Kusadasi Tourist Attractions
|
|
Situated 17km/10.5mi south of Ephesus on the wide Gulf of Kusadasi, facing the Greek island of Samos (Turkish Sisam; ferry service), Kusadasi is one of the oldest and most popular holiday centers in Turkey. Long sandy beaches (modern holiday villages), the well-equipped "Turban Marina" and the old harbor (port of call for cruise ships and regular shipping lines) are among the many attractions of this leading resort.The present town was founded in the 13th century by merchants from Genoa and Venice. Since the harbor of nearby Ephesus had silted up, the new port was named Scala Nova (in Greek, Neo Ephesos). In the Ottoman period the name of the town was changed to Kusadasi (Bird Island).
Caravanserai
The most prominent building in the neighborhood of the harbor in Kusadasi is the Kervanseray (caravanserai or han), a massive battlemented structure 12m/40ft high built by Öküz Mehmet Pasa in 1618. Restored in the 1960s, it has been a hotel (the Club Caravansérail) since 1967. Above the caravanserai, to the southwest, there are still a few 19th century half-timbered houses in the style typical of the region. Of the old town walls there survives only the south gate.
Pigeon Island
A little way west of the harbor in Kusadasi a 350m/380yds-long causeway leads to the charming island of Güvercin Ada (Pigeon Island; café-restaurant), with a tower which is all that remains of a 13th century Byzantine castle (which later became a pirate's lair). The wall around the island dates only from the early 19th century.
Map of Kusadasi Attractions
Map - Kusadasi
