Selçuk, a small town near the Aegean Sea, is a meeting place of different civilizations, cultures, languages and religions. Selçuk is about 73 kilometres south of İzmir and only 17 kilometres from Kuşadası.
As already described in the first part of my report, during the summer vacation of 1989 we decided to look for a holiday home in the greater Ayvalık area.
At this point, we want to meet the wishes and inquiries of some alaturka readers and give you, as a hobby author, the freedom to portray yourself and report on your move to or settlement in Turkey.
We were on our way to the well-known porcelain exhibition of Kütahya (a separate report will follow later), the provincial capital of the eponymous province of Kütahya with 214,000 inhabitants, which had been hit by strong earthquakes in 1896, 1930, 1944 and 1970. The last major earthquake alone killed 1,100 people.
A few days' stay in Izmir also allows us to take a day trip to Akhisar, the county seat of the district of the same name in Manisa Province, about 90 kilometers from Izmir.
For almost every Turkey traveler, they are still the number 1 destination to visit while staying in Turkey, Pamukkale travertine terraces.
The ruins of the ancient cities of Klazomenai and Erythrai lie not far from the modern city of Urla, around 30 and 50 kilometers from the gates of Izmir.
Coming from Lebedos we continue along the west coast towards Kusadasi. After about 22 kilometers you can see the remains of the town of Notion, slightly elevated on a hill, which was of great importance as a former port of the metropolis of Colophon.
We had heard several times about the second tufa region, comparable to Cappadocia, the Phrygian Valley (Frig Vadisi), but so far without ever having visited the area around Afyon.
It is just about 28 kilometers from Teos to the ancient Greek city of Lebedos, always following the coastal towards Kusadasi.
The Ionian city of Teos was located directly on the Bay of Sığacık, only about 35 kilometers away, at that time a day's journey from the gates of ancient Smyrna.
Together with our friends Tony and Linda, we decided to do a small spring tour starting from Izmir, which should take us to Bozdağ, the ski area right in front of the gates of the metropolis of Izmir.
It was pure curiosity that made us follow the sign pointing to the ancient city of Tripoli. Coming from Izmir, we were still about 21 kilometers from Denizli when this street sign made us curious and, as so often, the decision was made quickly.
Coming from Akşehir Lake on the D300 towards Afyonkarahisar, we also make a short stop at Eber Lake, which was once, due to the huge amounts of meltwater from the mountain range of Emir Dağları in the north and the mountain range of Sultan Dağları in the south, connected with the Akşehir Lake.
To supply the metropolis of Ephesus with fresh water, the Romans built another aqueduct system in the mountains between 7 and 15 AD, which also contained an aqueduct over the Dervenddere River that is still well preserved today.
Rarely there are such different views and opinions as when asked about “life in the big city”. For some it is simply unimaginable for others it is the dream of life par excellence.
About 16 kilometers west of the city of Selçuk one encounters another oracle place of the god Apollon, the place Klaros (Latin Clarus), which in antiquity belonged to the city of Kolophon, about 13 kilometers away. The ancient, but little-known, city of Notion was also in the immediate vicinity.
Every year there is a well known event near Selcuk / Izmir when the camel fighting championships take place. There is a two-day carnival in the town during which many male camels fight for trophies, money and the honour of being the best in the competition.
A very big town with the welcoming atmosphere of a village. We stayed out of town in a suburb called Buca in the apartment of our Turkish friend's mother. Everybody was very friendly and we experienced the genuine Turkish way of life, with mealtimes especially being a real family occasion.
The Clock Tower (Saat Kulesi), today İzmir’s landmark number one, was built by a Levantine French Architect Raymond Charles Pere in 1901 to commemorate 25th anniversary of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II's accession to the throne.