Last April, I had trip to Turkey, the beautiful country. And I had a great time at Cesme of Izmir, Turkry. So I would like to share some detail of this place where I were impressed, it could make you want to be at there like me lol.
Cesme is a coastal town and the center-town of the district of the same name in Turkey's western-most end. The name "Cesme" means "fountain" and possibly draws reference from the many Ottoman fountains scattered across the city. It is a popular holiday resort and the district center, where two thirds of the district population is concentrated, is located 85 km. west of Izmir, the largest metropolitan center in Turkey's Aegean Region, the road connection between the two cities being assured by a recently-built six-lane highway.
A prized location of country houses and secondary residences especially for the well-to-do inhabitants of Izmir since more than a century, Cesme perked up considerably in recent decades to become one of Turkey's most prominent centers of international tourism. Many hotels, marinas, clubs, restaurants, boutique hotels, family accommodation possibilities and other facilities for visitors are found in Cesme center and in its surrounding towns and villages and the countryside, as well as very popular beaches.
In relation to tourism, it is common for the resorts along Cesme district's 90 km coastline to be called by the name of their beaches or coves or the visitor's facilities and attractions they offer, as in Sifne (Ilıca), famous both for its thermal baths and beach, and in Ciftlikkoy (Catalazmak), Dalyankoy, Reisdere, Kucukliman, Pasalimanı, Ayayorgi, Kocakarı, Kum, Mavi and Pırlanta beaches; Altunyunus, synonymous with a large hotel located in its cove; and Tursite, by the name of the villas located there. Some of these localities may not be shown on a map of administrative divisions. The district area as a whole is one of the spots in Turkey where foreign purchases of real estate are concentrated at the highest levels.
The town of Cesme lies across a strait facing the Greek island of Chios, which is at a few miles' distance and there are regular ferry connections between the two centers, as well as larger ferries from and to Italy (Brindisi, Ancona and Bari) used extensively by Turks of Germany returning for their summer holidays.
The town itself dominated by Cesme Castle. While the castle is recorded to have been considerably extended and strengthened during the reign of Ottoman sultan Bayezid II, sources differ as to their citation of the original builders, whether the Genoese or the Turks at an earlier time after the early 15th century capture. A statue of Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha, one of the naval commanders of the Battle of Chesma is in front of the castle and the Pasha is depicted caressing his famous pet lion and facing the town square. The battle itself, although ended in Ottoman defeat, had seen Hasan Pasha pulling out honorably after having sunk the Russian flagship Sv. Evstafii, together with his own ship, after which he had to follow the main battle from the coast before joining the capital by way of land, where he rapidly rose to become a distinguished grand vizier.
A few paces south of the castle, there is an Ottoman caravanserai built in the early centuries of the Ottoman conquest in 1528 by order of Suleyman the Magnificent, and it is now restored and transformed into a boutique hotel. The imposing but redundant 19th century Greek Orthodox church of Ayios Haralambos is used for temporary exhibitions. Along some of the back streets of the town are old Ottoman or Greek houses, as well as Sakız house-type residences of more peculiar lines, for the interest of strollers.
For any queries, please feel free to contact me at stargirlyune@gmail.com
See you in next time "how nice of Cesme?"
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