Middle East
Turkey
Aegean Turkey

Central Aegean

Central Aegean is the central section of the . Although it's named for the bordering sea, this region stretches over 200 km inland, comprising the provinces and cities of Izmir, Manissa and Uşak.
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Photo: Atacameño, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Izmir and Ephesus.

Photo: Vav, CC BY-SA 4.0.
İzmir is a port on the Central Aegean coast of Turkey, known in antiquity as Smyrna. It's the country's third-largest city, with a population of 3.12 million in 2024.

Photo: Kadellar, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with magnificent Roman ruins. It's in the Central Aegean region of Turkey 4 km west of and 19 km northeast of the beach resort of .

Photo: Tarih, CC BY 3.0.
is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, on the slopes of Mount Spil or Sipylus 65 km northeast of Izmir. It's modern and industrial but has many old mosques.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Uşak and Kuşadası.

Photo: Elmas2014, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population in 2022 of 236,366. It has a historic quarter, but the main drawcards are its museum featuring the Lydian treasures, and the canyons and antiquities in the surrounding countryside.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
is a beach resort in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, 95 km south of Izmir. It has a resident population of 113,580, which doubles in summer with tourists and seasonal workers.

Photo: simonjenkins‘ photos, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Sart is a small farming village in the Central Aegean Region of Turkey, better known as the ruined capital of Lydia.

Photo: Barisgezici, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. The city and district had a population of 174,850 in 2020. The only visitor attraction is the ruins of ancient Thyatira and adjacent museum.

Photo: Justinianus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a beach resort in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. It's at the tip of a peninsula 85 km west of Izmir, but only 10 km from the Greek island of Chios.

Photo: CherryX, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population of 36,360 in 2018. It's the original site of the city of - those Roman ruins lie 4 km west and are described on a separate page.

Photo: simonjenkins‘ photos, CC BY-SA 2.0.
is a city in the Central Aegean region of Turkey. It's agricultural, stands about 100 km east of Izmir and the coast, and in 2022 had a population of 104,717.

Photo: Haluk Comertel, CC BY 3.0.
is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, 60 km north of . It's a beach resort easily within a day-trip of the city and in 2019 it had a population of 32,264.

Photo: Parlar, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is a small town on the Central Aegean coast of Turkey, on the peninsula projecting from Izmir towards Çeşme. In 2022 the population was just over 10,000.

Photo: Volker Höhfeld, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is an inland town and municipality in the Central Aegean region of , with a population in 2022 of 43,227. It has an extensive historic quarter and remarkable volcanic areas on its outskirts known since antiquity as the "burnt land", recognized as a UNESCO global geopark.

Photo: Thecatcherintherye, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is an attractive village overlooking the Küçükmenderes Valley in the Central Aegean Region of Turkey, with a population of 1832 in 2022. Its name derives from Greek "Pyrgion" and from the 13th to 15th century it was capital of the Aydınoğulları principality or petty kingdom, one of several formed in the power vacuum between the collapse of the Seljuks and the rise of the Ottomans.

Photo: Elelicht, CC BY-SA 3.0.
, formerly Kirkince or Çirkince, is a village nestled in the hills in Central , , 15 minutes from Selçuk, 20 minutes from the ancient site of Ephesus. today is very popular with Turkish tourists, especially on weekends.

Central Aegean

Latitude of center
38.53° or 38° 31′ 48″ north
Longitude of center
27.09° or 27° 5′ 24″ east
Wiki­data ID
Q14210325
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Satellite Map

Discover Central Aegean from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
© Stadia Maps, Airbus DS, CNES, PlanetObserver, and Copernicus

In Other Languages

From Italian to Venetian—“Central Aegean” goes by many names.
  • Italian: “Regione dell’Egeo centrale”
  • Persian: “اژه مرکزی”
  • Venetian: “Rejon de l’Ezeo sentrałe”

Aegean Turkey: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into Denizli, Bodrum, Pamukkale, and Muğla.

Explore These Curated Destinations

Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Central Aegean”. Photo: Atacameño, CC BY-SA 3.0.