General information Urla

The History of Urla
The area was under control of the Persian-Alexander, Roman and Byzantine empires. In this period, the Seljuks, Anatolian Principalities, Anatolian Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire continued, and it was occupied for three years during the First World War.  On September 12, 1922, it entered the administration of the Republic of Turkey.

There are some different stories about how the area got the name Urla. Some say it comes from the Greek and Latin word “Vurla”, which is translated as “Swamp”. Another story is that Ibrahim bey, a commander of the Ottoman Empire named it “Uğurola” translated as lucky. The third story is that the region is named after the daughter of King Kıdafe “Urli” which was later changed to “Urla”.

The district centre is located about 38 kilometres from İzmir. Urla lays about 65 meters above sea level and therefore there is rich vegetation in the area. Olives, nuts, laurel, marquis, myrtle and much other vegetation can be found here. The landscape of Urla contains a lot of small mountains and hills which are covered with forests. It was an important trade centre with olive oil and wine production in ancient times. For these reasons Real Estate in Urla is getting more popular each day. 

Urla entered the status of İzmir Province district in 1867. The first municipality was founded in 1890, with a central municipality, 23 Neighbourhoods and 14 villages. On Friday the local market is held. Back in the days the Village Headman and members of the board were following all local affairs.

Location of Urla
Urla is located 38 kilometres from Izmir, located on the Westside. The Aegean Sea is located on the North side and Seferihisar district on the Southside. The luxurious sea side town Çeşme is located in the west, approximately 30 minutes by car. In 2018, the Address Based Population Registration System Database counted the total population of the district of 66,360. The total population of the area these days is around 70.000 with a total of 721 square km.

Social Life
In the area next to the seaside approximately 4.000 residences are built by wealthy people from Izmir used as second houses. Most of these properties were built in violation of the zoning plans. Urla created a full facility State Hospital in 1986. 

Urla has been able to maintain its original and natural appearance with its magnificent stone buildings and one of the oldest known ports of the Aegean Sea. Urla offers a great gastronomy variety with its famous restaurants of Turkey. Furthermore Urla has plenty of popular vineyards. Urla hosts truly delicious discoveries and experiences.