Alaçatı

Infobox Settlement
settlement_type = Town
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = TUR
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
map_caption =Location of Alaçatı within Turkey.
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3

official_name = Alaçatı


image_caption =
image_blank_emblem =
blank_emblem_type =


subdivision_type1=Region
subdivision_name1 = Aegean
subdivision_type2=Province
subdivision_name2 = İzmir| population_total =
population_urban =
population_as_of =
population_footnotes =
population_density_km2 =
area_total_km2 =
elevation_m = 16|latd =
latm =
latNS =
longd =
longm =
longEW =
postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code = 35x xx
blank_info = 35|blank_name=Licence plate
area_code = (0090)+ 232
leader_name =
website = [http://www.alacatibelediyesi.com www.alacatibelediyesi.com]
leader_name1 =
gwebsite = [http://www.alacati.gov.tr www.alacati.gov.tr]

Alaçatı (also known as "Agrilia") is a unique Aegean town on the western coast of Turkey, which has been famous for its architecture, vineyards and windmills for over 150 years. It has now made its name in the world of windsurfing and kitesurfing, with its crystal clear water, consistent and steady wind and well acclaimed Turkish hospitality.

History

There are numerous stories about the name Alaçati. According to some, Alaçati is the name only for the harbour area which is about two kilometers from the old town. Some claim that the name for the town was Agrilia, and there is also another name AlacaAt (RedHorse) used for the whole area. Their claim is based on a story, that the ruler of Alacati had a red horse to ride. When riding the horse, bystanders would refer to him as "Alacaatli (the man with the red horse)", in time the name was somehow changed to Alacati. During the exchange of ethnics between Balkan countries and Turkey, Turkish refugees from the Balkans were settled here, and ever since then the name Alaçati has been adopted both for the town and the harbour area. The harbour area was the export port of İzmir until World War II. After the war the harbour's use declined, and the bay, in which the harbour was, is now popular with windsurfers.

Alaçati became an Ottoman town in the 14th century, according to some; in the 15th century, according to others. Regardless of the date, it is a well known factFact|date=August 2008 that Alacati was a Rum (Roman) settlement area. The Moslem population was 132 out of a population of 13,845 in 1895. After the defeat of the Ottomans in the Balkans, Moslem refugees fled to the western coast of Anatolia. The first reaction to the defeat in Anatolia came from the Rums(Romans) in Çesme as they made a decision to leave Çesme to settle in the island of Chios. Thousands of them sailed across to the island in small boats, although later Greece sent passenger boats to carry people across to Greece. It is said that, most of the refugees came and settled into the houses emptied by the Rums(Romans). Most of these houses still remain in Alaçati as an attraction for people to see and absorb the feeling of life in the past.

External links

*
* [http://www.pointsfromturkey.com/alacati.html Alaçatı photographs]
* [http://www.cesmekentrehberi.com Alaçatı city guide]