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ALACATI
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As
you speed along the Izmir-Çesme expressway your eyes are
suddenly struck by a vista of modern windmills with their huge
white wings reaching to the sky above. Further along come some
ancient time-worn windmills built of stone with their naked
wooden appendages, and you realize that you have been called to
a land of wind. If, in addition, you sense the cool, salty
fragrance of the sea then you can be sure that you have arrived
at Alacati. At Alacati you are confronted with two very trying
choices. Either you join the antics of the windsurfs of every
imaginable color riding the deep blue waters or you delve into
the colorful streets flavored with Anatolian culture under the
shade of the time-worn windmills. It is very likely that the
decision will be taken from your hands by the sun rising steeply
in the sky overhead. And then, all of sudden, you will find you
are on the road to Alacati cove with its petite boat basin.
Alacati cove is one of innumerable coves to be found
along the Aegean coastline. However, two very special features
of this cove render it a windsurfers' heaven. One of these is
the ceaseless wind. The other is the depth of the sea which does
not exceed one and a half meters, and extends as such out as far
as sixty or seventy meters from the shore.
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Piri
Reis, known in Turkish history for his cartography and
seamanship, writes in his "Kitab-ı Bahriye" (The Book
of Navigation) that "the sea in the port of Alacati is like a
wafer." And what he meant by that was that the sea was quite
calm. That is, despite all the wind, the height of the waves in
the cove does not rise to a level disturbing to the windsurfers.
The wind at Alacati blows in from the north throughout the
summer months at a velocity of between 15-25 knots. During the
windy season from May to October one may encounter windsurfers
from every corner of the globe here.
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are those who come with their caravans or tents and spend the
whole season as well as those who just stop over for the
competitions. These aficionados of the wind and sea are
accommodated at two schools of windsurfing on the shore and at
the hotel and pensions located both at the cove and in Alacati
itself.
Alacati cove with its depth of less than a meter and a half is a
fine learning environment for novice windsurfers. It is because
of these qualities that the cove is so desirable both for master
and novice windsurfers. You will encounter the youthful master
windsurfing here with his young novice sibling or with his
girlfriend. The shallow waters provide support for the novices,
while the blustering summer winds provide sport for the masters.
The cove, in which many national and international competitions
are held, is at the same time a fine locale just for practice.
Bora Kozanoglu, the 1998-1999 Turkish champion, is one of those
who have made a home in Alacati. You can always catch him
playing sport with the wind and sea or giving pointers to those
who are just learning to windsurf.
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Like
the sea and the wind, the narrow streets of Alacati are also
filled with surprises. There are the two storey homes,
worldly-wise from long hard years of use, built of stone and set
along both sides of the cobblestone streets... And then there
are the bright faces of people of all ages peering out of the
windows and overhanging bays of the houses... You witness the
cultural richness of the region in Alacati's streets, in its
mosque and its antique shop. Clearly, this cultural richness has
its source in Alacati's fascinating history. Until the 16th
century the Çesme region was the international commercial
gateway to Anatolia. The Genoese merchants who settled on the
island of Chios abandoned the area following the Ottoman
conquest of the island in 1566, and gradually the Çesme region
lost its commercial advantages to Izmir. During the 1850s Greek
laborers were brought in from nearby islands to fill in the
swamps to the south of Alacati and to work in the port. These
island Greeks joined in the construction of Alacati and settled
there, later engaging in viniculture. Still later migrants from
Yugoslavia and Macedonia made Alacati their home, but war forced
them to move into the interior of Anatolia. They returned after
the Turkish War of Liberation in the early 1920s, and then they
were joined by migrants from Thessalonica, Crete and Kos who
introduced tobacco farming to the region.
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It
is possible to observe the traces of these historical ebbs and
tides in Alacati today. The mosque in the marketplace, the homes
of stone with their bay windows, and the windmills, all bear
witness to this inescapable social and cultural flux. The history
of the region has transformed the place into a world of forsaken
dreams and emerging hope. Today anisette, olives, onions and
artichokes are grown in the fertile soil of Alacati. The region is
also a star tourism spot. So much so, that its winter population
of eight thousand climbs to fifty thousand in summer. The
municipality of Alacati organizes an International Youth and
Children's Theatre Festival every year. Alacati is munificent to
those who partake of the wind and sea as well to those who wish to
have an Anatolian experience, and this is a place you are sure to
take great pleasure in getting to know.
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By Faruk URUNDUL
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