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www.egeports.com Kuşadası is one of the most important holiday spots in Turkey, and a Port town, which is situated on the coasts of a shimmering gulf. Coming down gradually to the coast, and overlooking the most beautiful bay of the Aegean sea, this district is the most favorite tourism center of the Aegean coast due to its infrastructure means and the service network it delivers to cruise ships.
The district has also become an unrivalled tourist center because of the antique places near by like Ephesus, Didim, Priene and Miletus and the House of Virgin Mary. A very important advantage of Kuşadası is the "vicinity" of all sites which makes life easy for tourists who are in Kuşadası for a limited time and especially if they prefer to stay in town. An average tour including Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary which are the two highlights of the destination, would last approximately 5 hours even leaving spare time for tourists to enjoy downtown.
Apart from being a tourist region, Kuşadası Gulf and its surroundings have been a center of arts and culture throughout history, and have sheltered many different cultures since the 11th century BC.
Aeolians in the 11th Centurty BC, followed by Ionians in the 9th Century BC, Lydians in the 7ty Century BC and Lelegians around 3000 BC dominated the region.
The area, which is situated between Great Meander and Gediz rivers, was called "IONIA" in ancient times. The Ionians, dealing with trade and sailing, became wealthy soon due to overseas trade, and gained political superiority in the region. They founded 12 cities, which have come to be called "Ionian Colonies". With the flourishing of overseas trade, they gained political superiority in the region. They founded 12 cities, which have come to be called "Ionian Colonies".
In ancient Ages, Kuşadası was the major Port of Anatolia, opening to the Mediterranean. At that time it was called "Neopolis". The Lydians, whose capital was Sardis, became dominant in the region in the 7th century BC and they also use the Port in their trade as a gateway to the outside world.
With Persian domination in 546 BC, and Anatolia's invasion by Alexander the Great from Macedonia in 334 BC, a brand new period, a brand new conception of art and culture became predominant in Kuşadası and its surroundings as a result of the synthesis between Greek and Anatolian civilizations. The most significant examples of this period, known as the Hellenistic Age, are certainly Ephesus, Miletus, Priene and Didyma.
The Romans were the sovereign power in the region in the 2nd century BC. Ephesus became a religious center when St. Jean, one of Christ's apostles, came and settled here in the first years of Christianity. During the time of Christ's apostles and in the Byzantium Age Kuşadası was called Anaia.
In the Middle Ages Kuşadası became a trade port that was also used by the pirates. The city was named Scala Nuova in the 15th century during the time of the Venetians and the Genoese, and was qualified to be one of the most prominent ports of the period.
Turkish sovereignty started with the region's annexation into the Seljuk Government by Kılıçarslan II in 1186. During this period the region was the exportation gate of Caravan ways, opening to the Aegean Sea. After the collapse of Seljuk Government, the period of principalities began in the region. The Principality of "Aydınoğulları" dominated the region for a while. Around the middle of the 15th century the whole region came under Ottoman domination.
Mehmet I in 1413 annexed Kuşadası into the Ottoman domination. After this date, Kuşadası remained to be a Turkish settlement. Turkish works of art began to embellish the city. Later on Kuşadası became a military base for the Ottomans and the Venetians, against pirate attacks.
Kuşadası was declared to be an independent region in 1865. The Jews, the Greeks, the Armenians, and the Italians settled near the port and they remained here until World War I.
After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Kuşadası was first connected to İzmir, and then to Aydın in 1954. The current name of the city originates from "Küçük (Small) Island" or "Güvercin (Pigeon) Island". The city's structuring has been shaped by tourism since 1970's.
Prospective tourists can contact Flight Holiday, a unique travel agency which specialises in tours to Turkey and North Cyprus: www.flightholiday.co.uk; info@flightholiday.co.uk
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