Kayaköy

Kayaköy, located 8 km south of Fethiye, is a region frequently visited by travelers. It was built on the ancient Greek city of Karmylassos. Today, Kayaköy, known as a ghost town, has become the homeland of people living in peace with its deep history. It has a melancholic story. After the population exchange, in the early years of the Turkish Republic, Greeks and Turks exchanged places in this region. To the south of the city center of Kayaköy, there are the remains of a Greek settlement that dates from the late Ottoman Empire to the second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century.

When the nearby town of Makri was destroyed by an earthquake in 1856 and then by a fire in 1885, its residents moved here. There are ancient settlement remains in Kayaköy and its surroundings. The monumental tombs in the Gökçeburun district of Kayaköy date back to the 4th century BC. The untouched nature and serene atmosphere of Kayaköy make it a center of attraction, especially for the affluent. Due to its proximity to many places such as Gemiler Bay, Ölüdeniz, Gemiler Island, and coves of the Mediterranean, the number of pensions in Kayaköy is quite high.

The Turks who came to the region preferred to live in the plains rather than on the hills like the Greeks. About 400 residences in the region were abandoned due to natural causes, making it look like an abandoned ghost town. Among these 400 structures dating back to the Roman period, there are numerous chapels, two large churches, two fountains, two schools, two windmills, and a customs house. One of the most interesting features of the 50-square-meter two-story Kayaköy houses is that they do not obstruct each other’s view and light.

There are underground cisterns on the first floor to collect rainwater and to lead it down from the roof. One of the largest churches in Kayaköy is Panayia Pirgiotissa, also known as the lower church. The exact date of the construction of the building is unknown. The structure, which was not used for 35 years after the population exchange, was used as a mosque for a while after 1960. During this period, there are icons depicting Jesus and the twelve apostles in this single-nave church. The other large church here is the upper church, known as Taksiryarhis Church. It has suffered considerably more damage than the other one. In the churchyard, there are mosaics made of pebbles with geometric shapes and plant motifs.

When the Greek-Turkish war turned into a population exchange at the end, the idea that each country could claim sole rights over a single religion on the path of ethnicity led to the forced abandonment of the region.

Perhaps those who left from here always carried the hope of returning one day.

And they never returned, the village houses used by the Turks were completely abandoned after the last earthquake.Kayaköy, located 8 km south of Fethiye, is a region frequently visited by travelers. It was built on the ancient Greek city of Karmylassos. Today, Kayaköy, known as a ghost town, has become the homeland of people living in peace with its deep history. It has a melancholic story. After the population exchange, in the early years of the Turkish Republic, Greeks and Turks exchanged places in this region. To the south of the city center of Kayaköy, there are the remains of a Greek settlement that dates from the late Ottoman Empire to the second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century.

When the nearby town of Makri was destroyed by an earthquake in 1856 and then by a fire in 1885, its residents moved here. There are ancient settlement remains in Kayaköy and its surroundings. The monumental tombs in the Gökçeburun district of Kayaköy date back to the 4th century BC. The untouched nature and serene atmosphere of Kayaköy make it a center of attraction, especially for the affluent. Due to its proximity to many places such as Gemiler Bay, Ölüdeniz, Gemiler Island, and coves of the Mediterranean, the number of pensions in Kayaköy is quite high.

The Turks who came to the region preferred to live in the plains rather than on the hills like the Greeks. About 400 residences in the region were abandoned due to natural causes, making it look like an abandoned ghost town. Among these 400 structures dating back to the Roman period, there are numerous chapels, two large churches, two fountains, two schools, two windmills, and a customs house. One of the most interesting features of the 50-square-meter two-story Kayaköy houses is that they do not obstruct each other’s view and light.

There are underground cisterns on the first floor to collect rainwater and to lead it down from the roof. One of the largest churches in Kayaköy is Panayia Pirgiotissa, also known as the lower church. The exact date of the construction of the building is unknown. The structure, which was not used for 35 years after the population exchange, was used as a mosque for a while after 1960. During this period, there are icons depicting Jesus and the twelve apostles in this single-nave church. The other large church here is the upper church, known as Taksiryarhis Church. It has suffered considerably more damage than the other one. In the churchyard, there are mosaics made of pebbles with geometric shapes and plant motifs.

When the Greek-Turkish war turned into a population exchange at the end, the idea that each country could claim sole rights over a single religion on the path of ethnicity led to the forced abandonment of the region.

Perhaps those who left from here always carried the hope of returning one day.

And they never returned, the village houses used by the Turks were completely abandoned after the last earthquake.