Söke

Infobox Settlement

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

official_name = Söke


image_caption = Lake Bafa in Söke district
image_blank_emblem =
blank_emblem_type =


subdivision_type1=Region
subdivision_name1 = Aegean |subdivision_type2=Province
subdivision_name2 = Aydın| population_total = 137739|population_footnotes=
urban population| = 62,384
population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_density_km2 =
area_total_km2 = 1114|elevation_m = 27|postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code = 09200
blank_info = 09|blank_name=Licence plate| area_code = 256
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name = NECDET ÖZEKMEKÇİ
website = http://www.soke.bel.tr
leader_title1=Governor
leader_name1 = CELİL ATEŞOĞLU
gwebsite = http://www.soke.gov.tr

Söke is a town and a large district of Aydın Province in the Aegean region of western Turkey, convert|54|km|mi|0|abbr=on south-west of the city of Aydın, near the Aegean coast.

Geography

The district lies between the Aegean coast and the edge of the fertile alluvial plain of the Büyük Menderes River. Lake Bafa is to the south of the district. The plain contains much rich agricultural land, one of Turkey's largest cotton growing areas and also important for wheat and flour. Other income comes from handicrafts, forestry and fishing. Söke is Turkey's only exporter of culinary snails.

The Aegean region is rich in history and natural beauty, complemented with Mediterranean climate. Söke is a large town right in the centre of the region, the market town at the heart of a wealthy agricultural district, with a dramatic backdrop of mountains. Furthermore, although eclipsed by the nearby centres of tourism on the coast, Kuşadası, Didim and Bodrum, Söke does catch passing trade from the many visitors to the area, including visitors to the nearby historical site of Priene. There are a number of amenities on the highway for tourists passing through from Izmir airport to the coast, these include restaurants, service stations, and outlet stores selling cut-price clothing. The local cuisine includes "çöp şiş" (a shish kebab of small pieces of lamb) and pide (a flat bread pizza).

Söke is a town of 62,000 people, and with its shops and high schools, it is the hub of the rural area.

History

Settled since the centuries BC, Söke was the capital of the Anatolian Turkish Beylik of the Menteşe until 1426 when it was brought into the Ottoman Empire, still remaining capital of the Sanjak of Menteşe.

During the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922) resistance in the area was led by one Cafer Efe, whose statue is in the town. See Efe for the background to this era.

Söke was settled with Turkish immigrants from Crete during the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey in the 1920s.

Population

year - town - district as a whole

2000 62,384 137,739

1997 62,361 125,282

1990 50,866 119,750

Places of interest

* Priene - ancient ruins, convert|15|km|mi|0|abbr=on from Söke

ee also

* Lake Bafa

External links

* [http://www.soke.bel.tr the municipality]
** [http://www.soke.bel.tr/Asp/Content.Asp?MS=1&Content=1&MN01=1&MN02=9&MN03=0&MN04=0&MN05=0&ID=21 photo gallery]
* [http://www.soke.gov.tr the district governorate]
** [http://www.soke.gov.tr/galeri.html photo gallery - the town]
** [http://www.soke.gov.tr/resimler.html photo gallery - the district]
* [http://www.yerelnet.org.tr/belediyeler/index.php?belediyeid=129294 local information] tr icon