2 lb , aubergine,
1 big onion, sliced round/chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced/grated or 1 ½ cup crushed tomato
2-3 green peppers/bell peppers
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/3 bunch of parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Ground black pepper
1/3 cup hot water
Juice of one lemon

Cut them lengthwise and open if they are large cut them into to 2 or 3 pieces. Sprinkle salt over them and fry over a high heat. Pat with a paper tail to remove excess oil and place on a baking tray.

In a frying pan saute the onions with olive oil. Then stir in garlic and half of peppers chopped. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add tomatoes, sugar and salt. Cook on a medium until mixture thickens. Stir in parsley and black pepper and turn the heat off.

Fill aubergines with the mixture and slice the remaining peppers in strips and place over the top.

Preheat the oven 400 F (200 C) and pour 1/3 cup hot water in tray. Drizzle lemon juice over eggplants and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Foca

Foca is about an hour and half drive from Dikili and literally one straight
road. This is also the place of legends. Remember the sirens in your history
lessons, then why not pay a visit. There are many more reasons for including
Foca in your Itinery please click
here to find out more.

Ephesus is truly amazing and is well worth a visit if you can manage it. It is 172km from Dikili so would take about 3 hours each way.

Ephesus Turkey

Although a day trip would be possible, you might want to consider
staying over a night to get the most out of the trip. A room in a pansion
similar to a hostel can cost as little as £5 per person per night.

The links below contain information on the location and well as an online
booking facility for accommodation should you wish to book online.

All about
Ephesus

Accommodation
in Ephesus

Diving in Candarli

The Diving School Owner Details

Address:
Candarli Sualti Toplulugu
Dikili Dalis Merkezi

Name Sirri Özsen

Tel: 0532-297 4595
Denizköy Sahil Yolu
Çandarli / Izmir
Instructor Email

Please note the owner does not check his emails on regular basis as he often lives on the boat. If you want to make arrangements before you go let us know and we will contact him for you.

Important Notes:

If you intend to dive on holiday then visit your GP before you go to rule any pre-existing medical conditions that may make it unsafe for you.

You should also ensure you are covered on your holiday insurance as your policy may be invalidated if you do not.

We also recommend that first time divers take a pool lesson in their country of origin before attempting a dive in the open sea. This will ensure that you comfortable with the apparatus and the concept of being un-water.

What you will need

Medium Sized Frying Pan

Ingredients

5 eggs
1 onion finely chopped
3 tomatoes (finely chopped skins on)
Mature hard cheese (ie parmesan or Cheddar)

Optional

the below ingredients can be used to improve flavour or make the dish suitable as a lunch/supper snack

1 pepper finely chopped (optional)
garlic (optional)
Spicy beef sausage (optional0 in non muslim countries pork can be used and sausages such as chirizo or salami are ideal)
Fresh Basil

Pour a little olive oil in the pan and fry the tomatoes onions and any of the optional ingredients until soft. Crack the eggs and there you can turn the heat down low and cook them until hard set or you can scramble the mixture which takes less time. I prefer to eat them whole and hardset with a soft yolk but the heat will need to be low enough not to burn the bottom. When nearly cooked grate the cheese and wait until melted. Serve with crusty bread.

Traditionally served still in the frying pan in the middle of the table and the diners use crusty bread and forks to eat the mememen from the central location.

Biber Dolmas (Stuffed Turkish Pepper)

1 large or 2 ripe tomatoes skinned

200g Mince beef

1 tsp tomato puree
2 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon cumin

Sprinkle of cumin seeds
salt and pepper to taste
mint, chopped
8 green peppers

Fry the mince and onions for 10 minutes then add garlic, salt pepper, cumin power/seeds, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, mint and rice.

Cut top of peppers and remove core and seeds. Stuff with mince and rice mixture leaving room for rice to expand.  Replace tops.  Put upright in a pot and fill with salted water until ¾ of the pepper is covered. Cover with a lid and simmer slowly for 1 hour.

This region is rich in thermal springs and no trip to Turkey would be complete with a a mud bath. All of the following Thermal areas and the Mud Bath are within 40 minutes drive of the Villa.The most famous is recommended by Cleopatra herself so read on.

Zeytindali

Set amid a beautiful rural view and just 4km from Dikili this thermal spa is hard to beat. With restaurants landscaped gardens even if you were not participating in a dip we would still recommend it.

Zeytin Dali Private Pool

The thermal spas themselves consist of a totally private area for your group including a private pool of natural hot spring water, sleep quarters, a garden and toilet and shower. This trip in our opinion is one of the must do’s during your stay in Dikili.

Natural Spring in Dikili

Güzellik (Beauty) Spa:

This spa, which is 4km away from Bergama, has a dome and two marble pools. It is said that this spa is set during the period of Eumenes, the king of Bergama. It has been famous with the name of “Eskülap Baths” for centuries. Today the spa is in a woody area, and there is a hotel and chalets run by the municipality. It was restorated in 1986 and became more modern.

Temperature of its water is 35C. It contains sodium bicarbonate and sulfate. There is a high radioactivityi in the water. It is curative for rheumatism, nephralia heart diseases. I also has a beautifying effect on oily and sborrheic skins. It is said that Cleopatra visited Bergama and had a bath here and became beautiful.

Thermal Spa in a cave near Dikili Turkey

Nebiler Thermal Bath

The Nebiler hot springs are 4km on the right of the Dikili-Ayvalik highway. The water temperature is between 55 and 75 degrees. There are enough facilities to serve the needs of the area Hidroacetate ion is found in the water. The baths are said to be beneficial for painful condition and skin diseases.

he Bademli Thermal Bath

It is 15 km. away from Dikili and the water temperature is 41C. It contains arsenic and Hidroacetate.

Recommended: Kaynarca Mud

The Kaynarca Mud is found 10 km. east of Dikili. There are accommodation facilities around it. It is a swamp with rushes and reefs, which has boiling hot waters in the centre. It is good for curing skin and gynecological diseases and is also good for painful conditions.

Mahmudiye Thermal Bath

These baths are high in sodium and used by the villagers as washing water. It is stated that they are beneficial for the skin diseases.

Pascha Thermal Bath

Located 15 km North of Pergamon. There are tents and huts for visitors. The water is beneficial for painful conditions such as Chronic Rheumatism, stomach problems, diabetes. The water is also said to be good for the pains of old age, kidney problems and gynaecological diseases.

Geyiklida Thermal Bath

There are not any accommodation places around the thermal-bath that stands between the Pergamon and Kozak Bucak center. For that reason the people who live closer to the region use the hot and sulphured water of this thermal which is especially useful for chronic inflammations syndromes; and chronic inflammations of upper respiratory system.

THE DEREKÖY THERMAL BATH

This thermal bath, which is found about 15 m. East of the Altinova (Ayazment) sub-district that is on the west of Pergamon. Its waters are good for curing people in pain.

THE HAYDAR THERMAL BATH

It is situated in the Ilica Village which is tied to the sub-district of Kozak, which is on the north of Pergamon. There is only one bath remaining from the Roman period. The hot and sulphuric waters are good for the painful illnesses, stomach and skin diseases.

Çandarli Castle is one of the best-preserved castles in Turkey. Built in the 13th &14th century it was restored in 1995. Some vases and small pieces of other art works that were found in the excavations (Pitane) are exhibited in the Bergama Archaeological Museum. The castle has five towers, constructed in the Ottoman period on the Hellenistic foundations. Dominating the sea to the west, it was restored during the reign of Mahmut II and recently by the Department of Antiquities.

Candarli Genonese Fortress Description

To the north of this castle lies a site, now called Tuzla or Terazi, where the statue of a Kouros (V.cent.B.C.) was discovered by chance in the winter of 1958 (9). The excavations conducted here by the Ankara University brought to light a large necropolis, containing thousands of funeral urns and belonging to the VIIth and VIth centuries BC Some of these finds are exhibited now at the Pergamon Museum and some others at the museums of izmir and Istanbul.

Candarli Coastline

The favourite deity of Pitane was Zeus Ammon and the emblem of the city was the pentagram, as shown on the coins dating from the IV.th century BC.

Pitane became, like Elaea, a harbour-city of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period. According to Strabo (XIII,I.67),it had two natural harbours. The one to the west was sheltered by a mole, the remains of which may still be seen in the sea.

Pitane was known as the birthplace of the philosopher Arcesilaus (316-241 BC) (10). The ancient authors, such as Strabo (XIII, 614) claimed that bricks which floated in water were made at Pitane; but no specimens survive today.

Some remains of the city-wall, about 2.5 meters thick, which followed the coastline of the peninsula, are preserved here and there. Of the other monuments of Pitane, only the site of a theatre and a stadium to the south can be recognized.

We recommend that you also see the Genoese fortress in Candarli, which is one of the best-preserved in Turkey.

Interesting links on Candarli

UFO’s in Candarli click here

Bergama is second only to Ephesus in terms of historic sites to see Turkey. We would definitely recommend at least 2 days, one to see the sites, and one to visit the Museum.

The following Link will take you to a site giving you information about Bergama. Click
here