Aydın Province

Aydın Province (Turkish: Aydın ili) is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın which has a population of almost 200,000 (2012). Other towns in the province include the summer seaside resorts of Didim and Kuşadası.

Aydın Province
Aydın ili
Province of Turkey
Location of Aydın Province in Turkey
CountryTurkey
RegionAegean
SubregionAydın
Largest CityAydın
Government
 • Electoral districtAydın
 • GovernorHüseyin Aksoy
Area
 • Total8,007 km2 (3,092 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total1,134,031
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Area code00256
Vehicle registration09

Geography

Neighboring provinces are Manisa to the north east, İzmir to the north, Denizli to the east, Muğla to the south.

The central and western parts of the province are fertile plains watered by the largest river in the Aegean region the Büyük Menderes River, with the Aydın Mountains to the north and the Menteşe Mountains to the south. The western end of the province is the Aegean coast with Lake Bafa a major feature of the Menderes delta area. The climate is typical of the Aegean region, very hot in summer. The Germencik region contains a number of hot springs.

Districts

Aydın province is divided into 17 districts:

  • Bozdoğan
  • Buharkent
  • Çine
  • Didim
  • Efeler
  • Germencik
  • Incirliova
  • Karacasu
  • Karpuzlu
  • Koçarlı
  • Köşk
  • Kuşadası
  • Kuyucak
  • Nazilli
  • Söke
  • Sultanhisar
  • Yenipazar

Flora

Much of the countryside is a mix of fig, olive and citrus trees, especially figs.

Economy

The major sources of income are agriculture and tourism.

Tourism
Temple of Aphrodite in Aphrodisias

The coastal towns of Didim and Kuşadası in particular are tourist resorts. Kuşadası is near to the Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, while Didim has a temple of Apollo, beaches, and the ancient ruins of Miletos nearby. The province contains archeological sites, including the ancient Carian cities of Alinda and Alabanda.

Agriculture
Aydın figs

Aydın is Turkey's leading producer of figs and exports dried figs worldwide. The very name by which the fruit was called in the world markets was "Smyrna figs" until recently, due to the preponderance of figs exported from İzmir over other species of the genus. But İzmir got the name by being the center for the wholesale trade and exports, while in fact the fruit was traditionally cultivated in Aydın. The term used within Turkey is "Aydın figs" (Turkish: Aydın inciri). Turkey's yearly production of roughly 50,000 tons of dried figs, is almost all from Aydın,[2] Within Aydın province, the best figs are reputed to be grown in Germencik. Aydın produces olives from the varieties of Memecik, Manzanilla, and Gemlik,[3] as well as chestnuts, cotton, citrus fruits, water melons and other fruits.

Orange and tangerine cultivation has increased in Aydın in recent years.[4]

Industry

Aydın has some light industry

Adnan Menderes University was built in the city of Aydın in 1990s and has branches throughout the province.

Places of interest
The Sebasteion of Aphrodisias
Temple of Apollo in Didyma
Ancient theatre of Miletus

The city of Aydın has a number of antique ruins and Ottoman period mosques. The province's countryside and scenery include a stretch of the Aegean coast and a number of historic sites including:

  • Didim coastal resort with large temple of Apollo and nearby
    • Miletus ruins of an Ancient Greek city
      • Ilyas Bey Complex, a cultural heritage of Turkey built in 1403
  • Kuşadası coastal resort, near to the Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park
  • Kirazli - a traditional Turkish village with old stone houses
  • Alinda - ancient ruins
  • Alabanda - ancient ruins
  • Magnesia ad Maeandrum - ancient ruins, on the Ortaklar-Söke road in Germencik
  • Nysa - another ruined Carian city, in Sultanhisar
  • Aphrodisias - more ancient ruins, including tombs, friezes and sculpture, in Karacasu
  • Priene - another ruin, near Söke
  • Mycale Mountains

Culture

Aydın is the home of the Zeybek folk art. This involves a special type of war dance which is performed in a ring to resemble birds. The Zeybek is performed to sounds of the Kiteli and other Turkish folk instruments.

The folk songs of Aydın are famously short, indeed a popular saying in the Aegean region to get someone to stop talking, is Keep it short, make it an Aydın tune.[5]

The cuisine features the typical Turkish pastries, köfte and kebab.

Transport

Roads

Izmir to Aydın motorway, Motorway O-31, was built in the 1990s and is the city's main thoroughfare. An extension of this motorway to Denizli is currently under construction, with longer-term plans to extend it to Antalya.

Railway

There is a passenger train service passing through Aydın, connecting the city to Izmir and Denizli. This passenger train runs five trains per day. [6]

Notable people
Kuşadası in general
  • Anthemius of Tralles - architect of Haghia Sophia in Istanbul
  • Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe, folk hero, leader of a public revolt during the decline of the Ottoman Empire
  • Yörük Ali Efe, hero of the Turkish War of Independence
  • Mahmut Esat Bozkurt, architect of the legal system of the Turkish Republic, close friend of Atatürk, born in Kuşadası
  • Adnan Menderes, Turkish Prime Minister (1950-1960)
  • Necati Çelim, MP for Aydın, doctor, founding Chairman of Aydın Tekstil Fabrikası, born in Köşk
  • İlhan Selçuk, editor of the Cumhuriyet newspaper
  • İsmet Sezgin, former minister
  • Atilla Koç, MP for Aydın, former minister of culture and tourism, born in Köşk
  • Güven Önüt, former Beşiktaş footballer
  • Rıdvan Dilmen, retired footballer, team manager and sports commentator

See also
  • List of populated places in Aydın Province

References
  1. "TURKSTAT". data.tuik.gov.tr. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  2. US Department of Agriculture briefing report on world fig production For comparison, the world's second and the third largest producers of dried figs, namely Greece and California, each produce around 12,500 tons per year. Since Aydın dominates the Turkish market in figs, the province also soars over these two producers by almost fourfold.
  3. Wiley Online Library- Retrieved 2018-07-10
  4. Gazete, Banka (26 November 2021). "Portakal üreticisi aracıdan dertli". Gazete Banka. p. https://gazetebanka.com/. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. kısa kes de aydın havası olsun
  6. Rail-Turkey TR - İzmir Denizli treni
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