Kuşadası

For the island in Lake Van, see Kuş Island.
Kuşadası
City

A view of beach street
Kuşadası
Coordinates: 37°51′35″N 27°15′35″E / 37.85972°N 27.25972°ECoordinates: 37°51′35″N 27°15′35″E / 37.85972°N 27.25972°E
Country Turkey
Province Aydın
District Kuşadası
Government
 • Mayor Özer Kayalı (CHP)
 • Kaymakam Mustafa Esen
Area[1]
 • District 224.60 km2 (86.72 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 70,143
 • District 90,652
 • District density 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Post code 09400
Website www.kusadasi.bel.tr

Kuşadası (pronounced [ˈkuʃadasɯ]) is a resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast and the center of the seaside district of the same name in Aydın Province. Kuşadası lies at a distance of 95 km (59 mi) to the south from the region's largest metropolitan center of İzmir, and 71 km (44 mi) from the provincial seat of Aydın situated inland. Its primary industry is tourism. The district neighbours on the northeast to Germencik district, on the southeast to Söke district, on the west to the Aegean Sea, and on the north to Selçuk district.

Geography

The city stands on a bay in the Aegean with the peninsula of Guvercin Ada sticking out into the sea at one end, and the mountain of Pilav Dağı behind.

It is 95 km (59 mi) south of İzmir, the region's largest metropolitan center. It is 71 km (44 mi) from the provincial seat of Aydın situated inland.

Demographics

Kuşadası has a residential population of 64,359 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, and drivers who are needed to work in the restaurants servicing all these visitors. In addition to the visitors from overseas there is a substantial community of foreigners resident in the area.

History

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).[3] It was known as Ephesus Neopolis, in greek (Ἔφεσος Νεόπολις) during the Byzantine era, and later as Scala Nova or Scala Nuova under the Genovese and Venetians.[4] Kuş-Adası was adopted in its place at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, citizens of Kuşadası often shorten the name to Ada.

Antiquity

The area has been a centre of art and culture since the earliest times and has been settled by many civilizations 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 known as Pygela (Πύγελα), the area between the Büyük Menderes (Maeander) and Gediz (Hermos) 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 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 334 BC along with all of Anatolia the coast was conquered by Alexander the Great. From then onwards the coastal cities in Anatolia were a centre of Hellenistic culture.

Rome and Christianity

The Roman Empire took possession of the coast in the 2nd century BC and made it their provincial capital[5] and in the early years of Christianity. St John the Evangelist and (according to Roman Catholic sacred tradition) Mary (mother of Jesus) both came to live in the area, which in the Christian era became known as "Ania".

Later the port was a haven for pirates.

As Byzantine, Venetian and Genoese shippers began to trade along the coast the port was re-founded (as Scala Nuova or Scala Nova - "new port"), a garrison was placed on the island, and the town centre moved from the hillside to the coast.

The Turkish era

The Kuşadası Caravanserai.
The Atatürk statue in Kuşadası.

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 Aydinid Anatolian 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, 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-Selçuk-Aydın railway, which skipped Kuşadası.[6]

During the Turkish War of Independence Kuşadası was occupied from 1919-1922 first by Italian (till 1921), then by Greek troops. The Turkish troops won control of the city on September 7, 1922.[7]

Under the Turkish Republic the Greek population was exchanged for Turkish people as part of the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922. It was a district in İzmir Province until 1954 and become the district of Aydın Province.

Until the 1970s, Kuşadası was a fruit-growing rural district. The first timeshare apartments were built in the 1970s. Kusadasi then grew into a small resort town, as timeshares were sold to families in Ankara, İzmir, Denizli and other Turkish cities. Tourism continued to flourish.

In 2005, the town was the location of a bomb attack causing five deaths including three Turkish nationals, British citizen Helen Bennett and the Irish student Tara Whelan.

Economy

Industry

Kuşadası caters to tourists, arriving by land, 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. The Grand Princess docks here, along with other cruise ships.

There are beaches including the Ladies Beach, the beach at the centrum, the beaches between the Batıhan Hotel and the Nazilli Site, Guzelcamli Town beach and the Dilek Peninsula National Park beach.[3]

Agents sell holiday flats and villas.

There are vendors of ice-cream, carpets, leather, and software, and bookshops selling books in English, German, Russian and other languages.

Old houses near the seafront, some of them converted to bars and cafes, are the remnants of old Kuşadası, which has become a modern-European looking town. 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 continued into the hinterland of Kuşadası.

A panoramic view of Kuşadası, with Güvercin Adası seen in the background, and Samos on the horizon.

Transportation

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

The city is a port of call for cruise ships. The port is linked by a six-lane highway to İzmir's Adnan Menderes Airport.

There are daily ferry services to the nearby Greek island of Samos.

Kuşadası's bus station acts as a transport hub. Buses connect to various parts of the country.

Places of interest

Güvercin Adası, the peninsula of Kuşadası.

In the town

Culture

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Kuşadası is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. ↑ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Kusadasi Guide".
  4. ↑ artofilo.info
  5. ↑ St. John - History
  6. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
  7. ↑ "Kuşadası'nda Kurtuluş Coşkusu" (in Turkish). Haberkapısı. 7 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Batumi - Twin Towns & Sister Cities". Batumi City Hall. Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2013-08-10.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kuşadası.