Foça

Located to the north ot the place where the river Gebiz flows into the Aegean Sea is the Foca settlement. The city was founded by the Etruscans/Luwis. The original name of the city is "Pauwaka", meaning "Marshy Ground." In ancient Lydia this name was subsequently changed into Fokaia. The city which grew in population with the influx of those returning from the Trojan War resisted against the Persians in the 5th century B.C. and then, became a member of the Delian League. The city which took part in the Sea Battle of Lade in front of the city of Miletus with 3 ships in 494 B.C. later fell under the rules of Macedonians. Seleucids. Pergamenes, Romans and Byzantines. Despite that Foca was taken over by the Turkish Caka Bey in the 11th century, it was seized by Genoese in 1275. During this period a castle was built outside of the city. Phocaeans were highly advanced as navigators and they, together with the Milesians, founded the cities of Lampsakos, Amisos and, in France, Marseilles. In 1455 Phocaea was annexed to the Ottoman lands. Extant from the ancient era are a rock-carved tomb called S, eytan Hamami (Devil's Bath) and a few pieces of column from the Temple of Athena. Phocaea takes its name from the fish phoca (seal), known by the Anatolian people as seabear, which lives in the underwater caves in the area. The fish has been taken under protection and is a symbol of the city. Foca is today one of the tourism centers with a well-preserved natural structure and well-known for its fish restaurants and underwater sports.