KEKOVA

information about Kekova

Kekova is the name of a region of fascinating islands, bays and ancient cities. Kekova has a sorely seen attraction a long the shore of the Island a sunken city is observed. The geological movements of the Island caused the city on the Island to be submerged, creating a strange scene with half of the city under water and half above. Teimiussa, Simena are the main Lycian settlements in the area. Kekova is the only area where the flying fish can be watched in this region.

Beyond its cultural features, Kekova shows very significant geological formations, ondulated coastal line, hydrobiological features and scenic beauty of the area form an outstanding quality. It is a remarkable example of cultural continuity, and a living cultural assents as well.

Natural setting of the Kekova Island and the coast in relation with culture creates an outstanding example of natural- cultural property.

Kekova is a unique example of fascinating wonders of art and history and nature all at once.

Kekova dates back to the 5th Century. At that time, Lycia was an important kingdom. King Sarpedon who fought the Trojan War originally belonged to Lycia. Kekova was the seaport of Lycia, connected to the mainland. The Lycians traded extensively with the Greeks. This also made them vulnerable to pirates and so the cities were well fortified. Over the centuries the region was ravaged by a series of earthquakes and the ancient cities were submerged six meters below the sea level. As you cruise down the sea, you can see the ruins of buildings and walls under the water.

Kekova Island and the town of Kale nearby Antalya make an idyllic daytrip for the traveler looking for a combination of sunshine, swimming and fascinating historic ruins. Many operators run trips from Kas but the journey is much shorter from Cayagzi, the harbor of Demre. Along the stony coastline the boatman may stop at a cave, or point out the occasional goat or the smoldering pyramids of wood used by peasants to make charcoal, the product may sit in plastic sacks at the water's edge, waiting to be taken away.

Along the edge of the island facing the mainland lie the fascinating half-submerged remains of a Lycian sunken city, and probably from Byzantine times later on. Signs warn against skin- diving, so you can not swim here because many foreigners in the past took a piece of ancient relics with them as a souvenir. The boatman will allow the passengers on board off for a swim further to the west, where the remains of a Byzantine chapel stand on the beach and where further sunken remains can be explored at ease by the swimmer with mask and snorkel.

A fascinating Lycian necropolis, with chest-type tombs spread out along the coastline, lies at Teimiussa, near the present-day Ucagiz on the mainland across from Kekova. This can also be reached by track from the main road between Kas and Demre, where it is signposted. The boat-tripper may be content with a sea-born view and pass to Kale, the ancient Simena, which sits nearby below the crenellated ramparts of an earlier hilltop Roman castle.

The castle houses a small theater, cut into the rock, for just about 300 people, a sign that this was a minor settlement in Roman times. Down in the harbor the turquoise sea laps at waterside restaurants offering good Turkish food including locally caught fish. A lone Lycian sarcophagus standing in a few centimeters of water at the western side lures visitors to pose beside it for photographs. Today Kekova is a very popular anchorage for sailors who enjoy the history together with the nature.

Simena – Kale

From inscriptions that have been found, we know that the history of the ancient city of Simena goes back to the 4th century B.C. If we go ashore via the jetty next to the sarcophagus on the seashore and climb the hill behind the houses, we reach the castle of Simena. This castle was used during the Middle Ages by the Byzantines. In the medieval walls of the inner keep are a few blocks of all that remains of ancient temple. Inside the castle is a small natural theater carved into the rock. This is the smallest of theaters among the cities of Lycia. West of the theater there are rock tombs here and there. Above the rock tombs is a Roman wall built of dressed stone and located on the wall are late-period embrasures thus giving one a glimpse of three eras simultaneously. On the shore are the ruins of public baths whose inscription is still legible and reads "A gift to the emperor Titus made by the people and council of Aperlai as well as by the other cities of the confederation."

Looking from the castle towards Ucagiz it becomes clear how beautiful and safe a natural harbor this really is. Simena (or Kaleköy, its present-day name) is only a temporary shelter however. The actual shelter for yachts is Teimiussa (Ucagiz), a landlocked bay surrounded by green hills. There is a road overland that leads here. The ruins of the ancient city of Teimiussa are located here. Very little is known about the history of the city however. One inscription indicates that its history goes back to the 4th century B.C. One sees mostly the ruins of a necropolis here and no city walls or other major structures have been encountered. The oldest sarcophagus is from the 4th century B.C. and is shaped like a house. Over it is the portrait of a young man. The inscription tells us that it belongs to "Kluwanimiye". The work is Roman and a later addition to the sarcophagus.

One may reach Kekova overland from Demre Cayagzi as well as in boats that you can rent at Kas. After leaving Kekova you pass Kisneli Island and Asirli Island and come to Gokkaya harbor. Gokkaya is a beautiful bay and a fine harbor. On the way is a big sea cave that was used at one time by pirates. From here one comes to Cayagzi (Demre), also called Kokar bay, alongside of which are the ruins of Andreake. From here, one may take a car to Myra, the city of St. Nicholas, which is quite close. This is also a place from which one may visit other Lycian cities as Isinda at Belenli, Apollonia at Kilincli, Istlada at Kapakli, Kyaenai at Yavu, and Trysa and Sura at Golbasi. The area is also filled with thousands of Lycian sarcophagi lying everywhere.