SOUTH EGEAN

CUNDA ADASI (AYVALIK)

Cunda a place which is for living all life. There are too many type of fish, church and building with old Crete culture.

If you talk with people in the you can learn most interesting information about old Cree story, greek myths and more think. Hope that one day you can meet with Cunda

ALTINOLUK

Altınoluk is located South slope of Kazdağı(IDA) and Norh side of Edremit Gulf There are more type of gren and blue together. Altınolu is far 110km from Çanakkale,225km from İzmir,115km from Balıkesir and 25 km from Edremit.Area of Altınoluk is 22000 hectare 68% is for forest,9% for building,23% is for olive tree.

ERDEK

Colorful nights and its proximity to Istanbul make Erdek a very special place for enthusiasts of nightlife. In the southern tip of the Marmara Sea, Erdek has a history of thousands of years. Erdek is located in Erdek Gulf in Kapıdağ peninsiula Calm and tranquil in the winters, joyful and colorful in the summers, Erdek is a place for all tastes

ASSOS

People migrated here particularly from the islands of the Aegean Sea as early as 1000 BC. Aristo ,one of the significant philosophers between the years  347-344 BC. Dominated first by Midilli's then by the Persians,the Romas,the Byzantines and finally by the Ottomans,the Assos region has a rich history with the architectural,cultural and structural characteristics of all these states.

The Athena Temple was made on the highest summit of the Acropolis in 530 BC. One of the most important structures of the Assos ruins,when one looks at the sea from the top of this temple you will see the Agora, Bouleoterion to the East ,Baths,an Antique Amphitheatre and Gymnasium to the South. Berhamkale Village founded on the outskirts of this temple is a natural wonder. It is enchanting with its medieval architecture. Hüdavendigar Mosque ,built during the 14^th century in the reign oh Murat the first , is one of our numerous historical beaties. It stands splendidly on a high hill among the Assos ruins.

These are just a few of the numerous historical sights for you to discover in the region. Come and visit us so you can explore them at your leisure.

KAZDAĞI    

This area is called the lungs of Turkey… loyal holidaymakers of the region visit time and again to experince the merging of history and nature and to take walks whilst breathing in the clean air. If this is to be your first visit to Kazdaği, do not worry because everything here is just perfect!

There are many legends told about Kazdaği… One of these is the “Sarikiz (Blond Girl) Legend” which is told in various ways. This legend about a girl and her father is set in the village of Gure. This beautiful girl lives in the village with her family. The young men of the village competed for her hand in marriage but the girl did not want any of them.. Because of her attitude the spurned young men tell many slanderous untruths about her. Her father believes the gossip which abound in the village and to punish her he takes to the top of the Kaz Mountain on the pretext of chopping wood and leaves her there. After some time, the father realises what he did was wrong and returns to the mountaintop looking for his daughter. He finds her and they embrace. Her father is tired and thirsty from his search, and upon seeing him like this, she reaches out to the sea and offers her father the water. He is surprised upon being offered the salty water and requests fresh water. Upon which, his daughter plunges her finger into the earth. When she pulls back her finger, cold spring water starts to flow from the hole. Her father realises that she has supernatural powers and recovering his shock he apologises to his daughter. However, the girl is so tired from ordeal on the mountain that she dies. Her father also dies from a broken heart and is found on another hilltop. Since then, the peak on which the girl died has been called Sarikiz and the peak on which the father died has been called Baba Tepe (Father’s Hill).

Kazdağı’s name in mythology is Mount Ida. Ida, or Kazdaği, is the subject of many mythological tales and is known as the first place in history to stage a beauty contest. According to legend, Aphrodite was chosen as the goddess of love and beauty in the contest. Also, it is known as the mountain about which the poet Homer wrote his epics, the Iliad and Odyssey.

After the 1071 Malazgirt war the Turks settled in Anatolia and the people who took the place of the Christian monks, who lived in Kazdaği, began to use the mountain as shepherd pastures. Afterward, many events turned into legends and so the Kazdaği legends were born and have survived to our day.

İZMİR

Ancient Smyrna was founded on an island that takes place at the northeast of the bay. During the recent centuries, Bornova Plain  had been formed with the silt that was brought by torrents of River Meles from Mount Yamanlar (Sipylos) and the peninsula finally transformed into a hill.

A sample wine yard of İzmir Wine and Beer Factory of TEKEL Management is located on this hill called s Tepekule.

Although the first habitation of İzmir known to be dated from long before 3000 B.C., excavations could only go back to 3000 B.C. In the light of the excavations, it is known that the first settlements were founded at the top of the hill at 3-5m high from sea level. This first settlement was dated from Ancient Bronze Age.

Hittites were using the writing (in 1800-1200 B.C.) in Anatolia, which helped to reach the historic ages. However, in 1200s B.C., the tribes coming from Balkans demolished Troy VII and Hattusas, the capital of Hittites. With this, a Dark Age called Iron Age restarted in Middle and West Anatolia. The Iron Age continued until writing was rediscovered in 730 B.C. in Phrygian Kingdom and in 650 B.C. in the rest of the Middle and West Anatolia.

During the Iron Age the houses were huge, small, one roomed buildings. The oldest house that has been finally brought to daylight is dated at 925-900 B.C. The walls of this well-preserved one roomed house (2, 45 x 4m) were all made of sun-dried bricks and the roof of the house was made of reeds.

People started to protect their hometown with thick ramparts made of sun-dried bricks. From now on İzmir achieved an identity of city-state. A man called Baseleus was most probably in charge of the city. Migrants and bigwigs constituted the noble class. The population living inside the city walls were approximately a thousand people. The public of city-state was living in near-by villages. The fields, olive trees, wine yards, and the workshops of potters and stonecutters of ancient İzmir were all located in those villages. People made their living on agriculture and fishing.

ÇEŞME

Çeşme is a pretty coastal town situated about 70 km from Izmir in Western Anatolia. Its history can be dated as far back as 3000BC. Erythrai and Çesmeköy were the first settlements whereas the central district of Çesme is a more recent development.
Even though its history is largely unclear, information gathered from excavations and research done in the ancient city of Erythrai place its establishment around 3000BC.
In around 2000 BC Leleghs, who were native Anatolean people, settled in the area. For a variety of reasons there seems to have been an influx of people from Greece who came over the Aegean sea and from the islands but the Leleghs were still the dominant force.
As a result of research, there also seems to have been a small settlement to the East of Çesme called Kalemburnu. The area came under the dominance of the Lydians in the 6th century BC and throughout its history it was also controlled by the Romans and Alexander the Great. In or around 334BC the area became independent but flourished due to its connection with the Roman Empire.
In the 3rd century AD it lost its influence and its development was curtailed. It wasn't until a famous Turkish chief Emir Çaka used the Çesme peninsula as a base for his sea wars against the Aegean islands that Çesme became important again.
In the 13th century the Germian Lord was Sasa Bey and in the 14th century the area was conquered by Aydinogullari and was settled by them.