Çeşme Castle

Çeşme Castle — a well-preserved Genoese fortress on the Aegean coast 85 kilometres west of İzmir — guards the entrance to the harbour of Çeşme town. The castle dates from the fourteenth century, when Çeşme was under Genoese control, and was subsequently expanded by the Ottomans. It contains a small museum covering the history of the region and the famous Battle of Çeşme.

Çeşme is a popular beach destination in its own right — its position at the western tip of the Çeşme peninsula makes it a windsurfing hub, and the beaches at Ilıca (thermal springs warm the sea) and Altınkum are excellent. Regular buses connect Çeşme to İzmir's Üçkuyular terminal in about 90 minutes.

things to do sight
A story
The naval battle of Çeşme in July 1770 was one of the most spectacular naval engagements of the eighteenth century. A Russian fleet under Count Alexei Orlov, sailing from the Baltic with the blessing of Catherine the Great, destroyed the entire Ottoman fleet in the bay of Çeşme in a single night of fire ships and explosions. The victory gave Russia temporary control of the Aegean and humiliated the Ottomans — though they rebuilt their fleet remarkably quickly. A small museum in the castle commemorates the battle.

Other places in Things to Do