KEKOVA

The Place You Want To Live In KEKOVA...

KEKOVA, the pearl of the Mediterranean with its sea, sun, nature and history...

KEKOVA is a paradise on earth where nature and history are united and hundreds of sheep meet in its sea where you can see all the shades of blue.

Our Kekova, which has attracted the attention of millions of tourists for years with its historical ruins and cities worth seeing for thousands of years, also becomes a natural harbor and shelter for yachts with its unique bays where thousands of yachts anchor every year...

We host millions of tourists every year in Üçağız, which is a fishing village with thousands of years old historical ruins located on the seaside in our Kekova, and Kale villages, which are located on the outskirts of the historical Simena castle, which can only be reached by sea...

If you haven´t seen Kekova, if you haven´t visited Kekova, if you haven´t visited its unique bays, if you haven´t witnessed its historical beauties meet with its magnificent nature, if you haven´t swam in its unique waters and looked at its underwater beauties, if you haven´t sat on the historical ruins by the sea and watched the sunset, you can set up a camp by the seaside and cook the fish you caught with your natural means and cook by the fire. If you haven´t raised your glasses and most importantly, you say you have never seen Simena, Batıkşehir, Theimusa, and Aperlai... come at your first opportunity without wasting any more time and discover this beauty that the earth offers us...

When you come to Kekova, do not look for five-star hotels, large sandy beaches, beaches, animations...

The sea, nature, history, rock houses, fireside houses and people are surreal, unbelievably natural like a dream. You may never have even dreamed of such a beauty and life, but when you enter it, it wraps around you as if you have been living here for centuries, and now you feel as if this is the only place you need to live forever. Actually, you´ve come for three days, but you don´t want to break up, one more day... you keep prolonging this surreal beauty..

Kekova, which gives its name to the region, is the largest island in the region. The island of Kekova extends by forming a strait attached to the Anatolian side. On the Anatolian side, there are recesses, protrusions, coves, old city walls buried in the sea, and castle ruins. Inner Island, Toprak Island, Asırlı Island and Kişnali Island are other important islands. The Hot Peninsula and Kekova Island extending parallel to the coast form the Ölüdeniz, which is an inland sea. Kekova Island is also the biggest island of Turkey in the Mediterranean.

The heights in the region extend towards the north. Sloping lands, which start to rise immediately from the coast, suddenly rise with steep slopes after narrow plains and turn into mountains exceeding 550 m. The coasts show a topography of indented bays. Sea transportation to the shores of the region, where land transportation opportunities are limited, is provided by boats. In the geological structure, there are areas covered with miaesen and limestones.

The region, dominated by the Mediterranean vegetation, is covered with maquis and pine trees suitable for the climate type, and is always green. Agricultural activities specific to the region are first-hand farming, olive growing and grain cultivation. Fishing is the main source of livelihood.

In addition to the natural beauties, the richness of ancient and historical artifacts makes the region attractive in terms of archeology tourism. There are small settlements in the region, which was under the influence of the Lycian Civilization and then the Roman Empire for many years. The villages of Üçağız (Theimiusa) and Kale (Simena) are the present-day settlements. In addition to these, the region includes tombs with inscriptions written in Lycian script, Lycian type sarcophagi in the water on the shore, moles and building ruins, a theater carved into the rock inside the medieval castle, rock tombs, water cisterns, a necropolis area consisting of sarcophagi and a small number of rock tombs in the north, in Teimiussa ( Ucagiz) has a rich historical heritage consisting of ancient tombs and a submerged dock. There are also many sunken cities in the region. It is estimated that the place called Tersane on the inner side of Kekova Island is a very old boat building.

There are ancient cities named Aperlai, Sunken City in Kekova, Simena in Kaleköy, Theimussa in Üçağız and Istlada in Gökkaya bay. It is also 2 km from Apollonia Üçağız in Kılıçlı. The cities of Tybertissos in Cevreli are other ancient settlements in the Kekova region. Of these, 365 m. overlooks the Tırmış plain. There are many Lycian type sarcophagi and Lycian rock tombs in the shape of pigeon´s nest in the ancient city of Tyberissos on a high hill. The remains that have survived to the present day are dated to the Hellenistic and Roman ages.

A church was built during the Byzantine period, using the ruins of some buildings on the top of the acropolis and the temple of Apollo in the Doric style in the south. There is the ancient city of Istlada in İnişdibi between Cevreli Kapakli. However, since these small settlements did not have any political activity in the region, they were all united and represented in the Lycian union as a whole.

The apse of a church built during the Byzantine period was found on Kekova Island. In addition, some architectural remains on the island are scattered around. There is no detailed information on this subject since there has not been enough surface research and archaeological excavations here. Today, on the right side of the shipyard bay, there are shops left in the sea, and on the left, some building remains that are not certain. Most likely these are the remains of foundations belonging to the houses.

The large stone blocks belonging to the ancient settlements in the Kekova region, obtained by the method of chipping from the rocks in ancient times, have been used in other cities in the vicinity since the Hellenistic period. In this respect, the remains and finds related to this settlement area, which was an important port in history, have not reached the present day.

Kekova Turkey