DIKILI, another gate of the Turkish Aegean to the West, is a 2-hour drive from Izmir with apopulation of about 40,000 residents. This beautiful town is one of the pearls in the Aegean region with its 45 km of sandy beaches stretching in the north of Izmir, the Çandarlı Castle surrounding it, the historical and natural beauty of Bademli Village, crater lakes at Merdivenli and Denizköy as well as historical caves and forests.
Based on archaeological findings the history of DIKILI dates back to B.C 5000-4000. During the excavations carried out in this area, it was found that Akalar had lived here and the area was called Ateneus. In the early ages, Lydians, Iranians, Frikians and Mysians, Romans and Pergamonians, and in the Middle Ages Byzantines, Genoese, Seljuks and Ottomans dominated Dikili. The region was occupied by Greeks in 1919 and was liberated by the Turkish army in 1922.
Dikili has gained importance with its port function since ancient times. Today, the port is still in operation, welcoming the tourists who come to see the ancient city of Pergamon by sea. Important sources of income here are tourism, thermal spas, carpet weaving and agriculture.
The district is certainly a paradise for those coming to holiday in summers especially because of its art and culture festivals, healing spas, proximity to Bergama, treasure of history, Yagcıbedir woven carpets not to forget its warmer and cleaner sea under the influence of hot water sources, and its sea breeze.
The hot springs in the village of Nebiler and Bademli are known for their high quality healing waters, said to be good for rheumatism, arthritis, sunburn, stomach, kidney and alike. While the Botanical Garden and greenhouses are among the places to visit, the art and culture festivals held every year, poetry days are also popular assets of the town to attract many visitors.
For those interested in environmental excursions, the ancient city of Pergamon Akslepion, located near Dikili, exhibits beauty worth seeing in the Acropolis, as well as the Houses of Pergamon. Several institutions were formed within a square kilometer of Akslepios, which maintained the sect of akslepios, the God of medicine, for 700 years. Indoctrination, dream, sun, water baths, medicinal herbs, theatre and entertainment became the main means of treatment. The library was always open to patients and visitors. The 4500-seat theatre, The Temple of Akslepion, the fountains and pools that were used for treatment by bathing and slurring mud, are the intriguing ruins of Aslepion.
The Archaeological Museum of Pergamon, Ethnography Museum, Basilica, Ulucami, Selcuk minaret are all worth seeing. Acropolis, Zeus altar, the upper agora, city gate, castle, library, food and war equipment storage and the aqueducts bringing water to the city from 65 km can also be seen. Tryanus, Athena, Carocalla, Hera, Demether Temple, the world’s steepest Theater with 82 rows and 15000 capacity, lower agora are the other interesting ruins of the Acropolis to be seen.
The doors, windows and door knockers of Pergamon houses painted in color with aesthetic architecture lined with narrow winding streets in the residential area of Pergamon offers a spectacular pleasure to watch. On the other hand hand-woven world-famous YAGCIBEDIR carpets with geometric patterns, snail motifs with navy blue and red colors are available to take back as very precious presents.
Visitors are certainly to like the nature, coves, islands, sand and sun of Dikili, which is one of the most peaceful and worth seeing districts of the North Aegean. To visit the famous coves of Dikili, you can take boat trip from the Port of Dikili. But more enjoyable could be to explore these spots in the region by renting a car or motor.
The north of Dikili is a well-known but not very interesting part where there are long beaches and summer sites. The main places to visit are in the area around Bademli Village, 7 km south of the district. As the distances are very close to each other, it is also possible to visit several bays in 1 day. Some of the beautiful beaches are as follows:
Kayra Beach, Bademli Bay, Kıllık Bay, Little Dungeon, Fame Beach, Kokarot Bay, Bay of Pisa, Pen Island, Strange Island, Ilıca and Hayıtlı
