Ayaş is a
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
coastal town in
Mersin Province
Mersin Province ( tr, ), formerly İçel Province ( tr, ), is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of fo ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Geography
Ayaş is a part of
Erdemli
Erdemli is a town and district of Mersin Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, west of the city of Mersin.
Geography
Erdemli is located between the districts of Mezitli (to the east) and Silifke (to the west). In the north, Erdemli i ...
district, which is a part of Mersin Province. It is on Turkish state highway at about . Its distance from
Mersin
Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
is and from Erdemli was . The population is 2269 as of 2019. The town is situated at the coast and there are two beaches of touristic potential, ''Yemişkumu'' and ''Merdivenkuyu''.
History
Ayaş had been inhabited since the ancient ages. Ancient Ayas was an island named Elaiussa and a town on the shore facing the island named Sebaste.
Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus ( el, Ἀρχέλαος; fl. 1st century BC and 1st century, died 17 AD) was a Roman client prince and the last king of Cappadocia.
Family and early life
Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman. His full name was ''Archelaus Sisin ...
had a palace in Elaiussa. But the island had since been joined the mainland because of alivion accumulation. During middle age, Elaiussa Sebaste lost its former importance.
[Turkey Pockey Guide Mersin, MTSO, p25] After the 12th century, the ruins of the former town became a battle ground between the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
and the
Karamanid
The Karamanids ( tr, Karamanoğulları or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman ( tr, Karamanoğulları Beyliği), was one of the Anatolian beyliks, centered in South-Central Anatolia around the present-day Karaman Pro ...
s. The area around the former town was incorporated into
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the 15th century and it became the grazing area of a nomadic
Turkmen tribe named Ayaş. A part of the tribe settled in the village named after Ayaş and, in 1989, it was incorporated into
Kumkuyu
Kumkuyu is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Geography
Kumkuyu is a Mediterranean coastal town in the rural area of Erdemli ilçe (district) which is a part of Mersin Province. It is on the Turkish state highway which traverses south Anatolia ...
municipality on the east. In 1999, Ayaş was declared a town and issued from Kumkuyu municipality.
Economy
Like most towns around, Ayaş economy depends on vegetable agriculture. Tourism has begun to play a role in the town's economy and there are hotels, beaches and summer houses.
See also
*
Kanlıdivane
*
Çanakçı rock tombs
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayas, Mersin
Populated places in Mersin Province
Populated coastal places in Turkey
Seaside resorts in Turkey
Towns in Turkey
Tourist attractions in Mersin Province
Populated places in Erdemli District