Cayster River (or Küçük Menderes, "Little Maeander") is located south of ?zmir, Turkey. The Cayster generally flows westward and arrive into the Aegean Sea at Pamucak beach near Selçuk, ?zmir. The ancient city of Ephesus was once an important port on the Cayster, but with overgrazing and climate change over the centuries, sedimentation gradually filled in the inlet around the city. The coastlines moved seaward and the ruins of Ephesus are now some 5 miles inland from the coast.
The tributaries are the Fertek, Ulad?, Il?ca, De?irmen, Akta?, Rahmanlar, Prinçci, Yuval?, Ceriközkayas?, E?ridere, Birgi, Çevlik and Keles.