Kusadasi town is a district of Aydin province. Kusadasi is located 71 kilometers from the Aydin city center, on the Aegean coastline. Kusadasi town is bordered by Selcuk and Pamucak to the north and Dilek Peninsula where the National Park is located in the south. Luckily Kusadasi is at the center of important touristic centers such as Izmir, Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, Miletus, Didyma, Pamukkale (Hierapolis), Marmaris and Bodrum.
The Port of Kusadasi is Turkey’s second major seaport for arriving tourists. The district’s proximity to Ephesus has also been effective in the development of cruise tourism.
Although it is not known exactly when and by whom Kusadasi was founded, it is thought that it was founded by the Ionians under the name Neopolis of Ephesus in the place called Pigeon Island of Kusadasi today.
Kusadasi was one of the main ports of Anatolia opening to the Mediterranean in ancient times. Mostly the Lydians, whose capital was Sardes in the 7th century BC, dominated the region.
In the 2nd century BC, the Romans started to dominate the region and Kusadasi. In the early years of Christianity, Kusadasi place became a religious center when the Virgin Mary and Saint John came and settled in neighboring Ephesus city.
Kusadasi port was used by pirates in the Middle Ages. Kusadasi was named “Scala Nuova” in the 15th century, during the Venetian and Genovese period.
Kusadasi came under the Ottoman rule in 1413. After this date, the city was town of Kusadasi started to be filled with works made by Turks such as Kusadasi Kaleici Mosque, Caravansary of Kusadasi, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Pigeon Island and its castle.
The Mediterranean climate is felt in Kusadasi. Winters are rainy and warm, summers are hot and dry. Humidity is very low. Average temperature in winter is around 10 °C-15 °C. In the summer, the average temperature varies between 25 °C and 30 °C. Air temperature can rise up to 40 °C in summer.
Pygela Ancient City in Kusadasi
Pygela was a small ancient town on the coast north of Kusadasi town, on the road to Ephesus. In ancient times it stood between Neapolis and Panormus, the harbor of Ephesus, and it had a temple of Artemis Munychia.
There is a funny old story about the name. It says Agamemnon founded the town and left some of his soldiers here, because they were sick with a disease of the buttocks. Pyge means buttocks in Greek, so the town took its name from them. Of course this is a folk story, not the real origin of the name.
Pygela was a real city of Ionia too, not only a legend. It was a member of the Delian League, the alliance led by Athens. Silver and bronze coins of the 4th century BC marked ΦΥΓ are believed to come from its mint. The letters stand for Phygela, the other spelling of its name.
Excavations between 1974 and 1978 found traces of a settlement from the Early Bronze Age till the Middle Byzantine period, but most of town is still under the ground. You can see harbor remains on Kustur Beach, which is also called Pygela Beach. In January 2026 the Aydin heritage board registered the Otuzbirler necropolis in the Turkmen neighborhood, believed to be part of Pygela, as a first-degree archaeological site.
Hire Tour Guide in Kusadasi
I hope to welcome you in Kusadasi. I would share my experiences with you not just as a Turkish tour guide also as a local resident of Kusadasi. Contact me to ask your questions about Kusadasi and to hire a licensed tour guide in Kusadasi, Turkey. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
BONUS CONTENT 😊
There is an amazing video that I came across which was published by a YouTube\ Instagram channel belonging to an Ephesian tour guide. I am happy to share this great Kusadasi themed video with you. Video is courtesy of icarus.fly.more.
