Aydin

Capital of Aydin province, western Turkey, on the River Menderes, 50 km/31 mi from the Aegean coast, 84 km/53 mi southeast of Izmir; population (2000) 143,300. It is a market centre for the fertile Büyük Menderes valley, a major tobacco-, cotton-, and fruit-growing area. Copper, iron, antimony, magnesite, and emery are mined in the region.

Features The traces of an ancient gymnasium, agora, and theatre are all that remain of the city's original site, located on a plateau to the northwest, and now part of a military zone. Ottoman monuments of the present city include a 14th-century tomb, the Alihan Kümbeti; and various mosques from the 16th to 18th centuries, most notably the 17th-century Süleyman Bey Cami.

History Founded by the Greeks, the settlement was originally known as Tralles. It became an important trading station in ancient Lydia, and grew prosperous under Roman occupation.