Daughter Of The Wind

''If these mountains have a rival, it's the wind;

here the wind rules surpreme''

taken from Sabahattin Ali's poem 'Wind'


When a person believes only in wind, its magical power enables him to elude the past and contemplate the future with hope. So Alacati is a chosen spot where the wind becomes an anonymous sough, caressing the the skin of everyone without distinction. The home of wind, Alacati, is a miniature paradise where the wind views with the gods, becoming synonymous with them. Known in Greek mythology as the home of the wind god, Alacati is a bohemian haven of tranquility for ordinary folk fleeing not only Izmir, but Bodrum as well.

Alacati is one of the oldest towns along the Aegean coast of Turkey, located at the end of turnout from Izmir-Cesme highway with colourful streets, situated on the Izmir peninsula. If you think that you are lost somehow, just raise your head a little to look for the landmarks of Alacati: the old windmills

Walking towards them will take you back to where you have started from:) They are on the top of highest hill that you will notice as soon as enter the town. These windmills (Turkish: Ruzgar degirmeni) in stone were built between 1850-1900. Here is the photo above, from my travel archieve that I've been there for vacation sometime ago, and one of my favourite places in summer.

Alacati is an example in Turkey in wind energy prospects. Turkey's land mass is estimated to have a potential of 55,000 MW in wind energy. Turkey's first Wind Power Plant was set up in Alacati in 1998 which consists of 12 wind machines and 44 turbines. Its total energy production level is 7.2 megawatts.

This unique Aegean town is a monument of perfection where history meets aesthetics through the touch of architecture, while the shore is a must-stop for those who want to dance with the wind and the wave-tossed sea:) I like that feeling very much! And yes, I love Alacati, and especially its windmills!

Colorful Alacati streets
flavored with Anatolian culture

There are numerous stories about the name of this town. According to some, Alacati is the name only for the harbour area which two kilometers from the old town. Some claim that the name for the town was Agrilia, and there is also another name AlacaAt (English: Red Horse) used for the whole area. Their claim based on a story, that the ruler of Alacati had a red horse to ride. When riding the horse, bystanders would refer to him as ''Alacaatli'' (English: The man with the red horse), in time the name was somehow changed to Alacati. The harbour area was the export port of Izmir until the World War II. After the war, somehow the harbour's use declined, since then the bay is now occupied by the windsurfer lovers:)

Oh lets talk about the surfing buffs...

The PWA World Cup-2007, Alacati

One of the world's seven most outstanding coastlines from the standpoint of surfers, Alacati is number-one choice of surfers, such a windsurfers' paradise. See here for PWA-related events in Alacati.




This small ancient village has been famous with its architecture, windmills, local handicrafts, virgin beaches, boutique hotels -take a virtual tour here-, fascinating geography, and the houses, built of cut stone called ''Alacati stone'', that resembles pumice in appearance, have the advantage of being warm in winter and cool in summer. Famous Alacati stone houses as seen above.

Going to be mad as the wind, and in love with this awesome force of nature, at Alacati:)