Kuşadası

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Kuşadası is a resort town in the province of Aydın on the Aegean coast of Turkey, 90 km south of İzmir, and 71 km from the inland provincial capital of Aydın.

Kuşadası is near the ancient city of Ephesus and to other places of interest including Miletos, Didim and Pamukkale, and a short distance across from Kuşadası lies the island of Samos.

Geography

Standing on a bay in the Aegean with the peninsula of Guvercin Ada sticking out into the sea at one end, and the mountain of Kaz Dağı behind, Kuşadası is extremely popular as a tourist destination, both for its many beaches, and as the port for cruise ship passengers heading to Ephesus. In a controversial deal in 2003 the previously public-owned port was leased to a private company and renovated to attract luxury cruise liners. These range from the huge Grand Princess to smallers tours catering specifically for gay and lesbian holidaymakers (although famously while trying to prevent the landing of the gay males the local authorities welcomed the lesbian tourists with open arms.

Kuşadası has a residential population of 50,000 rising to over half a million during the summer when the large resort fills with tourists (from Turkey itself, northern Europe and the Balkans), plus the hotel staff, bar staff, construction workers, drivers etc. required to work in the Burger Kings and Starbucks, the holiday villages, aquaparks, rock bars beach clubs and big hotels servicing all these visitors. As well as visitors from overseas there is a substantial community of foreigners resident in the area and there many estate agents selling holiday flats and villas to foreigners. Among all the ice-cream, carpets, leather, and pirated software, there are bookshops selling holiday reading in English, German, Russian and other languages.

The old houses near the seafront, many of them bars and cafes are the remnants of old Kuşadası, which has become a modern-European looking town while the hills behind are built up with big hotels and blocks of holiday flats. The building boom in the late 80s and onwards has been uncontrolled in the hinterland of Kuşadası. The many shops, bars and restaurants, including the ubiquitous "Irish Pub" are designed to attract overseas visitors with western music and TV, the flags of European countries on display and the staff dressed in (mostly fake) football strips of European teams. These shirts are also worn by the large groups of young Turkish men who come here in summer to pursue topless women on the beach.

The Yavansu Fault Line passes near Kuşadası and there have been earthquakes here throughout history. In the hot summer forest fires are another danger.

Transportation

Transport around the town is by dolmuş (minibus). There are bus and taxi services to the nearest airports, in İzmir and Bodrum. You can take day trips by boat from Kuşadası and Güzelçamlı.

Etymology

The name comes from 'kuş' (bird) and 'ada' (island) as the peninsula has the shape of a bird's head (as seen from the sea). Throughout the ages it has been known as Ephesus Neopolis, Scala Nuova, becoming Kush-Adasi at the beginning of the 20th century. People from the Aegean region generally shorten the name to Ada.

History

Antiquity

The area has been a centre of art and culture since the earliest times and has been settled by many civilisations since being founded by the Leleges people in 3000 BC. Later settlers include the Aeolians in the 11th century BC and Ionians in the 9th century. Originally seamen and traders the Ionians built a number of settlements on this coast including Neopolis.

An outpost of Ephesus in ancient Ionia, the area between the Büyük Menderes and Gediz rivers, the original Neopolis is thought to have been founded on the nearby point of Yılancı Burnu. Later settlements were probably built on the hillside of Pilavtepe, in the district called Andızkulesi today. Kuşadası was a minor port frequented by vessels trading along the Aegean coast. In antiquity it was always overshadowed by Ephesus until Ephesus' harbor silted up. From the 7th century BC onwards the coast was ruled by Lydians from their capital at Sardis, then from 546 BC the Persians, and from 334BC along with all of Anatolia the coast was conquered by Alexander the Great. From then onwards the coastal cities were the centre of the mixed Greek and Anatolian culture called Hellenistic.

Rome and Christianity

The Roman Empire took possession of the coast in the 2nd century BC and in the early years of Christianity, Mary (mother of Jesus) and St John the Evangelist both came to live in the area, which in the Christian era became known as "Ania", although the spirituality was clearly not ingrained as during the Middle Ages the port was a haven for pirates.

Later as Byzantine, Venetian and Genoese traders began to work the coast the port was founded (as Scala Nuova "new port"), a garrison was placed on the island, and the town centre moved from the hillside to the coast.

The Turkish era

From 1086 the area came under Turkish control and the Aegean ports became the final destination of caravan routes to the Orient. However this arrangement was overthrown by the Crusades and the coast again came under Byzantine control until 1280 when first the Menteşe and then the Aydınoğlu Anatolian Turkish Beyliks took control. Kuşadası was brought into the Ottoman Empire by Mehmet I in 1413. The Ottomans built the city walls and the caravanserai that still stand today.

In 1834 the castle and garrison on the island was rebuilt and expanded, quickly becoming the focus of the town, to the extent that people began to refer to the whole town as Kuşadası (bird island). However in the 19th century, trade declined in favor of İzmir with the opening of the İzmir-Aydın railway, as Kuşadası had no rail connection.^[1]

During the Turkish War of Independence Kuşadası was occupied from 1919-1922 first by Italian, then by Greek troops. It was eventually liberated on September 7th 1922.

Under the Turkish Republic the Greek population was exchanged for Turkish people as part of the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922. Until the first holiday apartments were built here in the 1970s Kuşadası was a fruit-growing rural district, it then grew into a small resort town with holiday flats. These were usually built as housing co-operatives, membership sold to families in Ankara, Izmir, Denizli and other Turkish cities. From the mid 1980s Kuşadası grew again into the centre of mass tourism that we have today.

Kuşadası is popular with British tourists and in April 2005, during the Iraq War was the location of a bomb attack targetting foreigners.

Places of interest

In the town

The city walls - Only one of the three gates still remains.
Kaleiçi Camii - mosque built in 1618 for Grand Vizier Öküz Kara Mehmed Pasha.
Öküz Mehmet Pasha caravanserai. Near the docks, built in 1618 as a strong-room for the goods of seamen.
Guvercin Ada - the peninsula at the end of the bay, has a castle and swimming beaches, including a private beach and cafe with a view back across the bay to the harbour of Kuşadası. There are public beaches at the back of the peninsula, on the open sea side.
Kirazli Village - traditional Turkish koy 12km from Kusadasi reached by scenic drive over gorge. Well visited by Turkish citizens looking for a return to nature and enjoy the cool breezes during the hot summer months and amazing views.
Yılancı Burnu - a second peninsula beyond Güvercin Ada. Possibly the location of the original settlement of Neopolis. Some walls are visible. There are more beaches and beach clubs here.
Pygale - 3km north, the small point behind Hotel Pigale. Once refuge of Agamemnon. Still to be excavated.
Also several aqua-parks with wave-pools, white-water slides are located near the town: the largest are NBGS International's Aqua Fantasy, along with Adaland and Aqua Land.
Ladies Beach - near the town, next to the Imbat Hotel, named because it was once segregated for female bathers. Now open to all and quite busy.

and further afield

Kadıkalesi - Venetian/Byzantine castle, 10km along the Kuşadası-Davutlar road,
Panionium - 25 km south of Kuşadası, on the Davutlar-Güzelçamlı road. Once the central meeting place of the Ionian League. The ruins are in poor condition and their authenticity is disputed. (See Panionium).
Dilek Peninsula National Park. South of Kuşadası, begins at the town of Güzelçamlı. Lovely bays and beautiful beaches, including the bay of Kalamaki. A day trip by boat from Güzelçamlı is a good way to visit them, or there are minibuses from Kuşadası.

Well-known residents

Kuşadalı Ibrahim Halveti - influential 19th century sufi

Kuşadası in popular culture

The annual Altın Güvercin song contest is held here. In the past it has been won by artists including Nükhet Duru and Cem Karaca.
Kuşadası is the title of a piece on the album Vian Köpüğü-L’Ecume de Vian by jazz musician Tuna Ötenel

References

^ Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition

External links

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[1] Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition

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