• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Istanbul
  • Cappadocia
  • Mediterranean
  • Aegean
  • Black Sea
  • Other Places
Turkish Travel Blog

Turkish Travel Blog

Turkish People, Culture, History, and Places inTurkey

  • Culture and Traditions
  • Food and Drink
  • History
  • Travel Tips
  • Living in Turkey
  • About Turkey
    • About the Blog
    • Advertising
    • Contact

Soke – A Town On The Aegean Coast of Turkey

by Natalie

Soke is not a tourist town and does not seem to be in a rush to make itself one. It is on the Aegean coast of Turkey and is a short drive from the holiday resorts of Altinkum and Kusadasi. Alternatively, you could visit there if you are on your way to Izmir, Ephesus or Selcuk as Soke has a major bus station which is a stopover point for many people traveling by bus.

I have been to Soke many times before but never actually walked around. So on this particular day, I had a four hour wait until my bus arrived and took the opportunity to explore this town that I had taken for granted for nearly seven years.

By the way, If you do visit Soke then I recommend spending a day there but not a night. There are only three hotels and they are used by ladies of the night or men that are playing away from home.

Spending a Day in Soke

Having walked around for the day, my impression of Soke has changed. It is a town that is stuck between two eras. I spotted a horse drawn cart in the town. If you buy items from a shop and cannot carry them, they will call the owner of the cart who turns up, loads the items onto the cart, and delivers you and your purchases to your house. You simply pay him a small fee.

Work horses of soke

Of course, I am a sucker for animals and immediately went over and asked if I could take pictures. “No problem” says the man who is sitting there without a care in the world. As I am taking pictures, he suddenly jolts and stands up quickly. His mobile phone is ringing.

He answers it, mutters a few words, puts it back into his pocket and then explains to me that he has to dash. A customer is waiting. After watching the cart pull out onto the main road, I then watched a Mercedes Benz which was coming up behind him; reduce his speed so that he would not frighten the horse.

work horse soke

If you go to the old part of Soke then you will find old stone houses that have been there for three generations at least.  The toilet is in the courtyard but you cannot miss the unit for the remote control air conditioning or the satellite dish placed on the roof.

soke turkeyIn the main town of soke, I also found an old tomb that I never knew was there.  I knew the tomb belonged to someone with status though, as it was in a mini building. Apparently in years gone by, all the coffins of influential people of the town were placed in this area. All of them have been removed and placed in graveyards apart for this one person. Trying to find out information about who it is though, has been near enough impossible. If you know, please tell me.

tomb in soke

So what is Soke famous for?

1  Army base. Lots of youngsters from outside of Soke will head there to complete their compulsory national service of 15 months.

2 Cotton fields. Travel through at the height of summer and you will see white fields for as far as the eye can travel. The modern farmer will have an automatic cotton picking tractor. The other farmers will give jobs to the many people that flock from the East and set up home on the road side. Likely hood is that many of your cotton clothes and products bought in the western world, started off in one of the many cotton fields of Soke.

3 Brand name factories. After cotton, Soke is also famous for its factories which employ a large number of people in the town. Levis, Nike, Adidas and for all those hungry shoppers there is a McDonalds or Starbucks.

4  The Wednesday market. A big market that attracts local from surrounding towns and tourists from the surrounding holiday resorts of Altinkum and Kusadasi.

5  Çöp sis which is pronounced chirp shish. This is cubed lamb or beef on skewers, served with salad, grilled tomato and onion. On the roads going out of Soke there are dozens of places that serve only Çöp sis

Overall, Soke is well worth a visit if you want to experience Turkey which is untouched by tourism. Expect to see two different world blended into one.

Aegean coast soke

soke aegean coast

town of soke

Save

Pin24
Share50
Tweet
Share
74 Shares

Filed Under: Aegean Coast

Hi. I'm Natalie, a freelance travel blogger and writer specializing in the country of Turkey. I love hot summer days, historical sites and coffee. Read More…

Primary Sidebar

istanbul tourist pass

Search This Website

Popular Posts

Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul : Last Days of the Ottoman EmpireDolmabahce Palace in Istanbul : Last Days of the Ottoman Empire49K Total Shares
The Colourful Wooden Mosque of MaralThe Colourful Wooden Mosque of Maral6K Total Shares
Santa Claus and His Life in TurkeySanta Claus and His Life in Turkey5K Total Shares
Sanliurfa (Urfa) : The City of Abraham in TurkeySanliurfa (Urfa) : The City of Abraham in Turkey4K Total Shares
The Serene House of the Virgin MaryThe Serene House of the Virgin Mary3K Total Shares
Ottoman Intrigue at Topkapi Palace in IstanbulOttoman Intrigue at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul3K Total Shares

Footer

Everything Else

  • Blog Sitemap
  • GDPR, Privacy and Cookies
  • Terms of Use and Disclaimer

Of Interest

  • About Us
  • Advertising and PR
  • Map of Turkey

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright @2023 - Turkish Travel Blog

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT