LEYLA FİGEN

Alaçatı has always existed. But even in the mid-90s, it was a town where only a handful of people lived, that no one knew, and was quiet. Only surfers knew this place. And they didn't know the inside of the village, but the windy shores. Then something happened.

Alaçatı always existed. But even in the mid-90s, it was a quiet town where only a handful of people lived, that no one knew. Only surfers knew this place. They didn’t know the inside of the village, but its windy shores.
Then something happened. A flower arrangement artist from İzmir fell in love with this town when she first came to it. She loved the stone houses in Alaçatı, the streets where people sat on the thresholds of their houses, and where natural life was lived to the fullest. Her husband said to Şevki Figen, another important figure in İzmir, “I admired this place, let’s buy a stone house and settle down.” She convinced the man who was the greatest love of her life. They first bought a tiny house. As planned, Leyla Figen brought stonemasons and restored an ancient stone house. Then, she liked the stone feed store right across from her house and turned it into a cafe called Agrilia (meaning tender olive sapling in Greek). Thus, Agrilia, which inspired everyone, was opened. Leyla Figen founded the Alaçatı Protection and Beautification Association with her husband Şevki Figen, and played the leading role in many social events. Then, Leyla Hanım encouraged her close friend Zeynep Öziş to revive a 120-year-old Greek Mansion in one year, and the first hotel in Alaçatı; Taş Otel was opened. Agrillia and Taş Otel were pioneers. Then, over time, those who wanted to escape from Istanbul and live their lives in the second spring of their lives or in the spring of their lives began to move to this tiny town one by one. With this tiny miracle woman; life in Alaçatı started again from where it had frozen. That woman was Leyla Figen. Leyla left us on October 17, 2002.