09 · City guide
Aydın
The fertile Menderes plain, Ionian and Carian cities
Aydın stretches along the broad valley carved by the Büyük Menderes River, from Buharkent in the east to the coasts of Kuşadası and Didim in the west. The ancient cities of Caria lie south of the valley and those of Ionia to the northwest: the best known are UNESCO World Heritage Aphrodisias, grid-planned Priene, once-harbor Miletus, and Didyma with its giant Temple of Apollo. Nysa, Tralleis, Magnesia, Alabanda and Alinda are quieter but impressive stops. On the coast, Kuşadası's Güvercinada (Pigeon Island) and the coves of Dilek Peninsula–Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, and inland the yaylas (highland pastures) of Madran Dağı and the rocky shores of Bafa Gölü (Lake Bafa), show its natural side. The efe tradition of the War of Independence and zeybek culture are also an inseparable part of the province's identity.
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Archaeological site
Acharaka Ploutonion
Sultanhisar, Aydın
A sanctuary near Nysa known for its temple of Pluto, where healing was sought in antiquity, and the "Charonion" cave.
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Adnan Menderes Dam and Lake
Çine, Aydın
Europe's highest roller-compacted concrete dam, on the Çine Çayı, with a lake of over 9 km².
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Adnan Menderes Democracy Museum
Koçarlı, Aydın
A museum in the historic mansion at Çakırbeyli telling the life and times of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.
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Aphrodisias Ancient City (UNESCO)
Karacasu, Aydın
A UNESCO World Heritage Carian city dedicated to Aphrodite, famous for its school of sculpture, the Tetrapylon and its great stadium.
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Aphrodisias Museum
Karacasu, Aydın
The site museum displaying works of the Aphrodisias school of sculpture and the Sebasteion reliefs.
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Akbük Bay
Didim, Aydın
A quiet bay and seaside settlement east of Didim, surrounded by olive-covered hills.
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Alabanda Ancient City
Çine, Aydın
A Carian city in Doğanyurt village, built on a saddle between two hills, with its bouleuterion standing among village houses.
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Alinda Ancient City
Karpuzlu, Aydın
Queen Ada's city on the hill above Karpuzlu, with its multistory market building and theater.
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Altınkum Beach
Didim, Aydın
A long beach south of Didim, named for its fine golden sand, with shallow water.
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Ankara Palas Ethnography Museum
Nazilli, Aydın
An early Republican hotel building on Nazilli's station boulevard; today a city museum.
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Archaeological site
Antiocheia (Antioch on the Meander)
Kuyucak, Aydın
A Carian city near Başaran village, where the Dandalaz Çayı joins the Büyük Menderes.
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Martyrs' memorial and battlefield
Atça Martyrs' Monument
Sultanhisar, Aydın
A stepped pyramid monument in Atça, inaugurated in 1946 in memory of 12 civilians killed on the Çomaklı Plain on the night of April 24, 1921.
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Archaeological site
Aurelia Neapolis
Bozdoğan, Aydın
An inland Carian settlement near Yazıkent, at the foot of ancient Mount Kadmos.
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Aydın Archaeological Museum
Efeler, Aydın
The provincial museum displaying sculptures, coins and ethnographic items from Tralleis, Magnesia, Nysa and surrounding excavations.
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Azap Gölü Wetland
Söke, Aydın
A Wetland of National Importance north of Bafa Gölü, where species such as the Dalmatian pelican and white-tailed eagle feed.
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Bafa Gölü (Lake Bafa) Nature Park
Didim, Aydın
The largest lake in the Aegean Region and a birdwatching site, set against the granite crags of the Beşparmak Mountains.
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Nature park
Çağlayan Nature Park
Karacasu, Aydın
A 38-hectare nature park near Bahçeköy in Karacasu, with its natural structure preserved and offering views from its high position.
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Cihanoğlu Mosque
Efeler, Aydın
A mosque and complex with Ottoman Baroque decoration, commissioned by the Cihanoğulları family in 1756.
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Museum
Çine Beekeeping Museum
Çine, Aydın
A museum on the history, tools and products of beekeeping, founded through university and municipal cooperation.
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Çine Kuva-yı Milliye Museum
Çine, Aydın
A museum in a historic building from the reign of Abdülhamid II, telling of the region's resistance in the War of Independence.
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Mound (höyük)
Çine-Tepecik Mound
Çine, Aydın
A trade-center mound on the Çine Plain, continuously settled from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age and excavated since 2004.
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Mound (höyük)
Dedekuyusu (Deştepe) Mound
Efeler, Aydın
Aydın's oldest known settlement; one of the large mounds of the Büyük Menderes Plain, spanning 4500-1200 BC.
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Temple of Apollo at Didyma
Didim, Aydın
One of the greatest oracle centers of the ancient world; the Temple of Apollo in Didim with its giant columns and Medusa head.
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Dilek Peninsula–Büyük Menderes Delta National Park
Kuşadası, Aydın
A national park at the tip of Samsun (Dilek) Dağı where it reaches the sea, with clear coves, the Canyon hike and delta wetlands.
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Mosque
Eski Çine Ahmet Gazi Mosque
Çine, Aydın
A Beylik-period mosque in Eski Çine village, built under the Menteşe Beylik and renovated in the 14th century.
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Gerga Ancient City
Çine, Aydın
A mysterious Carian sanctuary in hilly terrain near Ovacık, with stone blocks inscribed "Gerga."
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Blue Flag beach
Green Beach Public Beach
Kuşadası, Aydın
A small municipal beach in the Kadınlar Denizi area that has received the Blue Flag every year since 2005.
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Hammam (Turkish bath)
Gümrükönü (Çifte) Hammam
Efeler, Aydın
A 14th-15th-century double hammam in central Aydın, with women's and men's sections under separate domes.
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Güvercinada Castle
Kuşadası, Aydın
The Ottoman castle on a small island linked to the mainland by a causeway, which gave Kuşadası its name.
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Hacı Ziya Bey Mosque
Söke, Aydın
A single-domed, square-plan small mosque built in 1894 in Söke's Yenicami neighborhood.
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Archaeological site
Harpasa Ancient City
Nazilli, Aydın
A Carian city built on a high hill near Esenköy, overlooking the Akçay valley.
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Hisar Mosque (Former Greek Church)
Didim, Aydın
A mosque converted from an 1830 Greek Orthodox church, right beside the temple of Didyma.
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Reservoir and pond
İkizdere Dam and Lake
İncirliova, Aydın
A 101-meter fill dam and lake on the İkizdere Çayı, built partly to supply drinking water to Aydın.
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İlyas Bey Mosque and Complex
Didim, Aydın
A marble-clad Beylik-period mosque beside the ruins of Miletus, commissioned in 1404 by İlyas Bey, bey of Menteşe.
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Geographical indication product
İncirliova Fig Orchards
İncirliova, Aydın
The orchards in the district named after the fig, where the EU-registered, geographically indicated Aydın Fig is grown.
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Kadıkalesi (Anaia)
Kuşadası, Aydın
A medieval castle on the site of ancient Anaia, south of the Bay of Kuşadası.
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Kadınlar Denizi Beach
Kuşadası, Aydın
A sandy beach south of central Kuşadası, named for once being open only to women.
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Reservoir and pond
Karacasu Dam and Lake
Karacasu, Aydın
An irrigation dam and lake on the Dandalaz Çayı, north of Karacasu.
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Karacasu Ethnography Museum
Karacasu, Aydın
A district museum showcasing Karacasu's weaving, pottery, blacksmithing and leather crafts.
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Archaeological site
Karura Ancient Settlement
Buharkent, Aydın
A settlement on the Caria-Phrygia border south of the Büyük Menderes, known in antiquity for its hot springs.
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Kemer Dam Lake
Bozdoğan, Aydın
A dam lake on the Akçay, completed in 1958, stretching between pine-covered mountains.
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Kuşadası Kaleiçi
Kuşadası, Aydın
The core of old Kuşadası behind the caravanserai, with narrow streets, stone houses and the Kaleiçi Mosque.
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Blue Flag beach
Kuştur (Pigale) Public Beach
Kuşadası, Aydın
A beach north of Kuşadası that has received the Blue Flag every year since 2018 and where sea turtles also nest.
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Madran Dağı (Mount Madran)
Çine, Aydın
A 1792-meter mountain named after the Madran Baba shrine on its summit, with yaylas and chestnut forests.
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Magnesia Ancient City
Germencik, Aydın
An Ionian city near Ortaklar on the Menderes plain, with the Temple of Artemis Leukophryene and its stadium.
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Monument and statue
Malgaç Raid Monument
Sultanhisar, Aydın
A monument commemorating the raid by Yörük Ali Efe and his comrades on the occupation unit at the Malgaç railway bridge on June 16, 1919.
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Mastaura Ancient City
Nazilli, Aydın
An ancient city around Bozyurt village bearing traces of two regions thanks to its location between Caria and Lydia.
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Miletus Ancient City
Didim, Aydın
The city of Thales; remains of Ionia's most powerful harbor city, with its giant theater and the Baths of Faustina.
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Miletus Museum
Didim, Aydın
An archaeology museum beside the site, displaying finds from the Miletus, Didyma and Priene excavations.
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Myus Ancient City
Söke, Aydın
An Ionian League city north of Bafa Gölü, abandoned because of the Menderes alluvium.
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Hammam (Turkish bath)
Nasuh Paşa (Paşa) Hammam
Efeler, Aydın
A historic hammam in central Aydın, part of the complex commissioned by Nasuh Paşa in 1708, restored by the Foundations directorate.
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Nazilli Calico Factory
Nazilli, Aydın
A 1937 Sümerbank calico factory opened by Atatürk; early Republican industrial heritage.
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Nysa Ancient City
Sultanhisar, Aydın
A Hellenistic-Roman city among olive groves, built on both banks of a stream, known for its theater and library.
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Nysa Bridge and Tunnel
Sultanhisar, Aydın
A Roman tunnel-bridge structure of about 100 meters in Nysa, carrying the Tekkecik Deresi underground.
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Öküz Mehmet Paşa Caravanserai
Kuşadası, Aydın
A fortress-like caravanserai facing Kuşadası harbor, commissioned by Öküz Mehmet Paşa in the early 17th century.
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Museum
Oleatrium Olive and Olive Oil Museum
Kuşadası, Aydın
An olive museum explaining olive oil production techniques from antiquity to today through original equipment.
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Archaeological site
Orthosia Ancient City
Yenipazar, Aydın
A Carian city on the south bank of the Büyük Menderes, inhabited in the Hellenistic to Byzantine periods.
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Panionion
Kuşadası, Aydın
A sanctuary on Otomatik Tepe in Güzelçamlı, known as the common meeting and festival place of the Ionian League.
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Archaeological site
Piginda (Bargasa) Ancient City
Bozdoğan, Aydın
An ancient city on a hill near Çamlıdere with panoramic views of the Akçay valley.
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Priene Ancient City
Söke, Aydın
One of the most orderly Ionian cities, laid out on a grid on the steep slope of Mykale, with its Temple of Athena and bouleuterion.
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Pygela Ancient City
Kuşadası, Aydın
A small Ionian town on the shore of the Bay of Kuşadası whose founding is linked to Agamemnon.
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Nature park
Şarlan Nature Park
Çine, Aydın
A 37-hectare forest nature park in the İbrahimkavağı neighborhood of Çine, on the Madranbaba highland road, loved by local people.
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Tavşanburnu Nature Park
Didim, Aydın
A protected nature park on the west coast of the Didim peninsula with pine forest and rocky coves.
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Tralleis Ancient City
Efeler, Aydın
An ancient city on the plateau north of Aydın, with the gymnasium arches known as "Üç Gözler."
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Reservoir and pond
Yaylakavak Dam and Lake
Karpuzlu, Aydın
An irrigation dam and lake among the mountains of Karpuzlu, built on the Kocaçay between 1991 and 1996.
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Yörük Ali Efe Museum
Yenipazar, Aydın
The museum holding the grave of Yörük Ali Efe, one of the first resistance fighters of the War of Independence in the Aegean.
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Zeus Cave
Kuşadası, Aydın
A small cave in Güzelçamlı where cold, clear water collects, suitable for swimming.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Climate
- Mediterranean on the coast; hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters in the Menderes plain.
- Best season
- April–June and September–November; June–September for the sea. The plain gets very hot in summer.
- Museum pass
- Müzekart (Museum Pass) is valid at Aphrodisias, Priene, Miletus, Didyma and other Ministry-run archaeological sites.
- Getting there
- The nearest major airport is İzmir Adnan Menderes (~70 km to Kuşadası); Bodrum-Milas Airport is closer to Didim. The İzmir–Aydın motorway and the İzmir–Denizli railway run the length of the valley.
- Route suggestion
- Kuşadası–Priene–Miletus–Didyma makes a single-day ancient-city circuit; Aphrodisias needs a separate day via Nazilli.