Dating back to the 11th century BC, Foça is located in the region of the ancient city of Phokaia (Foça), an important Ionian city. Archaeological excavations show that the region has been inhabited for at least 5000 years. One of the most important archaeological heritages of Foça is the Temple of Athena, the oldest Ionian Temple discovered to date, built in place of the Temple of Cybele in the centre of the natural harbour of Foça.
Foça became a Genoese trading colony in the 13th century and its well-preserved fortifications from this period led to its inclusion in the Unesco provisional world heritage list in 2013.
The walls of Foça are actually a mixture of sections from the Ionian, Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods, some of which have been carefully restored using the same construction techniques as the original builders.
