Ayaş, Mersin

This article is about a town in Mersin Province. For other uses, see Ayaş.

Ayaş
Town
Ayaş Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 36°29′N 34°11′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Mersin Province
District	Erdemli
Elevation	20 m (67 ft)
Population  (2012)
• Total	2,203
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	33750
Area code	0324
Licence plate	33

Ayaş is a Mediterranean coastal town in Mersin Province, Turkey.

Geography

Ayaş is a part of Erdemli district, which is a part of Mersin Province. It is on Turkish state highway D.400 at about 36°29′N 34°11′E. Its distance from Mersin is 55 kilometres (34 mi) and from Erdemli was 18 kilometres (11 mi). The population is 2203 as of 2012. The town is situated at the coast, and there are two beaches of touristic potential, Yemişkumu and Merdivenkuyu.

History

Main article: Elaiussa Sebaste

Ayaş had been inhabited since the ancient ages. Ancient Ayas was an island named Elaiussa and a town on the shore facing the island named Sebaste. Archelaus of Cappadocia had a palace in Elaiussa. But the island had since been joined the mainland because of alivion accumulation. During middle age, Elaiussa Sebaste lost its former importance. After the 12th century the ruins of the former town became a battle ground between the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and the Karamanids. The area around the former town was incorporated into Ottoman Empire in the 15th century and it became the grazing area of a nomadic Turkmen tribe named Ayaş. A part of the tribe settled in the village named after Ayaş and in 1989 it was incorporated into Kumkuyu municipality on the east. But in 1999 Ayaş was declared a town and issued from Kumkuyu municipality.

Economy

The town houses and the ruins next to each other

Like most towns around, Ayaş economy depends on vegetable agriculture. But there are hotels, beaches and summer houses around, and tourism begins to play a role in town economy.

See also

• Kanlıdivane
• Çanakçı rock tombs