title: Erdek
text: Erdek (formerly known as Artàke, ) is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 307 km2, and its population is 31,902 (2022). Located on the Kapıdağ Peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Erdek at the south of the Sea of Marmara, Erdek is a popular domestic holiday destination with several hotels dating back to the 1960s. The surrounding area has a rugged geology and topography with evergreen wooded areas and large olive groves. It is dominated by Mt Dindymus (782m).
  
  In the summer ferries travel from Erdek to Avşa Adası, one of the Marmara Islands in the Sea of Marmara. The harbour overlooks tiny Zeytinlik island where there is a research station devoted to olives.
  
  History
  
  During the Hittite era it was known as Artukka. Later it became a colony of Miletus. Together with other Greek cities, it took part in the Ionian Revolt against the Persian Empire, but was burnt by the Persians; it seems unlikely that it was rebuilt in ancient times since Strabo does not mention it. In the Roman period it was known as Artace. After the abandonment of nearby Cyzicus, the town was re-inhabited in the early Middle Ages. In the late 7th century, it briefly hosted a Cypriot refugee population including the island's archbishop, and was known as Nova Justiniana.
  
  During the Ottoman period, Erdek was the centre of the Sanjak of Karasi. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82–1893, the kaza of Erdek had a total population of 33,007, consisting of 29,165 Greeks, 3,070 Muslims, 300 Jews, 18 Armenians and 454 foreign citizens.
  
  In the 1960s, before Bodrum and Marmaris became popular vacation spots, Erdek was a fashionable holiday resort for Istanbul residents. The Pinar Oteli was the most popular place to stay then and is still in business today.
  
  Composition
  There are 28 neighbourhoods in Erdek District:
  
   Alaaddin
   Aşağıyapıcı
   Atatürk
   Balıklı
   Ballıpınar
   Belkıs
   Çakılköy
   Çeltikçi
   Doğanlar
   Halitpaşa
   Hamamlı
   Harmanlı
   İlhanköy
   Karşıyaka
   Kestanelik
   Narlı
   Ocaklar
   Ormanlı
   Paşalimanı
   Poyrazlı
   Sahil
   Şahinburgaz
   Tatlısu
   Turan
   Tuzla
   Yalı
   Yukarıyapıcı
   Zeytinli
  
  Twin towns — sister cities
  Erdek is twinned with:
  
   Otranto, Italy since 2001
  
  See also
   Erdek Naval Base
   Nea Artaki, Greece
  
  References
  
  External links
  Erdek Otelleri
  About Erdek Erdek, restaurant,otel,maps,motel,information content.
  Erdek Tourism Tourism page with interactive map and panorama videos.
  Erdek Oteller Pansiyonlar
  Erdek Hotel
  
   
  Seaside resorts in Turkey
  Populated places in Balıkesir Province
  Districts of Balıkesir Province
  Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey
  Port cities of the Sea of Marmara
  Fishing communities in Turkey
  Populated coastal places in Turkey
  Members of the Delian League
  Former Greek towns in Turkey
  Milesian colonies
  Greek colonies in Mysia