Kusadasi

Where to Visit in Kusadasi

Kuşadası is a large resort town on Turkey’s Aegean coast, and the center of the seaside district of the same name within Aydın Province. Kuşadası is 95 km (59 mi) south of İzmir, and about 60 km (37 mi) from Aydın. The municipality’s primary industry is tourism. The mayor of the district is Ömer Günel.

The name Kuşadası comes from the Turkish words kuş (bird) and ada (island), as the island has the shape of a bird’s head. It was known as Ephesus Neopolis during the Byzantine era, and later as Scala Nova or Scala Nuova under the Genoese and Venetians. Kuş Adası was adopted in its place at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the citizens of Kuşadası often shorten the town’s name to Ada

The city is situated along a gulf of the same name in the Aegean. The island of Güvercinada (in English: Pigeon Island) is connected to mainland Kuşadası by a causeway, and is situated adjacent to the large hill of Kese Dağı near the center of town. It is located 95 km (59 mi) south of İzmir, the area’s metropolitan centre, and approximately 60–70 km (37–43 mi) in driving distance from the provincial seat of Aydın, depending on the route taken. Its neighbours are Selçuk to the north, Germencik to the north-east, and Söke to the east and south.

Kuşadası caters to tourists arriving by land, or from 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 area features several well-known local beaches, including Ladies Beach, the beach at the centrum, the beaches between the Batıhan Hotel and the Nazilli Site, the beach at Güzelçamlı, and the Dilek Peninsula National Park beach, referred to by locals as simply Milli Park.

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Kusadasi Museums

What You Can See in Kusadasi

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  • Unesco World Heritage

Isabey Mosque

Isabey Mosque located on the slope containing Ayasoluk Castle and the Church of St. John. This is the oldest active mosque in Turkey and it is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Anatolian mosque architecture. It was built in 1375 by the order of Isabey of the Aydinogulları Emirate. The construction used stone […]

Artemis Temple

Artemis Temple which is also known as the Temple of Diana is one of the 7 wonders  of the world and the first marble temple of the Ancient world. The Temple had 127 Marble Columns. Like all the other Artemis temples it was faced to the west. The Temple was designed and constructed in 6th century BC. Early construction […]

Saint John Basilica

Saint John Basilica was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. Saint John Basilica is on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill, right next to the İsa Bey Mosque, just below the fortress [...]

Sirince

Sirince, also known as Kirkintzes, is a village of 600 inhabitants in İzmir Province, Turkey, located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the town Selçuk and about 8 kilometres from Ephesus. The area around the village has history dating back to Hellenistic period (323–31 BC). Pottery finds made around the village between 2001 and 2002 by Ersoy and Gurler indicate the [...]

House of Virgin Mary

House of the Virgin Mary (Turkish: Meryemana Evi or Meryem Ana Evi, "Mother Mary's House") is a Catholic shrine located on Mt. Koressos (Turkish: Bülbüldağı, "Mount Nightingale") in the vicinity of Ephesus, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from  Selçuk in Turkey. House of Virgin Mary was discovered in the 19th century by following the descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), [...]

Ephesus Ancient City

Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey