Seeing images of
ghost towns around the world filled with abandoned buildings recently sparked a
memory.
Last year, when
we visited Fethiye,
a popular resort city along Turkey’s Mediterranean Sea coast, we spent a few
hours exploring the “rock village” of nearby Kayaköy. I promised to share more photos from
our trek and I didn’t, but I am now.
Kayaköy, perched up in the hills outside of Fethiye, is filled with hundreds of abandoned stone
houses, two churches and several chapels in what once was a thriving Greek
village. The village’s roofless buildings stand quietly on the steep hillside,
aging and crumbling, but open to those who like to explore.
Kayaköy, Turkey |
In 1923, Kayaköy, known
as Levissi in Greek, was
abandoned because of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Today, several houses have been restored and
are occupied by local residents.
One of the restored village homes in Kayaköy. |
You’ll also find a few small cafes and restaurants in the
area as well as a pansyion or two if you want to stay the
night.
Exposed to the
elements and the effects of the 1957 earthquake in the area means the buildings
have fallen into ruin. Still, it’s possible to identify certain features such
as staircases, the kitchen area, several chimneys and entryways of the stone
houses.
Former hearth and chimney at one of the homes in Kayaköy. |
I think the sign was referring to the long hike down hill to Ölü Deniz seen at the bottom right. |
Although it saddens me to think about all the residents who
were forced to leave here, Kayaköy
is beautiful in its own way.
And it’s eerily silent
if you can avoid the tourists.
We pretty much
had the village to ourselves during our Sunday hike. When we returned to the otopark, there was a large group of
tourists eating lunch at one of the cafes.
We sat down at a
table and ordered two Efes beer and shared a gözleme. Not a bad way to end a
wonderful morning together before we headed back to Istanbul.
A Turkish woman rolling out fresh dough for our gözleme. |
Kayaköy
Admission: 8 TL
Here’s the
recent article about ghost towns that inspired today’s post: 28
Freaky Ghost Towns You Can Visit on Matador.
You can read
more about Kayaköy
on Turkey’s For Life, written by fellow Turkey bloggers Julia
and Barry, who live in Fethiye.
I've seen these in Greece too! Using old oil containers for flower planters. |
14 comments:
We'll never tire of going to Kayaköy, whether it's to wander through the ruins or to have a village breakfast. you did well to avoid the crowds on a Sunday. Well done! :) Thanks for the mention, too, by the way. :)
@Julia, happy to mention you guys! You've had some great posts about Kayakoy. Great area to explore!
Hi I enjoyed your post and photos especially as I will be pending a week in Kayakoy in September . Hope to take some photos of my own.
Hi Anne, it's a really lovely area. It's easy to take tons of photos esp. if you come across some of the local lambs! Enjoy your trip!
i would love to visit that place. i would love to live there!
@Joyce, great photographs at least. One of the old houses would just take a bit of restoration work! ;-)
Nice post and good photos. Small point. Karmylassos was the name of the Lycian city in the valley [though even that is uncertain]. The Greek name for the ruined town you saw was Levissi
@Dwight, Thanks so much for the correction. The internet is a blessing and a curse at times esp. when it comes to research for things I don't know. I will correct!
Lovely post Joy, brought back so many memories - I was there a few years ago, it is a mesmerising place. It certainly has a soul and you feel it - many thanks for sharing this.
Thanks Ozlem! We really enjoyed our time in Kayaköy. Hope to see you soon!
Very nice post and great photo's. Maybe one day when in Turkey I'll visit....Love the oil cans...my Greek neighbour has a few. She plants her herbs in them.
We lived in the Kaya Valley for 6 years and I got to know the ruins and pathways around the area fairly well. You're right about the donkeys and goats being led up the paths.You'll notice that, as you climb the paths to the top of the hill, the houses become larger and slightly less crowded together. The more affluent lived in the higher houses and were able to take advantage of the slightly cooler and clearer air.
@Kaya Koyu Walker, Thanks so much for your detailed information. I didn't realize that about Kaya. And how wonderful you got to explore the village and the Lycian trail nearby. It's really a lovely area!
Post a Comment