 | In Turkey, which has recorded a great improvement internationally in tourism, economy and industry in recent years, some settlements especially on the coastal line has exceeded the normal rate of development. The best example to these places is Aydın’s district Didim that was nothing but a small village 15 years ago but now progressing to become a tourist centre. |
Didim has undergone a vast change especially with the foreign settlers starting to purchase houses in the district. Here are some headlines about Didim:
Didim, a provincial town of the county of Aydın, is a peninsula that extends into the Aegean sea.
It is surrounded by Söke in the north, Mandalya Bay in the south, the Aegean sea in the west, and the lake of Bafa and the county of Milas in the east. Didim is one of the most important and favourite tourism centres in the area with its coastal ribbon that stretches as far as 80 km. The climate generally carries the typical Mediterranean characteristics.
According to the last census the residing population of Didim was 25,700, but today it is estimated to be arount 30,000. Consisting of 9 main districts, Didim has a fairly flat geography and a widely scattered pattern of settlements. Its main route of transport is the through Söke – Bodrum highway. Transport by air is through Bodrum (90 km) and İzmir Adnan Menderes (150 km) airports. Didim has been set up as a temple site in history. The area that has hosted many empires and states with the Ottomans as the last of the sequence is in the environs of the Temple of Apollo today, and is known as the Castle District (Hisar Mahallesi). The first settlement in the history of the Republic was made possible with the Pact of Residence Exchange signed between Turkey and Greece. As the Greeks and Turks exchanged places, the name of the area was changed from Yoran to Yenihisar (Newcastle). After the earthquake in 1955, the settlement was transferred towards the area called Yenimahalle (New District) where substitute residences were erected. For many years the small coastal village kept busy with agriculture and stockbreeding. It was further enlivened with the foundation of the Municipality in 1967. The town assumed its full identity in 1991 when the name Yenihisar was dropped and that of Didim was reassigned. Drawing the attention of tens of thousands of foreign and local tourists, since the 1990’s Didim has become an important holiday centre with its historical and natural wealth. Qualified touristic administrations, unique bays, and the clean sea come together to make Didim a brand in demand. As it happens, today Didim is one of the few centres that has overcome the problem of infrastructure among similar coastal settlements.
