Description
These contacts fostered relationships of mutual respect with the Municipal Authority of Alaya and with many philhellene residents.
This long trajectory of cooperation led to the official twinning of Nea Ionia and Alaya on 13 May 2001, during the mayoralties of G. Pertsemlidis and Ch. Sipahioglou respectively, and under the presidency of the Association’s Leonidas Tsismetzoglou, with the contribution of Kostas Tsompanakis. The twinning became a foundation for systematic cultural initiatives and for highlighting the shared historical memory of the two cities.
Already in 1989 the Association had begun video recording and documenting the Greek quarter within the Castle, creating a valuable archive of digital evidence. In 1993 it honoured long-standing members and donors for their contribution to preserving heirlooms, photographs, oral testimonies, and customs of the Alayan tradition.
Within the framework of relations developed with the Church of Pisidia, the Association contributed to the purchase of the Church of Saint Alypios, to the restoration of the historic Church of Saint George of the Hill, and to the free allocation of a plot of land by the Municipality of Alanya for the construction of the Church of Panagia Pissidiotissa—the first church built in Asia Minor after 1922.
In parallel, an icon of Saint George was placed in the Alanya Museum by the Association, while two olive trees were planted on the city’s seafront, with a marble inscription reading “IONIA,” as a permanent symbol of friendship.
As part of the twinning, in cooperation with the Municipality of Nea Ionia, the Association has for decades hosted delegations of children from Alaya, organising educational and cultural activities that promote peace, dialogue, and intercultural coexistence.
