Ayvalık

A month after reports revealed that the birthplace of Greek novelist Elias Venezis in Ayvalik, Turkey, was in a state of near collapse, restoration work has begun.

The property, where Venezis lived until he was 18, has long held symbolic importance for the Greek community of Asia Minor.

Among 92 Turkish tourists was the deputy mayor of Ayvalik

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued on Sept. 3 as many as 174 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea after they were pushed back by Greek authorities, according to the Coast Guard Command. 

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Organized by the Ayvalık International Music Academy (AIMA), founded 23 years ago under the leadership of Professor Filiz Ali, the seventh Ayvalık Music Festival will be held in the western town of Ayvalık between Aug. 10 and 19.

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Islands near the southwestern province of Mugla and western Balikesir have been put up for sale online, Sabah reports.

Karaca Island off the Marmaris district of Muğla is listed at a price of 210 million liras ($36.7 million), put on sale on Sept. 22 by Turkish businesspeople living in the United States. 

The Turkish gendarmerie and coast guards have found 1 ton and 126 kilograms of marijuana in vacuum packs floating on the Aegean Sea after a small boat sank off the Turkish resort town of Ayvalık in the northwestern province of Balıkesir.

"I am shocked by the tourist profile coming to Cunda these days. Where do they come from? Why do they come if they aren't going to spend any money?" That is what taxi driver from a village near the idyllic Aegean town of Ayvalık told me recently.

A 19th century olive oil and soap factory in the northwestern Turkish resort town of Ayvalık will be restored and converted into a wellness center by the local municipality.

The Kırlangıç Olive Oil and Soap factory, a property of the municipality stopped production in 2001.

Does the landscape that surrounds us define our culture? My answer would be a definite yes. The natural environment dictates what we eat, what we produce, what we create, and even how we think.

Anti-smuggling teams have seized a stolen Torah believed to be 1,500 years old, along with other historical artifacts belonging to the Hellenistic and Seljuq periods, in an operation in Turkey's western resort town of Ayvalık. 

Gendarmerie forces also detained two suspects who were later released on probation.