Foça is one of the few coastal settlements that has been able to preserve its old texture in the whole Aegean. It is divided into two regions as Old and New Foça. The preserved one is Old Foça. Foça, aka Eski Foça, that is Asil Foça, is a place that strikes people at first sight. You look at the sea, it is a beautiful bay with fishing boats in the front, blue in the back and tiny islets in the distance. You turn to land, it is a beautiful little town with its narrow stone streets, old houses and beautiful people. All of these are called Foça and it embraces people at first sight.
A story is told in Foça and the story suits Foça very well. There was a Karataş in Foça, everyone knows this, but nobody knows where it is. No one can step on this stone while wandering, and he cannot break away from Foça again. Even though he has a hard time going somewhere, he definitely comes back to Foça. Everyone who has once visited Foça wanders the streets when they hear this story. Maybe I will hit Karataş and hope to stay in this beautiful place. In our opinion, Karataş is everywhere in Foça. It is not possible to see Foça and not to love it or not to come back because of it.

People of Foça symbolize their city with cute Mediterranean monk seals, which are currently in danger of extinction, but the symbol of ancient Foça residents was the rooster. The symbol of vitality and early awakening is the rooster! When you enter Foça, you will see a rooster statue. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, Phokaians, that is, the ancient inhabitants of Foça, put wooden rooster sculptures on their assemblies, temples and the noses of their ships. It is believed that there is a golden rooster somewhere in Foça today. Lots of people have been searching for the golden rooster for years, digging around if they get the chance. There is indeed a golden rooster in Foça. Foça itself.

Phokaians, who were strong sailors, built a trade bridge between the cities of Egypt and Ionia with ships that can take 500 passengers with 50 oars. They founded today’s Lapseki and Samsun, colonies in the unfinished Mediterranean: Velia in Southern Italy, Alalia in Corsica, Ampuria in Spain, Naukratis in Egypt and Marseille in France. You know, Marseille, which looks like Foça. It is written at the entrance of the old harbor in Marseille: This city where you live was BC. It was founded in 600 by sailors from Phokaia. he. Centuries and centuries have passed, the Marseilles have made a Nazire. They established the French Holiday Village in Foça, the first beautiful example of our country’s touristic facilities compatible with nature. The Phokaians, who rushed from the port to the port with their fast ships, resistant to the storms of the open seas, the strong waves, and the Phokaians, carried the culture to the places they went. They took the alphabet to France and spread olive cultivation to many shores of the Mediterranean. They became a rich city, their money was valid and valuable everywhere.

B.C. The first half of the 6th century witnessed the inevitable spread of Persia. Unable to stand before any army, the Persian armies surrounded Phokaia. The city had been surrounded by 18-20 meters of walls before, but none of the walls was strong enough to stop the Persians. When the Phokaians who fought realized that they could not resist any longer, they asked for a night to surrender. The Persian commander Harpagos accepted this, and when the night ended and the morning came, the voice was not faint. When the Persians entered the city, they could not find a single creature other than a mangy dog. Phokaians, who chose to stay without a country rather than slaves, loaded their valuable belongings from the tunnels under the city and sailed to the sea. Alexander the Great gave Phokaia his freedom, but the golden age of the city did not come back. After the death of Alexander, it fell under the rule of the Seleucids first, then the Pergamon Kingdom, the Romans and the Genoese, and finally the Byzantines and the Ottomans.

Mersinaki bays that you will see one after another on your way from Old Foça to Yeni Foça are the most beautiful beaches. It is waiting for you with its old mills between the two Foça, its cliffs descending straight down to the sea and its beaches, immaculate hotels, small and lovely pensions, beautiful fisherman restaurants lined up on the edge of the Küçükdeniz and its real people.

Foça is an island resort just like Ayvalık. You can take a daily boat trip to the bay with many islands of various sizes or rent a private boat. Your first stop will be Orak Island, half an hour away from Old Foça. There is a small lake in the first part of the island. If you continue to move parallel to the lake, you will come across the amazing Siren Rocks that are nowhere to be found. If you have a chance, you can see the Mediterranean Seals, the lovely hosts of the cliffs eroded by the wind and the waves.

Historian Homer speaks of the Siren Rocks. According to Homer, Odyseia, passing through the Siren Rocks, was impressed by the call of the cliffs that made mysterious whistling sounds. In order for his crews not to be impressed by this irresistible invitation and pause, he put a candle honeycomb in their ears. Siren Rocks has been declared a protection zone today, as it is the shelter for Mediterranean Monk Seals, which are about to die.

The second stop of the boat trip is İncir Island, which is located opposite Foça and can be reached in a 15-minute journey. You will find traces of the ancient settlement on the island opposite the British Cape. The museum room, candle places carved into the rocks, water channels, filtration pools, caves, Kybele reliefs and temple ruins will make your trip attractive. The pine covered part of the island is a favorite for picnickers in summer, spring and summer. There is also a camping area with a capacity of 20 tents. At the country restaurant named Ferdi’s Place on the island, grilled fish and meat barbecue services are made.

70 km from Izmir. we recognize Foça, which is at a distance, as the region where Mediterranean monk seals are protected or as one of the 12 special environmental protection areas. However, in addition to all these features, Foça is an important city built on the ruins of Phokaia, one of the 12 Ionian cities, with many historical artifacts underground.

Phokaia, northeast of Izmir Bay exit, BC. It is a mysterious ancient city that adorns the windows of Izmir Archeology Museum and many other museums with its historical artifacts dating back to the 11th century. This mystery is coming to light with the archaeological excavations that are currently being carried out, and the artifacts unearthed as a result of these studies attract the attention of the archaeological world to Foça. French archaeologist Felix Sartiaux initiated the first archaeological excavations in Foça in 1913. Later, between 1952-1955 Ord. Prof. dr. Ekrem Akurgal and Prof. Dr. Ömer Özyiğit found very important works of Phokaia with the works they carried out. As a result of Ekrem Akurgal’s work, the Temple of Athena of the ancient city and many historical artifacts belonging to later periods were brought to light. However, the excavations that started in 1989 showed that Phokaia is a very large ancient city beyond what was known until that day. The city wall mentioned by the famous historian Herodotus was unearthed accidentally during the excavation of a construction foundation, which drew the attention of archaeological circles to Foça.