The sacred olive groves of Labraunda, from 'Cult Capital of Caria', Cornucopia 43 (Ali Konyalı)

Southern Aegean

The metropolis of Izmir is our gateway to the south. And ancient Cnidus, on the Datça peninsula in the south, is our point of exit. This amazing area includes the breezy peninsula of Çeşme, the coastal trio of Ephesus, Miletus and Priene, and, away from the coast, the ancient metropolis of Aphrodisias, as well as a number of busy market towns. This land of olives, cotton and figs – in the old days, even the rakı had a sweet whiff of fig – makes only rare appearances in the pages of Cornucopia, but when it does, the stories are extraordinary. Cornucopia 43 took the ancient shrine of Labraunda as its cover story and unlocked the doors to the ancient villas of Ephesus. The architecture of the Bodrum peninsula appeared on the cover of Cornucopia 9 – a popular doorway that one, which reappeared 20 years later on the cover of Berrin Torolsan’s At Home in Turkey. The terrible theft of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is described in graphic detail in Cornucopia 41. And when it comes to figs, Cornucopia 16 is the issue to turn to. Enjoy.

Getting Around

Best by car in the northern parts, but a gület would be a fine idea in the south, as described by Christian Tyler in Cornucopia 18.

Eating

Izmir has its own very distinctive culinary tradition – part of it Sephardic in origin. Elsewhere olive oil plays a key role. Unlike in Istanbul cuisine, here it appears in hot dishes as well as cold.