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 ÇEŞME |
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This popular and attractive resort west of
Izmir is famous for its modern hotels, sparkling clean sea and wonderful sandy
beaches.
Çeşme is one of the Turkey's
most beautiful strerches of coast, surrounded by clear blue seas, with a landscape of
cultivated fields. Visitors can enjoy unspoilt bays, excellent holiday
accommodation, restaurants, sports and entertainment
facilities. Thermal baths offer a healthy break from
the rigors of modern life. Excellent shopping is available, with a good selection of
carpets, leather goods and souvenirs. At night a lively atmosphere
pervades, especially in
the restaurants, cafes, bars and discos along the promenade. Çeşme hosts many national and
international meetings and conventions throughout the year.
If you visualise Turkey as a mare’s head stretching out into the Mediterranean,
then Çeşme is her lips, licking the foamy waves of the Aegean. |
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This coastal town has
been a settlement for thousands of years, and today the same climate and geography which
attracted the ancients are what make Çeşme a popular summer resort today. Moreover,
Çeşme is just a 45 minute drive from the Aegean port city of Izmir. Almost as soon the
bus leaves Üçkuyular Bus Terminal in Izmir, you find the azure expanse of the Aegean to
your left. Soon, however, the new motorway begins to snake its way through mountains and
hills and the sea is left behind. But this is only a temperate separation, a lull before
the true encounter.Maquis, pine forest and olive groves take turns to keep you company.
After the turnoff to Karaburun you come to the small town of Alaçatı, south of Çeşme,
which is now attracting a spate of new building, fortunately inspired by the architecture
of the town’s historic houses
Çeşme Peninsula,
lapped by the waters of the Aegean Sea, lies west of Izmir. The name Çeşme, meaning
fountain, refers to the many springs found in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries.
It is one of Turkey's most beautiful stretches - surrounded by clear blue sea, with
landscapes of cultivated fields of aniseed, sesame and artichokes dotted with fig and gum
trees. In the unspoiled bays you can swim in absolute peace. Visitors will find excellent
holiday accommodations, restaurants, sports, foods, and entertainment facilities. |
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| A 14th century
Genoese fortress, restored and enlarged by the Ottomans in the 16th century, dominates the
small port of Çeşme, 80 km from Izmir. Today the town is a popular holiday ' resort with
excellent accommodations and restaurants. The 16th century caravanserai near the fortress,
built by Süleyman the Magnificent, has been converted into a hotel, while the 19th
century Church of Hagios Haralambos has been restored as the Emir Çaka art gallery.
Thermal baths offer a health-oriented escape from modern life. Excellent shopping - the
finest quality carpets, leather goods, as well as souvenir items are available. At night,
a lively, fun atmosphere pervades, especially in the restaurants, cafes, bars and discos
along the promenade. Yachts can be hired to
explore the Peninsula's splendid coastline. Çesme hosts an annual International Song
Contest in the summer. Also, weekly ferry lines run from Çesme to
Venice. |
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The very
popular holiday centre of Ilica boasts an excellent white, sandy beach, and the
outstanding facilities of the Altın Yunus
Marina and Holiday Complex. The bay
here is ideal for water sports, especially windsurfing and sailing. The thermal baths
around Ilica are very popular; the best being located on Şifne Bay, Paşa Limani has a
campsite which offers campers comfortable facilities. In Ilica Bay, the colourful
International Çakabey Optimist Yacht race is held every year in July.
The natural surroundings offer
relaxation while the bay is ideal for water sports. In Dalyan, a fishing village built on
a sheltered deep water inlet just north of Çeşme, some of the region's best fish
restaurants border the quay of the lively marina.
Tourists are attracted by the variety of
Çiftlik's accommodations, and by a long, sandy beach (Pırlanta Plajı), just outside
of town to the southwest. Camping facilities are available to the south, and nearby
stretches one of the area's best beaches, the Altınkum Plaj (Golden Beach). |
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Windmills, some
of which have been converted into attractive restaurants, dot the hill above Alaçati, a
delightful and typical Aegean town. Alaçati lies to the south inland from Ilica and the
coast; a couple of kilometres to the south is a good beach. Many lovely bays, accessible
only by yacht, are to be found along the coast southeast of the town and ensure peaceful
and relaxing anchorage in this popular sailing region.
Ildır, a quiet seaside village 20 km northeast of Çeşme, was ancient
Erythrai. Those who climb up to the Acropolis at dusk are rewarded with beautiful views as
the sun sinks over the bay and islands. Nearby Gerence Gulf is a pristine inlet northeast
of the Çeşme Peninsula which can be reached by yacht or car. |
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ÇEŞME CASTLE:
It was ordered to be built
by the Ottoman Sultan (Sovereign) Beyazıt the second in 1508. The archeologic monuments
that outcame of Ildırı are exhibited inside of the museum that is in the castle. This
historical structure, is organized as a concert place during the international Çeşme
Music Competition that is made in this district and it is displayed to the whole world
between 2-7 July. |
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| CERAVANSARAI (KERVANSARAY):
The Kervansaray
which Kanuni Sultan Süleyman ordered to be built had two stages. The architect of this
typical Ottoman Kervansaray is son of Ali Pabuccu Omer(1528). The rectangle-shaped
structure had a courtyard, shops, depots and rooms in the middle of it. |
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| ILDIR
(ERYTHRAI) |
| Erythrai
which is one of a union of 12 Ionian Unions, it was in
condition of being extensive and important settlement
place in 6 B.C. It is known that, Erythrai which had a
widely protective harbor, commercial ties with Egypt,
Cyprus an Western countries and evolved its trade. There
is an acropolis which its ruins are seen on the peak that
today stands in the middle of the city. The statues which
were served as a devoted to the Athena Pallas temple were
found in the excavations that were made here. The most
important of the ruins, is the woman sculpture that
endured from the Archaic Period and it is exhibited at
Izmir Archeological Museum.The district became independent with the help of Alexander
the Great invasion of the city in 334 after Lydian and
Persian sovereignity. In the Roman period the city was
plundered and its importance after the earthquakes of that
region in 1st century A.D. |
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The city frequently changed posession after Alexander the
Great’s death. After the Erythrai that went under
Byzantian domination became a village. Cesme district
which was tied to Ottomans in 1422, gained enduring
monuments for the Turkish-Ottoman history. |
| ALAÇATI |
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Turkey’s Aegean shores are
among the most fascinating and beautiful stretches in the country. The magnificent
coastline, lapped by the clear water of the Aegean Sea, with landscapes of cultivated
fields of aniseed, sesame and artichokes dotted with fig and gum trees, will allow you to
discover one of the world’s greatest windsurfing destinations in Alaçatı bay on the
Çeşme peninsula. With its 1.8 kms width, over 5 kms depth, crystal clear
waters, azure blue skies,
consistent and steady winds, topography and location Alaçatı is an ideal windsurfing
spot especially in Europe.
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Both, the very shape of the bay and the thermal water
pressures, create steady and consistent winds blowing side-shore from North to South
(Poyraz) in summer
and from South to North (Lodos) in winter
monthS. First time windsurfers love the place as the
waist-deep and sand covered shallow water area extends for 500 meters from shore into the
bay creating perfect conditions for beginners of all ages. Easy recovery from falls adds a
new dimension to both teaching and learning to windsurf.
Consistent steady winds, combined with the best equipment ready and all rigged up steps
away from the water is also an opportunity for speed or wave lovers not to miss. In
summer, the North wind creates perfect conditions for flat-water high-speed windsurfing,
whereas in winter the South wind creates waves steady enough even to please the big
wave-funs. |
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| As the coastal plain enjoys an exceptionally mild climate, with soft,
verdant springs, hot summers, sunny autumns and warm winters marked by occasional showers.
For windsurfing and sun-bathing summer months are ideal, but as the Aegean provides a
perfect escapes from rigors of a northern winter even in January and February with mild
sunny and pleasant days, wave lovers prefer to visit Alaçatı in winter to mix and match
their Xmas holidays with windsurfing. |
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