Population: 3,000
Market day: Sunday
South of the uninspiring small town of Menderes (Cumaovası), Değirmendere is the village now standing on the site of the ancient Colophon. Very slight remains of the ancient settlement (‘a few dim heavings of disintegrated walls on a steep and ruinous hillside‘ – Freya Stark, 1952) can be found on top of a hill marked by a large Turkish flag but although the setting is lovely and looks out over the newly created Tahtalı Gölü (Lake Tahtalı) there’s little here to interest anyone other than an absolute archaeological specialist.
Colophon was closely linked with the port town of Notion and the shrine at Claros, both near modern Ahmetbeyli.
The surrounding countryside is abundantly fertile, full of plum, peach, apple, pear and quince trees. Tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce are grown in the many greenhouses.
Transport info
From İzmir the nearest İzban station is Cumaovası where you can pick up bus no. 729 to the village. There are also dolmuş services that run from the Sandık İzban station.
