RELIVING THE PAST KAYAKÖY
The former Greek village of Kayaköy makes a
striking impression on visitors, with its stone houses and churches,
narrow streets, and spectacular setting. To get to Kayaköy
in southwestern Turkey, take the road from Fethiye towards Ölüdeniz
lagoon, and when you reach Hisarönü follow the signposts
to Karymlassos. Five kilometres further on you will see a steep
hillside covered with the ruins of stone houses. Each is positioned
so that it does not cut off the sun or view of the other.
The earliest remains in Kayaköy belong to the Lycian city of
Karymlassos, and Kayaköy was established on this ancient site
in the 11th century according to some sources, and the 14th century
according to others. The 17th century Turkish writer Evliya Çelebi
tells us that the Greek name of the town was Levissi. Kayaköy
was a prosperous place until 1912, with a population of 6500, churches,
schools, pharmacy, hospital, post office, workshops, and even a
printing house producing the Karya newspaper, which had the widest
circulation in the southern Aegean region.
Anatolian Greeks never wasted fertile land by building
on it, instead choosing rocky sites for their homes, and Kayaköy
is a typical example. The two churches, Panaghia Pyrgiotissa in
the lower part of the village and Taksiyarhis in the upper part,
are still standing, but the around two thousand stone houses, chapels,
workshops, schools, hospital, library and other buildings have not
resisted the passage of time so well. Nonetheless, the paved roads
and squares, and in the houses, the stone hearths, unusual lavatories
reached by spiralling passages, cisterns and pebbled flooring give
a clear impression of what the village must have been like a century
ago.
Pioneered by the Chamber of Architects and the Turkish-Greek
Friendship Association, a project was launched in 1988 to restore
Kayaköy as a symbol of peace and friendship between Turkey
and Greece. The project won the support of the Ministry of Public
Works, and Kayaköy was declared a grade three urban and archaeological
conservation area.
In addition to its historic interest, Kayaköy’s
environs are ideal for wide range of sporting activities, including
trekking, parachuting, jeep safaris, mountain climbing, scuba diving
and sailing. Several marked footpaths around the village lead to
nearby bays and scenic walks along the winding coast. For those
seeking an adventurous day out, jeeps can be hired from Fethiye
to explore the unsurfaced roads around the Gulf of Fethiye, Kayaköy,
and from there to Kelebekler Vadisi (Butterfly Valley) and the bay
of Kabak, ending up at Mount Babadag, whose summit commands a breathtaking
view over the entire area. All the way the roads pass through pine
forests.
If you happen to have your paraglider with you, the flight down
from Babadag is one of the most memorable in the world. This mountain
soars almost sheer from the shore of the Mediterranean up to 2000
metres, and depending on the wind direction, you can glide towards
Ölüdeniz lagoon or Kayaköy. The beaches near Kayaköy
are suitable for swimming most of the year.
If you happen to have your paraglider with you,
the flight down from Babadag is one of the most memorable in the
world. This mountain soars almost sheer from the shore of the Mediterranean
up to 2000 metres, and depending on the wind direction, you can
glide towards Ölüdeniz lagoon or Kayaköy. The beaches
near Kayaköy are suitable for swimming most of the year.
When you climb the narrow streets of Kayaköy
to the chapel at the top of the village, there is a wonderful view
over the abandoned village. From the chapel a pleasant thirty minute
walk takes you to Soguksu, where you can enjoy bathing from empty
beaches encircled by pine trees. To take photographs of Kayaköy
wait for sunset at the chapel on your return journey. As the sun
sinks towards the horizon, the stone houses on the hillside glow
with colour. And if there is a full moon, do not miss the chance
to wander through the ghostly houses of Kayaköy by moonlight!
Having explored Kayaköy take a rest in one
of the cafés in the square, and try some of the delicious
sage tea. Now there is one thing left to do, and that is to hire
a horse from Atçi Nadir and ride to Afkula Church. It does
not matter if you are an inexperienced rider. Nadir’s horses
are well trained, and you will soon get used to them. This church,
built by a monk called Ayios Elefterios, is built on top of steep
cliffs rising from the seashore, and is just as fascinating as the
more renowned Sümela Monastery in Trabzon. Inside the church
is a cistern built between the rocks, where water filtering down
from the mountain into the cistern has formed stalactites.
Exciting progress is being made where restoring
Kayaköy is concerned. The Chamber of Architects and TÜRSAB
have embarked on restoration of the churches, with their stone carving,
stucco reliefs and frescos, and also some of the old houses.
It is hoped to reopen one of the churches for worshippers
when the work is completed, as part of the Anatolia 2000 Religious
Tourism Project. Then Kayaköy will become an important halt
for those making their way from the Church of the Virgin Mary at
Ephesus to the Church of St Nicolas in Demre.
* Faruk Akbas is a photographer
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