The Inner Caria Trail is a 206.2-kilometer hiking route connecting the districts of Karpuzlu, Koçarlı, and Söke within the borders of Aydın. Along the route, travellers pass through stops such as Tütünlük, Alinda, and Orta, encountering the historical and geographical richness of the region.
Alinda, one of the significant stops on the route, is an ancient Carian city located in the upper parts of the Karpuzlu district center in Aydın. Featuring large-scale city ruins and a landscape overlooking the Karpuzlu Plain, Alinda's history traces back to the 14th century BC. Known as Ialanti during the reign of Hittite Emperor Mursilis II, the settlement paid taxes to the Delian League in the 5th century BC.
Alinda was the fortress held by the exiled Carian Queen Ada, who welcomed Alexander the Great here in 334 BC. When Alexander captured Caria, he granted Ada the authority to rule the entire region. Briefly renamed Alexandria by the Latmos, the city resumed the name Alinda by 81 BC at the latest. Functioning as an important trading city that minted its own coins from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD, Alinda hosts a necropolis with Carian tombs, a Roman aqueduct, a market place, a 5.000-seat Roman theater, temples, sarcophagus ruins, and an old stadium.