The area has been a centre of art and culture since some of the earliest recorded history, and has been settled by many civilizations since being founded by the Leleges people in 3000 BC.

An outpost of Ephesus in ancient Ionia, known as Pygela (Πύγελα) was located in the area between the Büyük Menderes (Maeander) and Gediz (Hermos) rivers.

The Roman Empire took possession of the coast in the 2nd century BC and made it their provincial capital[7] in the early years of Christianity.

Saint John the Evangelist and (according to Roman Catholic sacred tradition) the Virgin Mary both came to live in the area, which in the Christian era became known as "Ania".

As Byzantine, Venetian and Genoese shippers began to trade along the coast, the port was re-founded (by the name of Scala Nova or Scala Nuova, meaning "New Port"), a garrison was placed on the island, and the town centre shifted from the hillside to the coast.

The city had a Jewish population as early as 1307, when a number of Jews were expelled from Scala Nova to Smyrna.

However, in the 19th century, trade began to decline in favor of other nearby cities with the opening of the İzmir-Selçuk-Aydın railway, which bypassed Kuşadası.

The Turkish forces led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk eventually gained control of the city on September 7, 1922.

This also includes the hotel and bar staff, construction workers, and drivers who are required to work in/for the restaurants and other services accommodating these visitors.

Kuşadası caters to tourists arriving by land, or from the port for cruise ship passengers heading to Ephesus.

In a controversial deal in 2003[citation needed], the previously public-owned port was leased to a private company and renovated to attract luxury cruise liners.

[21] The football teams of the local sports clubs Kuşadasıspor and Kuşadası Yıldız Fenerspor, which compete in the Turkish Regional Amateur League, play their home matches in the Özer Türk Stadium.