Back along the coast, Kusadasi, or Bird Island, is a lovely port built along the shores of a glittering bay. The terraced town overlooks the most beautiful inlet of the Aegean and seems to have been createct purely for the delight of the holiday-maker.
The province's capital, also called Aydin, enjoys a widespreact reputation for its fine figs. Known as Tralleis in ancient times, it was at the center of a celebrated sculpture school. The remains seen today date from the second century A.D. After 1186 the town came under Seljuk rule, and the local museum displays artifacts from the different periods of its history.