Culture and Tourism

Aydin is among the leading provinces in tourism sector of our country with its cultural, historical and natural texture. The west side of the province, for it opens to Aegean Sea, is an important area for travel tourism, the leading districts being Didim and Kusadasi. Other provinces are appropriate for daily tourism with their archeological pieces and geographical structure housing high plateaus.

Dilek Peninsula, Great Menderes Delta, National Park , Bafa Lake, Natural Park, Nature Protection Fields, Tourism Centers, and the Archaic Cities in Special Environmental Protection Regions are visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Aydin province, with its districts, is an ideal place for tourism, with its most adequate climate, sunny days during the year reaching to 240, its small bays following one after another along side the coastal band with a length of 150 km, its beaches with Golden Sand, thermal resources, with its "Dilek Peninsula National Park" with a total area of 10.985 hectares and the modern accommodation facilities accompanying these beauties, where anyone could find anything he / she seeks in an ideal holiday and maximize his / her benefit from a travel.

Becoming united with the culture and civilization of Turks after 1171, has the cultural works reflecting the architecture of Seljukian and Ottoman periods, such as the Nasuh Pasa Complex called as Zincirli Han by the Ottomans, O. Mehmet Pasa Caravansary in Kusadasi District and Kucukada Castle in Guvercinada, Korteke Castle in Bozdogan Province, Arpaz Beyler Mansion and Tower in Esenkoy of Nazilli District, Cihanoglu Tower in Kocarli District, Sarikemer Bridge in Soek District and bridges of Ottoman period in Sazlikoy, Incirliova Ikizdere Bridge, Tahir Pasa Bridge at the Center, Atikehanim, Alihanoglu, Ciftlik, Seyh Suleyman Rustu and Ahi Bayram Tombs, and, in addition to the foregoing, Uveys Pasa, Hasan Celebi (Old-New), Ramazan Pasa, Suleyman Bey Mosques, Cihanoglu Mosque and Complex, Kaleici, Haci Ziya Bey, Cumaonu and Ilyas Bey Mosques .

There are 3 museums province-wide: Aydin Museums and its affiliate Yoruk Ali Efe Museum, Afrodisias Museum and Milet Museum. There are a total of 21 ruin sites, 8 of them are arranged and open for visit, under the responsibility of Aydin Museum, Afrodisias Museums and Milet Museum. The ruin sites open for visit are Afrodisias, Nysa, Magnesia, Alinda, Milet, Alabanda, Didim and Priene sites. There are around 700 non-movable cultural heritage works registered overall the province.

Aydin is famous with camel wresting , Folklore(zeybek), culture of Efe, leave soldiers, fig (Germencik, Incirliova), plum (Umurlu), strawberry , orange (Sultanhisar), cotton (Söke) fiestas, textile from goat hair (Bozdogan), handmade ( knitting silver made, havut-saddle, Türkmen and Yörük carpet, saddlebag).