FOCA (PHOKAIA)

Foca is a cute little town on the Aegean Sea, 70 kilometers (some 40 miles) north of Izmir. It's populations is around 36thousand people but in the summer time it goes up to 70 thousand with local and foreign holiday makers who prefer this area for its natural beauties, crystal clear water, small coves, and the climate. Some of Foca's bays are rewarded with the Blue Flag, securing the clean waters of an area in the Mediterranean, these are; 1st Mersinaki Cove (Samata Beach), 2nd Mersinaki Cove (Club Phokaia Hotel), 4th Mersinaki Cove (Hanedan Hotel), 3rd Mersinaki Cove (Club Med Foca), Yeni Foca Canak cove (Pollen Hotel). The town has many traditional stone houses which some of them have been used as boutique hotels. Foca is also famous for its Mediterranean Seals (Monachus monachus), which are under preservation. Actually the city took its name from the seals.

Pass 23 km north Eski (Old) Foca, there is Yeni (New) Foca town, which has many summer houses. It was originally settled by Genoese who built a naval base here and called it Niyez Fokez or Phokainova, but today it's a modern summer resort for local people and doesn't offer much to foreign visitors.

Phokaia was one of the 12 Ionian cities at the most northern part of the Aeolian region. Its name was mentioned in Homer's epic The Odyssey with the Sirens' Rocks. First inhabitants of Old Foca were immigrants from Greece around 9th century BC who escaped from Doric invasion.

The city had two harbors and a very strong fleet which sailed all the way to the Adriatic and Spain to establish colonies such as; Emporion (Ampurias) in Spain, Alalia in Corsica, Velia in southern Italy, Massalia (modern Marseilles) in France, Lampsakos at the Dardanelles, and Amisos (modern Samsun) on the Black Sea. According to Herodotus, the world's first historian, Phocaeans were good sailors and traveled long distances with fast ships holding a capacity of 500 passengers, traded with Egypt, minted electrum (a mixture of gold and silver) coins etc. After Miletos, Phokaia became a very important port city on the Aegean.

In the 6th century BC the city was captured by Persians advancing in Asia Minor destroying the Lydians. Phokaia lost its strength and most of its population under the Persian rule. Joined into the Ionian Revolt at Lade against Persian domination, they regained their freedom. The city became a member of the Delian League during the 5th century BC, but than rebelled and left it, allying with the Athenians. Phokaia existed, but with less importance, during the reign of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period. The city was destroyed of big earthquakes during the Roman rule in the 1st century BC. During the Byzantine and Ottoman periods the city was a small fishermen town.

Archeological excavations in Foca started in the early 1900's, which until today unearthed several monuments from the Archaic, Hellenic and Roman periods, such as; remains of Temple of Athena and Sanctuary of Cybele, an open-air theater, castle, mosaics, fragments of ceramics and pottery etc. Some of the findings are in the Izmir Archaeological Museum today. It's believed that the Temple of Athena was built in the 6th century BC on a rock platform overlooking the city, and that her statue was made of wood in a sitting position. The temple was destroyed by the Persians in the 6th century BC and finally by a big fire in the 5th century BC.