel : (+90-256) 612 15 13

Air Travel: Capable of accommodating small planes. Airport Tel : (+90-256) 225 86 78

Where to Visit

ANCIENT CITIES

Nyssa The source of what we know about this Nyssa (Nisa), founded on the slopes of Mount Malgaç north of Sultanhisar in what is now olive groves, is the geographer Strabo. Made up of two parts due to the fact that it was built on a stream, the city was first called Athymbra after the wife of its founder, the Selecuid king Antiochus I. The primary remains are the two-story library built by Aristodem, a native of Nyssa, a water depot belonging to the Hellenistic era, a stadium and bridge from the Roman era, the agora and the necropolis on the Acharaka road.

Alabanda A Carian city whose name comes from a combination of the Carian words for horse (ALA) and victory (BANDA). Remains that can still be seen include the wall fortified with towers, the theater, the senato, the agora and memorial graves. There is also a Roman aqueduct over Kemer Creek to the south. Alaband was known in the ancient world for several crafts peculiar to the city, including crystal, various decorative items made from a hard black stone, fishing nets and rose gardening.

Priene An important episcopal see in the Byzantine era, the ancient city Priene north of Miletus was given a very geometric design of intersecting right angles. The most important structure in the city is the Temple of Athena on top of the hill. In addition, northeast of the city is a 5000 person theater constructed in the Hellenistic era which is definitely worth seeing.

Miletus Located north of Didim, Miletus was a coastal city with 4 ports and one of the most important Ionian settlements. Its golden age was the 7th and 6th centuries BC. During this period thinkers in Miletus were putting down what would become the foundation of Western science and culture. The 5300 person theater built in the Hellenistic era was later added on to by the Romans and had a final seating capacity of 15,000.

Tralles (Tiral) Located only 1 km from Aydın, what we know about the city is limited to what has come down to us from the geographer Strabo. Its first appearance in the historical record is in the 4th century BC during the war of independence waged by the Spartan general Thibron against the Persians. During the Hellenistic era, the city changed hands frequently. In 26 BC, while a part of the Roman Empire, it suffered some damage from an earthquake and was repaired by the Emperor Augustus and renamed Caesarea. From the time that it passed into the hands of the Turks in the 12th century until the present it has been called "three-eyes" among the people. A few remains of the theater to the north and the 'cavea' are about all that remain. Excavations begun in 1997 have uncovered a Roman bath, an arsenal used during the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras and a building thought to have been used for worship in the Byzantine period. All of the items recovered from the site whether from older digs or the more recent ones are on exhibit in the Aydın Museum.

Aphrodisias This city was one of the leading centers of architecture, art, sculpture and worship in the ancient world. The Byzantine write Stephanos places the foundation of the city back to the 13th century BC. This Carian city 12 km southeast of Karacasu experienced its golden age in the Roman era, during which time marble statue and structures of extraordinary beauty were built so much so that a school of art known as the Aphrodisias style was developed.

Archeological research has shown that architecture and sculpture were not the only types of study done in the city but that medicine and astronomy were researched as well. The city's primary structures of interest are the baths built during the reign of Hadrian, the agora with its large fountain, the Temple of Aphrodite built in the 1st century BC, the 30,000 person theater, the theater baths and odeon, the episcopal palace and the school of philosophy. The Museum of Aphrodisias has one of the richest collections found in any local museum in Turkey.

Panionium Located in the town of Davutlar near Kuşadası, it was the center of the Ionian League of antiquity. The Ionians met here to make decisions.

Neopolis Right beside Kuşadası, at a place called Yılancı Burun (Snake Nose). It is the earliest settlement in the area.

Didyma Near the town of Didim, it was the center of prophetic oracles in antiquity. The Temple of Apollon in Didim was planned as a dipteros (having two rows of columns) but was never finished.

Myus Near Didim, an important member of the Ionian League.

Iassos Situated near Didim, this ancient city was famous for its theater dedicated to Dionysos, the god of wine, and the festivals held here. Its music and theatrical productions were well-known throughout the ancient world.

Gerga It is located near Çine. The enormous human statues which have slid off their pedestals and fallen to the ground and the stones which have "Gerga" inscribed on them are particularly interesting.

Alında Located near Karpuzlu, it is the granite city of Queen Ada. Important remains include a theater with 35 rows of seats, a two-story tower, the agora and the city walls.

Mastaura (Mastavra) Close to Nazilli, it was used to be a commercial center which minted money. In the ruins can be seen the city walls, the theater, aqueducts and a few other structures.

Magnesia It is near Ortaklar in Germencik. Because it was the scene of several important events, it is described as the 'city of episodes.' There are the remains of temples to Artemis and Zeus from the 3rd century BC, an agora, baths, a theater, stadium and gymnasium, as well as Byzantine walls.

Orthasia (Ortosi) Near Yenipazar, there is a acropolis on a hill overlooking the Menderes valley.

Nyssa (Nisa) Near Sultanhisar, it was a science and teaching center. The remains of the theater, stadium, gymnasium, agora, library, buluterion and necropolis can still be seen.

Acharaka (Akaraka) In Sultanhisar near the village of Salavatlı, reference is made to a health center here. The Temple of Plutonium and the 'health-giving' water and gases in Charonium cave are also mentioned.

BEACHES

Beaches in the province of Aydın are Tusan, Mocamp, Halk beach, Yılancı Burnu, Karaova, Güzelçamlı, Kalamaki beaches, Odun dock, İlyas Ağa, Nero and Dipheron, Didim Tavşan Burnu, Akbük and Lake Bafa Beach.

CRUISE SHIP AND YACHT HARBORS

The Kuşadası Harbor is Aydın's gateway to the sea. It has two docks at which large cruise ships can dock and a yacht harbor capable of holding 650 boats.

Kuşadası

This seaside resort town has grown immensely in the last 30 years, and is especially popular with package holiday-makers from Europe. From a population of 6000 in the 1970s, it is now closer to 50,000, although a high proportion of this are part of the tourist industry and here only for the summer. Many cruising ships travelling around the Aegean Islands stop here, especially because of its close proximity (20km) to Selcuk. Kusadasi is a good base to explore this and other ancient cities like Priene and Didyma.

Although there is little of historical interest in Kusadasi itself, the town is popular predominantly because of its many hotels, restaurants, souvenir and carpet shops, and lively nightlife. The Kale district has some old traditional houses and narrow streets, and gives some indication of what the town used to be like. The most famous beach is Kadinlar Plaji, 2.5km south of the town, dominated by huge hotels and can get very crowded in summer. There are several small beaches further south, and closer to town is Yilanci Burnu, the peninsular.