Geyre


Geyre is a small town in the District of Karacasu, Aydın Province, Turkey. Also known as Yeni koy, it was relocated around 1960, from over the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias archeological site to a new location nearby.
It is about 230 km south-east of İzmir, and about 100 km inland/east from the coast. of the Aegean Sea As of 2010, it had a population of 956 people.

History

Previously called Ninoé, Aphrodisias, and Stravopolis in the ancient Caria region, the Turkish village of "Old Geyre" emerged by the late 18th century CE when settlers were attracted to the area due to fertile soil and plentiful water. It is a settlement which was developed over the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias. Aphrodisias was established in the 4th century BCE.

Relocation

The new village of Geyre was relocated from the "Old Geyre" location, and built by the Turkish government c. 1960, due to earthquake threats to its stone dwellings, and to protect the rediscovered archeological site and antiquities of a Bronze Age settlement, ancient Greek and Roman Aphrodisias, and Byzantine Stravopolis.
The village was relocated when excavations began again on the ruins of Aphrodisias.