Söke is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Aydın Province Aydın Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. Its area is 8,116 km2, and its population is 1,148,241 (2022). T ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 1,064 km², and its population is 123,301 (2022). It is the largest district of Aydın Province by area. Söke is 54 km (34 miles) south-west of the city of

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...

, near the Aegean coast. Its neighbours are Germencik from north-east, Koçarlı from east,

Milas Milas is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,067 km2, and its population is 147,416 (2022). The city commands a region with an active economy and is very rich in history and ancient rema ...

from south-east,

Didim Didim is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 424 km2, and its population is 97,000 (2022). It is a popular seaside holiday resort on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of western Turkey, from t ...

from south-west,

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

from west and Kuşadası from northwest. The mayor of Söke is Mustafa İberya Arıkan.

Etymology

Modern Söke is identified with the ancient Greek city of Annaea () (also referred to as Anea, Anaea, Anaia or Annaia), which was named after the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

Anaea (Ἀναία). Later, it was also called ''Sokia'' (). As of 1920, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

were calling it Sokia. Anaia is also the name of a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

( Anaea) of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. From 1833 to 1922, it was the seat of the Diocese of Anea of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

. After that date, the demographics of the population changed and Orthodox Christians declined in number in the area.

History

Settled for centuries before the

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

, the region was called ''Aneon'' () and was inhabited by Greeks.

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, quoting Ephorus, mention that the tomb of the amazon Anaea was at the city. During the

Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...

, some Samian exiles migrated there. In addition,

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

mentioned that there was a naval station, and it was near enough to annoy

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

. In 1426 the city was captured by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

under

Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...

as the remaining capital of the

Sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

of Menteşe. From 1867 until 1922, Söke was part of the Aidin Vilayet of the

. After the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

, many Muslim refugees from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

settled around this area. According to the 1914 Ottoman population statistics, the district of Karaburun had a total population of 36.976, consisting of 20.028 Muslims, 16.720

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, 133

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

, and 95

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. In 18 May 1919, Italian troops landed at Söke. The Allies were afraid that the Italian landing might provoke trouble with the Greek troops, who were near

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

. Although Italy and Greece were allies during WWI, their relations were not good. After the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, fighting continued in a power struggle after the break-up of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, large Turkish and

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

forces were fighting against the occupying Italian forces. In April 1922 Italian troops were withdrawn and Greek troops entered the area. After the defeat of the Greek army in the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 was fought between Greece and the Turkish National Movement during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, between 15 May 1919 and 14 October 1922. This conflict was a par ...

, Greek troops was withdrawn, and Turkish troops entered in September 1922. Greek inhabitants of the area evacuated to Greece together with the Greek army or they were killed by the advancing Turkish troops. The Turkish resistance in the area was led by one Cafer Efe (''Djafer Efe''); a statue was erected later here to commemorate him. During the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey in the 1920s, the Greek Christian population migrated to the Greek island of Crete and the Cretan Muslims moved here.

Geography

The district lies between the Aegean coast and the edge of the fertile

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

of the Büyük Menderes River. Lake Bafa is to the south of the district. The plain contains much rich agricultural land; it is one of Turkey's largest cotton-growing areas and is also important for the commodities of wheat and flour. Other income comes from handicrafts, forestry, and fishing. Söke is Turkey's only exporter of culinary snails. Söke is a large town in the centre of the Aegean region, and the market town is at the heart of an agricultural district. Although secondary to the nearby centres of tourism on the coast, Kuşadası,

and

Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...

, Söke does catch passing trade from the tourist visitors to the area, including visitors to the nearby historical site of

Priene Priene (; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of what was then the course of the Maeander River (now called the Büyük Menderes Rive ...

. There are a number of amenities on the highway for tourists passing through from

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

airport to the coast, including restaurants, service stations, and outlet stores. The local cuisine includes '' çöp şiş'' (a shish kebab of small pieces of lamb) and

pide The International and State Defense Police (; PIDE) was a Portuguese security agency that existed during the '' Estado Novo'' regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Formally, the main roles of the PIDE were the border, immigration and emigrati ...

(a flat bread pizza).

Composition

There are 49

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Söke District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. * Ağaçlı * Akçakaya * Akçakonak * Argavlı * Arslanyaylası * Atatürk * Atburgazı * Avcılar * Avşar * Bağarası * Bayırdamı * Burunköy * Çalıköy * Çalışlı * Çavdar * Çeltikçi *

Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: "Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Press ...

* Demirçay * Doğanbey * Fevzipaşa * Gölbent * Güllübahçe * Güneyyaka * Güzeltepe * Karaatlı * Karacahayıt * Karakaya * Kaygıllı *

Kemalpaşa Kemalpaşa is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 681 km2, and its population is 114,250 (2022). Kemalpaşa town is from the historical and traditional center of İzmir, (Konak, İzmir, Ko ...

* Kisir * Konak * Köprüalan * Nalbantlar * Özbaşı * Pamukçular * Sarıkemer * Savuca * Sayrakçı * Sazlı * Serçin * Sofular * Tuzburgazı * Yamaç * Yenicami * Yenidoğan * Yenikent * Yeniköy * Yeşilköy * Yuvaca

Economy

Söke has a history of

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...

. During

, it was producing large amounts of lignite. The

described the quality as being "very poor." It was exported to

via train and used in factories.

Places of interest

- ancient ruins, from Söke

References

External links

Official website

Soke – A Town On The Aegean Coast of Turkey

About the famous Cop Sis kebab restaurants of Soke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soke Populated places in Aydın Province Districts of Aydın Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey