Battle of the Gediz, near the river, during the Turkish War of Independence
An outpost of Ephesus in ancient Ionia known as Pygela (Πύγελα), the area between the Büyük Menderes (Maeander) and Gediz (Hermos) rivers, the original Neopolis is thought to have been founded on the nearby point of Yılancı Burnu.
The event killed 1,086 people and left 1,260 people wounded and many thousands homeless in Gediz.
The Battle of the Gediz was fought between the Turkish Kuva-yi Milliye forces and the Greek forces near the Gediz River in the city of Gediz.