Urla Guide

Urla is a district of Izmir with a coastline of approximately 40 kilometers, lush pine forests, and fresh air. Urla is located 35 km away from Izmir city center. It is bordered by Güzelbahçe and Seferihisar to the east, Çeşme to the west, Karaburun to the northwest, and the Aegean Sea to the north and south.

In Urla,which has a Mediterranean climate, the average temperature in June, July, and August is around 27 degrees Celsius. The region has about 200 sunny days a year. The area, affected by the Poyraz and Lodos winds, is rich in untouched pine forests, maquis shrubs, plane trees, olive trees, poplars, figs, and various fruit trees. Along its coast, there are 12 islands, four of which are inhabited. The unspoiled forests and coves in Demircili, Yağcılar, and Zeytineli are truly worth seeing.

The main sources of income for the people of Urla are agriculture and tourism. Today, olive cultivation, viticulture, and floriculture are prominent in the district. You can also find fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds. As for tourism, all the shores of Urla, which has a long coastline, are beaches. The sea and beaches are clean and suitable for sunbathing and swimming.

There are different legends about the origin of the name "Urla." It is said that the name evolved from the Latin and Greek word "Vurla," meaning "swamp." Another story suggests that during a campaign, Ibrahim Bey, a commander of Çelebi Mehmet, was wished good luck with the phrase “Uğur ola,” which eventually changed to "Urla."

Urla's history as a settlement dates back to ancient times. Archaeological research in Limantepe Mound in İskele Neighborhood has shown that it was a center used around 6000 BC. The harbor discovered there is one of the oldest known in history. The ancient city of Klazomenai is also located in the Harbor Area. In ancient times, the city was an important trade center, especially for olive oil production.

Urla, which has hosted many different cultures and civilizations, first encountered Turkish rule with the Aydınoğulları Beylik and was incorporated into Ottoman lands at the end of the 14th century. The region has many works from the Beylik and Ottoman periods. Denizli Neighborhood Mosque, Kamalı Mosque, Sungurlular Mosque, Hacı Turan Kapan Mosque, Fatih İbrahim Bey Mosque, and Hacı Turan Fountain are Turkish works built in the 15th and 16th centuries.

A part of the ancient city of Klazomenai, one of the 12 Ionian cities, is on Karantina Island, where the Urla Bone Hospital is located. The city extends from Limantepe, opposite Karantina Island, to the slopes of Ayyıldız and Cankurtaran Hills in the west. The necropolis (cemetery) of the classical period is located west of the chain formed by Ayyıldız Hill and Cankurtaran Hill and lies in the area crossed by the ancient Klazomenai-Hypkremnos-Erythrai road.

Liman Tepe, which reflects both the prehistoric and classical periods of Klazomenai, is divided by the Izmir-Çeşmealtı Road in the İskele Neighborhood of Urla. Excavations have revealed part of a palace structure, representing political and economic authority, dating back to the Early Bronze Age. The city's walls, reaching a preservation height of 6 meters, single-room round houses from the Middle Bronze Age, and the oldest known olive oil workshop have also been discovered.

The Klazomenai olive oil workshop was unearthed along with small artifacts from its time. According to the dates provided by these finds, the workshop under excavation in Urla was established in the first half of the 6th century BC. It was abandoned during the Persian conquest of the Ionian cities along with Lydia in the mid-century and was reused with new arrangements in the last quarter of the century. During the Ionian revolt around 500 BC, the facility was abandoned again and never used afterward. In the 4th century BC, during the construction of a large structure over the area where the workshop stood, the interior of the rock-carved facility was filled, covered, and preserved to the present day.

For accommodation suggestions, you can check our Urla Hotels page.