Güvercinada Castle, Kuşadası

Overview

At the mouth of Kuşadası Bay, a causeway runs out from the harbor to a small green island. A castle stands on it. This is Güvercinada, Pigeon Island, and the castle that guards the port.

The Story of Güvercinada Castle

Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa built an inner castle here. Later, during the Morea Revolt, İlyas Ağa raised the walls around it. They guarded the port against attacks from the islands and the sea. A four-line inscription on the north tower is dated 1242 of the Hijri calendar, 1826. Above the gate, an empty space suggests an older inscription once stood there.

What to See

The walls are about 3 m high, built of stone from Yılancıburnu. At the south gate, two towers stand side by side: a pentagonal one to the north and a round one to the south. In 2026, Türkiye added a serial nomination of Genoese trading posts and forts to its UNESCO tentative list. This castle is one of its ten sites.

The Old Town Gate and the Caravanserai

Back on the mainland, the Kale Kapısı, the South Gate of the 17th-century town walls, is one of the symbols of Kuşadası. Inside it, the municipality runs the Necati Korkmaz Micro Miniature Art Center and Museum, with more than 40 tiny works. A local belief says that whoever passes under the gate can never leave Kuşadası. Near the harbor, the caravanserai that Grand Vizier Öküz Mehmet Paşa built in 1618, also called the Kurşunlu Han, has two storeys of arcaded rooms around a courtyard.

How to Visit Güvercinada Castle

The causeway starts just west of the harbor, a short walk from the cruise port. End a day at Ephesus here. Or make it your first walk in Kuşadası.

Coming to Kuşadası on a cruise or for a few days? Ship or hotel, send us your times, and we will plan Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and Şirince with an hour left for the harbor. See our Ephesus shore excursion, our tailor-made trips and our Kuşadası guide.