Tag: Arround Kusadasi

About 1 hour drive from Kusadasi, after Priene, there is an old village of Doganbey offering perfect peace and quiet to its rare visitors.
It is located on the edge of the Dilek National Park, which thrives with rich flora and fauna. Boar, lynx, jackal, wild horses, and wild cattle are easy to spot as well as more than 800 species of plants flowers and trees. The region is a history lover’s paradise, with more than 20 archaeological sites nearby.

The village used to be named Domatia and populated by Greeks until population exchange in 1924 when it got inhabited by Turks but they also abandoned it in the early 1980's. Stone houses located in the village were renovated in late 19th Century and, today, Doganbey is like an open air museum, demonstrating the most beautiful examples of Turkish and Greek architecture carrying the traces of past civilizations.

It comprises of some original buildings, including a chapel and a church and there is also an Information and Visitor Center. The center used to be a school when the village was Greek but was left in ruins after the population exchange. It was restored in 2001 and, since then, its staff, a biologist, archeologist, nature & excursion guide are there to fulfill the visitors experience. Within the building, there is a museum room, an exhibition hall, library, a computer and an education room, slide room, meeting room, information and administrative centers and a cafeteria. There are workshops organized and visitors can also enjoy birdwatching with telescope.