Ildırı

Ildırı formerly known as Lytri ( _el. Λυτρι, Litri) is a picturesque sea-side village belonging to the administrative district of Çeşme in Turkey's İzmir Province and located about twenty-five kilometers north of Çeşme town, facing Chios.

The important Greek city of Erythrai was located here during the ancient Roman and Byzantine periods. The ruins are situated within the modern-day village and the site was explored in depth in the 1960s by Professor Ekrem Akurgal, leading to valuable discoveries, but has since been somewhat neglected.

Despite being close to Çeşme, the village has not been affected by the tourism boom that has overtaken its administrative center, and a calm and introverted lifestyle prevails in the village, supplemented only by a number of summer-house owners and retirees, mostly from İzmir. The region of Ildırı remains one of the best kept secrets of Smyrniots.