Kula is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, east of Izmir. It has a remarkable historic quarter and a remarkable volcanic area in its outskirts known since antiquity as the "burnt land", recognized by UNESCO as a global geopark.
As of Jan 2023, Kula is getting a massive facelift; its historic buildings are being restored, visitor centres being built, and streets getting a much needed maintenance, perhaps in anticipation of emulating the tourism success stories of the towns elsewhere in the country with a similar level of historic preservation. A visit in the following years would likely be far more enjoyable.
Kula is strung along D300/E96, the main highway from Izmir into Anatolia. Izmir is 145 km west, while Uşak is 75 km east.
The rail line bypasses Kula to its south. The nearest station is in Alaşehir, 30 km away.
The streets in Kula are narrow — those in the old town prohibitively so — poorly maintained and poorly signposted, so it's best to park your car wherever looks suitable, and explore the town on foot. For the outlying sites, you'll need your own wheels.
The historic centre, signposted Tarihi Kula Evleri, is 1 km north of the highway, accessed from the turn-off with traffic lights. The bazaar area 📍 is a collection of rows of one- or two-storey shops on a grid, with a renovated and pedestrianized high street. Unlike the similarly preserved historic towns in Turkey, it hasn't succumbed to tourist tat, and is a fully traditional bazaar serving the agricultural hinterland. The old town 📍 is on a gently rising hillside to the east. The architecture is typically Ottoman — two-storey houses with jettied upper floors hanging over labyrinthine alleys, and roofs from the opposite sides of the alleys almost touching each other (known here as öpüşen çatılar, "the kissing roofs") — but scattered bits of neo-classical influence, Greek inscriptions, Orthodox Christian insignia, and a renovated church suggest the area had a significant Greek presence. As of Jan 2023, most of the buildings here are either abandoned and derelict or under restoration, so there isn't any real attraction worth specifically seeking out for. Freely explore at will.
Ancients knew the extensive volcanic area in the outskirts as Katakekaumene, and the present locals as Yanıkyöre, both meaning "the burnt land". It had successive spells of volcanic activity, from a million years ago to 10–12,000 years ago most recently. As of Jan 2023, none of the sites require an admission fee, but for natural hazard prevention reasons you may need to register your arrival in the entry posts if they are manned.
Fairy Chimneys 📍 (Peribacaları) are a series of hoodoo formations also known as Kuladokya, "Kula's Cappadocia", 18 km east of the town and 1 km off the highway. The most interesting views are 1 km along, and there is a hiking trail in the valley bottom, allowing a closer look to some of the formations.
Kula Divlit 📍 is a volcano cone 5 km northeast of the town and 2 km off the highway, but signposting beyond the turn-off is erratic. You can also access there via Divlit Cd from northeast of the old town, but this approach is equally badly signposted. As of Jan 2023, a visitors' centre is being built, so until it opens, the best idea is to drive the dirt but passable track to take in the scenery, mostly barren and black — it's astonishing how an event happened thousands years ago can impact the present day so profoundly. Otopark A is the first lay-by, with a gazebo on a higher ground offering views of the main and a large number of satellite cones. A hiking trail, developed by clearing volcanic debris, heads about 3 km north from here; its final stretch is a plankway over a lava field. Otopark B is a little more than another km up the road, with another trail; this one claims to be good for cycling, but its surface is full of sharp rocks.
Sandal Divlit 📍 is another volcano cone, 11 km west of the town and 3 km off the highway, past the village of Sandal — the signposts are helpful but inadequate. Take the direction to Yunus Emre at the fork before plunging into the village centre; if you miss it, the word to ask for directions is yanardağ, literally "burning mountain", but divlit is also acceptable. The vegetation has fared better here; the general area is agricultural, and part of the scoria cone is covered by a pine forest — indeed, scientists consider the area a living lab to understand the plant succession under volcanic conditions better. An elevated plankway steeply climbs through the forest up to the caldera rim; signs advice against accessing it when wet for good reason.
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