History

Aydın was founded by the ancient Thracians and was once known as Tralles. The area is an earthquake zone and the city was built and rebuilt by a succession of Spartans, Phrygians, Ionians, Lydians, Persians and Ancient Romans. In 1186 the Seljuk Turks took control of the area, followed by the Anatolian Turkish Beylik of the Aydınoğlu. During this period the town was named Aydın Güzelhisar, and was brought into the Ottoman Empire in 1426.