AYDIN Kuşadası
Kuşadası is set in a superb gulf, on the site of a settlement founded by Ionians and identified as ancient Neapolis. In the vicinity were the two other Ionian cities of Phygale and Marathesion, but mighty Ephesus swapped Marathesion with Samos for Neapolis. Ephesus and Samos were both part of the Ionian Confederacy whose council, the Panionion, was held at the foot of Mount Mycale (today near Güzelçamlık) . Following the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman domination, Neapolis was ruled by the Byzantines. After Ephesus had lost its prior prosperity and its harbour was totally silted up by the alluvial deposits of the Cayster river (küçük Menderes), the Byzantines searched for a new port and a new road that would be suitable for trading and chose Neapolis, then renamed Ania, instead. The town became an important port with the Greek, Jewish, and Armenian merchants, and was called Scala Nueva in the 15th century by the Venetian and Genoese colony of merchants which had established there. Following the Manzikert Battle in 1071, the Seljuk Turks spread widely in Anatolia. During their decline in 1284, the Aydınoğulları Emirate was set up in the region and Kuşadası was incorporated to it in the early 14th century. But the Turks preferred to live mainly inland on the foothills near the ancient settlement known as Andızkule. Ottoman sultan Mehmet I finally conquered the region of Kuşadası in 1413. The town of Kuşadası took its” present” form during the early 17th century under Öküz Mehmet Pasha who was grand vizier under the reign of sultan Ahmet I and Osman II. Öküz Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai, Kale içi Bath and Kale içi Mosque, all built inside the ramparts, date back to this period. In 1920 the domination of Izmir and its surroundings, of which Kuşadası, was granted to Greece by the Treaty of Sèvres. During the War of Independence in September 1922, it was taken back by the Turkish forces and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) gave Izmir and its surroudings back to the new Turkish Republic.
Kuşadası, which means the “Bird Island”, was named after the small island situated some way off the harbour where cruise ships and liners draw alongside. The Ottomans, who renamed it “Güvercin Ada” (Pigeon Island), used this strategic island for military purposes, like the Byzantines who had already built a fortress to defend themselves against the pirates. Today Pigeon Island, which is connected to the land by a sea wall (10 minutes walk from the harbour area), is the ideal place to enjoy a panoramic view of Kuşadası sipping a drink in the garden cafes.
Öküz Mehmet Pasha Hanı, the largest caravanserai in the Aegean region, is located at the beginning of Harbour Street near Orient and Grand Bazaar. Since its restoration in 1967, it has been used as a hotel and a shopping center, and special “Turkish nights” are held in the inner court yard of the building during summer time.
Barbaros Hayrettin Street, located in a pedestrianized precinct, is one of the most popular area for shopping.
A long waterfront stretches between the harbour, where a couple of fish retaurants are located, and the marina. Lots of restaurants of all kinds, cafes, bars, pubs can be found everywhere in Kuşadası.
The specialty of the region of Kuşadası, the "çöp şiş" made of small pieces of lamb on tiny wooden skewers, is a sort of miniature şiş kebab.
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