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Though it is not clear who established Kusadasi first settlement a location near the city called Yilanci Burnu, or Neopolis supposedly established by Ionians, was connected to Ephesus. This city was settled around Pilavtepe hill in a place called Andizkulesi. After some time this area belonging to the Byzantines was economically dominated by Venetians and Genoese. Kucukada (Small Island) was a Byzantine fort protecting the shore and Guvercinada, an important military base for the Venetians and Ottomans, passed through a period of restoration and renewal in 1834, after which it received its famous castle.    The area was dominated by Leleges in 3000 B.C., Aeolians in the 11th century B.C. and Ionians in the ninth century B.C. The area between the Buyuk Menderes (historically Meander) and Gediz (formerly Hermus) rivers was called iIonia in ancient times. Ionians who were merchants and sailors became very rich and powerful in a short time due to overseas trade. During their history they established 12 cities: the Ionian colonies. Kusadasi was one of the first ports to open Anatolia to the Mediterranean. The ancient kingdom of Lydia, whose capital was Sardes (modern Sart in the Manisa province of Turkey), became a dominant power in the region during the seventh century B.C. In 546 B.C. the Persians occupied the area, remaining until 334 B.C. and the arrival of Alexander the Great of Macedonia. At that time a completely new age began in Anatolia in which Greek and Anatolian civilizations merged -- the Hellenistic era. Ephesus, Miletus, Priene and Didim (ancient name Didyma) were the most famous cities of the time. During the second century B.C. the Romans became dominant in the area. With the arrival and settling of St. Jean in Ephesus during the first years of Christianity, this area also became religious center. Previously Ayasulu (Efes-Selck) and Balat (Milet) were the docks of the Menderes Valley. However, as the sea receded over time and the river silted up, the region had a need for another dock, attached to a modern city: Kusadasi Because much trade was being controlled by Venice and Genoa at the time, the new dock was renamed in Italian, Scala Nuova. The city was a commercial colony full of consulates, storage depots and merchants. Muslim Turks preferred to settle in Andizkule, a spot about five kilometers away, near the hill of Pilavtepe. As the city grew the Hacı Feyzullah, Alaca Mescit, Camii Atik and Turkmen quarters were added to the original two. When Kucuk Aslan region was attached to the Seljuk state in 1186, the Turks finally controlled the region later to become a central gate toward the Aegean for caravans. After the fall of the Seljuks the Sultanate period began and for some time Aydinogullari ruled. The middle of the 15th century saw the start of Ottoman rule. In 1413 Kusadasi was attached to the Ottoman Empire by Mehmet the First (Celebi). After that the city remained completely under Turkish rule and started to fill with Turkish art and cultural assets, some of them built on the orders of the Ottoman vizier Mehmet Pasha. Kusadasi started to take on its present structure around the 17th century. Mehmet Pasha, filling the position of vizier twice -- for Sultan Ahmet I and Sultan Osman II -- built walls around Kusadasi. The walls had only three gates, one of which today divides Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa Street from Kahramanlar Street. Its upper flat is being used as the City Traffic Control headquarters while the other gates no longer exist.
source:zaman |