Home to the Ödemiş kebab Population: 85,200
Market day: Saturday
Favourite son: Şükrü Saracoğlu (5th president of Turkey)
Ödemis is not an obvious destination for casual travellers who are mostly likely to transit it en route from Tire to Birgi. However, with a couple of hours to spare it has three small museums to visit plus a fine 19th-century mosque.
The Saturday market is one of the biggest in the region with stalls spreading out into almost every side street.
Around town
The centre of Ödemiş is Hurriyet Meydanı which is marked by a statue of one of the efes (heroes) who fought for Turkey during the War of Independence (1919-22). Behind it is the imposing Merkez Gürgüzade Camii (1811) with a wonderful elegantly carved wooden ceiling and a mimber to match as well as some interesting frescoes. It shares the courtyard with a neat little porticoed library. Both reuse columns and capitals perhaps filched from Hypaepa,
Surrounding the mosque is a rambling and interesting market where you can see old-fashioned yorgancıs (quiltmakers) at work.
Follow the signs to find the ÖYKAM Museum. ÖYKAM stands for Ödemiş Yıldız Kenti Arşivı ve Müzesi (Yıldız City Archive and Museum) and you’ll find a state-of-the-art ethnography museum housed inside a fine 19th-century mansion that started life as the Kececi Han (Goat-Sellers’ Han) and then went on to house the Yıldız Oteli which, in its heyday, hosted Prime Minster Adnan Menderes and the singer Zeki Muren. By the time the decision was made to save it it had descended into a dosshouse.
Now the museum has rooms covering many aspects of local life and history, including one that commemorates the lost local tobacco-making industry (the factory now houses the local vocational high school) and another that shows an old barber’s shop.
A cafe is housed in a courtyard overlooked by the galleries of the han.
As you walk back along the high street (Mithatpaşa Caddesi) from ÖYKAM to the otogar you will pass another magnificent late 19th-century building that used to house the local branch of THK (Türk Hava Kurumu) and is now used by a lively branch of the Kahve Diyarı cafe chain. 
Ödemis also has a more traditional Archaeology Museum (closed Mondays) but it’s about one km out on the road towards Birgi (buses pass it). Here you’ll find archaeological finds from nearby Hypaepa as well as some exceptionally fine embroideries and costumes donated by a local collector.
Not far from the statue of the efe a third museum (closed Mondays) is dedicated to reminders of the Ödemiş-born folk singer, Bedia Akartürk.
Sleeping
Çiftçi Otel Mithatpaşa Caddesi, Tel: 0232-545 5874
Transport info
As of April 2014 Ödemiş’ otogar was still beside the station in the town centre but a new site was being prepared for it and is likely to be a good deal less convenient. The main intercity bus station is out on the Tire road.
There are frequent bus services to İzmir (80km), Tire (30km) and Birgi (9km). A few buses also serve Salihli and Aydın. Check the times carefully – the last bus to Salihli (for Sardis) leaves at 3pm and is very oversubscribed on Saturdays when the market is in town.
Ödemiş train station provides connections to İzmir.
Day trip destinations
Hypaepa (Günlüce)
