Erythrai, Turkey

Ildırı formerly known as Lytri (Greek: Λυθρί Lithri a Greek village until 1922) 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 from the Hellenistic period, and throughout 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...