KUSADASI
Kusadasi, which means "bird island", is set in a superb gulf in
the Aegean region of Turkey
and is known for its turquise sparkling water, broad sandy beaches, bright
sun and large marina with a capacity
for 600 boats. A glorious ancient city stands beside it, Ephesus
with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The town is not far from
Adnan Menderes Airport, Izmir
(only 80 km). Numerous holiday villages and hotels line its shores and
hundreds of restaurants serves food from all around the world and, of course,
Turkish Cuisine, which is one of the largest cuisines
of the world. We mustn't forget discos, bars, cafès, pubs and "Turkish
Nights"; all those to cater holiday-makers.
Kusadasi has retained a certain earthiness to it and inexpensive meals
and pensions can still be found in town. Many shops do a brisk trade with
passengers from hundreds of cruise ships that dock for a day or two, allowing
enough time for a trip to Ephesus and a shopping
expedition.
The tiny Güvercin Adasi (Pigeon Island) is connected to the mainland
with a causeway. Its romantic setting includes a well-maintained flower
garden which surrounds the restored 14th or 15th century fortress housing
a restaurant and disco frequented by lovers or those hoping to find one
by the night's end.
Beaches close to town tend to get quite crowded during summer. If you
prefer more serenity, head for Dilek Peninsula National
Park, known locally as Milli Park about 28 km (17 miles) from Kusadasi.
It is also possible to get to Greek island Samos by regular daily ferries.
History
Around 2000 BC. people coming from Lelek, Caria
and Lydia had settled down as a society to the
slopes of Pilav Mountain. Later one by one with the unit settlements Pigale,
Maratheson, Neopolis and Panionion came to life; Ionians
and later Romans by Ephesus coming into the dominance
of Rome, had lived in these lands.
Todays Kusadasi is founded in 16th century by Venetians as a colony.
The castle on the small island was built for the purpose of observation
in Byzantine times. In the Middle Ages Kusadasi
was ruled by Venetians and Genoeses which had taken the name of Scala Nova.
The city was surrounded with castle walls for being protected from the
violence of pirates, very common in the Mediterranean those centuries.
It's known that there is an Ionian Region of Kusadasi.
This had taken an important harbor mission on Asia - Europe
trade road
for many years.
In the period of Scala Nova, the Armenians dominant to trade, Greeks
and Jews had joined to former nations. With the Malazgirt War in 1071 Seljuk
Turks had started to spread in Anatolia
and during the process of Turkish principalities' formation, in 1304 Sasa
Bey had been the authority of Kusadasi and surroundings. Mehmet Bey had connected
this vicinity to Aydinogullari after Sasa's death.
Kusadasi is a harbor town and Turks had beared
this in mind. Although they were nomads from central
Asia and far away from maritime business, they had learnt maritime as well
as the Ephesians in a short time. They had lived
comfortably with the spoils they caught at naval battles. Kilic Arslan
added this town to Selçuk government and Scala
Nova again had become the exportation gate of Anatolia
in 1186. The Ottoman sultan Yildirim Beyazit
had joined Ayasulug (in Selçuk) to his principalities and the city became
Ottoman in 1390. Tamerlane (Timurlenk) decided
to take whole of Anatolia under his sovereign,
but when he could not take Ayasulug he put the castle on fire in which
Ottoman soldiers resisted, and St. Jean's Church
was damaged very badly. With Çelebi Mehmet I Kusadasi had gathered to the
Ottoman Empire and became a district.
With the vicinities passing to Ottomans, Turks
entered into societies in these areas. At the end of 1st World War Ottoman
Government had overcome, so Kusadasi was given to Italians with a
treaty, and under
their rule, the town was filled with Turks, Greeks,
Jews, Armenians. Most of those minorities left the country on 7th September
1923 after the victory of War of Independence
led by Atatürk. Lands between Güzelçamli and
Selçuk, the estates of Greeks which went back during the agreement to exchange
minorities between Greece and Turkey, were given
to Turkish immigrants in return to their properties there; the same was
done by the Greek government. This migration was between 1941 and 1955.
Kusadasi is living parallel to Ephesus in history
and the settlements around it. The places that have historical and touristic
values are ;
Panionian Agora, Roman Bath, Ilica Hill, Scala Nova, Pygale, Kadi
Castle, Andiz Tower, Neopolis, Aquaducts, Ania, Melia, Kursunlu Monastery,
Öküz Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai,
The Castle on Pigeon Island, Ramparts surrounding the City, Kusadasi Houses,
Kaleiçi, Mosques, Turkish
Baths, Yacht Harbour and Dilek National
Park.
PYGALE
According to Xeonophon, one of the authors of 5th c BC, Pygale was assembled
by the king Agamemnon of Myknai
and Argos. In the 14th volume of Strabon's geography book it is told that Pygale was established by Agamemnon
and he settled large amount of his soldiers there who made good use of
boiling healing water in the land. According to Strabon again, there was
a temple made for the moon goddess Munkyia in Phigale. During the period
of Trojan Wars that continued ten years, Pygale
was used for curing soldiers and repairing ships.
After the Granikos Wars, Pygale was also used as an entertainment and
treatment centre for Alexander the Great's
soldiers. Written inheritance of the whole past and visual inheritance
going over today prove us that one of the first cities established on purpose
of health in the world was in Kusadasi known with its name "Pygale".