|
|
|
 URLA
(KLAZOMENAIA) |
 |
Known in ancient times as
Clazomenae, Urla Iskelesi
offers a marina as well as plentiful accommodation in all price ranges. Restaurants on the
top of Güvendik hill afford a marvellous view of the bay and its
islands.
The prosperous little fishing village of Çeşmealtı is notable for its simple yet excellent
fish restaurants.
As you drive along the panoramic Karaburun Peninsula coast road you pass several peaceful
bays and quaint fishing villages: Balıklıova, Mordoğan and Karaburun. At Karaburun,
pleasant hotels, tea gardens and fish restaurants sit between the beautiful mountain
backdrop and the clear, clean water. From Manastır Mountain, you can enjoy an
unforgettable view of the Karaburun coast, the Foça coastline opposite, and the entrance to the
Gulf of Izmir. |
|
| Klazomenai was one of 12
Ionian cities belonging to a new civilisation which emerged in western Turkey three
thousand years ago. Each city was important for different reasons, Klazomenai for its
economic prosperity based on olive oil production. Excavations here have revealed the
remains of an olive oil factory dating back to the sixth century BC.
Herodotus, the father
of history, tells us, ‘The Ionians who gathered in Panionion established their cities
under the most beautiful skies and in the most beautiful climes on the
earth. Neither the
regions to the north nor those to the south can compare with Ionia; in truth neither east
nor west. Some are cold and wet, others hot and dry.’ The remains of Klazomenai lie on
the south shore of the Gulf of İzmir on the Aegean, in fields on the outskirts of the
town of Urla, a region which as Herodotus said is indeed blessed with that perfect
Mediterranean climate. |
|
|
| Anatolia’s oldest olive
oil factory |
 |
| This is
the first time that archaeologists have discovered a complete olive oil factory. Leader of
the team, Prof. Güven Bakır of Ege University, says that at first they had no idea what
it was they had uncovered, until local people familiar with olive oil production visited
the site and pointed out similarities with traditional methods. Since no palaeobotanic
research has as yet been carried out in Turkey, it is not known when the wild olive first
came under cultivation. However, artefacts evidently used in olive oil production have
been discovered at other prehistoric sites. These include pottery jars in which the juice
from olives was mixed with hot water so that the oil rose to the surface, and pestles and
mortars which must have been used to crush the olives. But these are simple utensils for
producing small amounts of oil for individual households.At Klazomenai a quite different
picture emerged, of a large-scale production system based on sophisticated techniques.
Carved into the bedrock were fifteen troughs used for various different parts of the
process. |
|
| Comparison with traditional olive oil extraction processes and remaining evidence
at the site suggests that the olives would have been first ground to a purée and then
filled into cloth bags, which were placed in a press and crushed until the juice ran down
a gutter and into one of the troughs. A single flat implement must have been used in the
press, which probably consisted of a stone shelf with a space underneath for the juice to
flow. After standing for some time the oil would rise to the surface and could be skimmed
off using ladles or other utensils and placed in jars. The earliest known olive processing
plant, it demonstrates the importance of Ionia in the development of olive cultivation and
technology. The olive is native to the eastern Mediterranean, but as it gained importance
as a source of oil, cultivation gradually spread westwards beyond Turkey into
Europe. Archaeological evidence shows that olive oil production technology made a leap
ahead during the 6th century at Klazomenai. |
|
|
The city was abandoned, probably in 546 BC,
when the Persian armies descended on Anatolia, but the inhabitants later returned to
resume olive oil production. During the last quarter of the century they restored their
olive oil factory, not only increasing its capacity, but introducing new technology far
ahead of its time.Now that excavations of the Klazomenai olive oil factory have been
completed, it can be seen that the technology developed at this city 2600 years ago is,
with minor modifications, basically the same as that used today. Continuous production by
means of a three compartment oil separation system was first carried out here, and the
introduction of the capstan was another innovation.Since this factory was discovered in a
field belonging to Hamdi Balaban, two others have been discovered at Klazomenai, and it is
thought that future excavations will uncover still more. They show that while initially
olive oil was produced at Klazomenai only for the city and its environs, subsequently it
became an article of trade which brought prosperity to the city. The people of Klazomenai
produced amphoras with
distinctive bands of decoration which were used for storing and transporting wine and
olive oil, and examples of these dating from the second half of the 6th century have been
found not only in Klazomenai itself but at sites on the far shores of the Aegean and
Mediterranean seas, proving that olive oil was an important export commodity. This ties in
with the fact that together with the other Ionian cities, Klazomenai had participated in
the establishment of Ionian trading colonies such as Naukratis on the Nile Delta and
others along the Black Sea coasts.
Restoration of the factory at Klazomenai will begin shortly under the sponsorship
of Unilever Komili, and it is planned to establish the Ancient Olive Oil Technology Museum
here. As part of the project olive oil will be manufactured using the same technology as
the Ionians 2600 years ago. |
| KARABURUN |
POPULATION:
10.533
DISTANCE FROM IZMIR: 115
km
Advantages Offered by Karaburun : The
type of soil and the climatic conditions allow the
cultivation of kapari, cherries, greenhouse products
and strawberry. As it is situated on a peninsula it
offers favourable conditions for fishing. It has a
high tourism potential due to its cultural richness,
natural beauty and abundance of oxygen. It offers
possibilities for adventure and hunting tourism. |
|
|
|
