Roxien,

Ghost town is called Kayakoy and is about 10 min drvie from Hisaronu or about 20 from Fethiye. There are also dolmuses going there from both Fethiye and Hisaronu. It is an absolutely fantastic place, you must definitely go to see it if you are in the area.

We are travelling to Fethyie in May and may consider visiting the "Ghost town". Will it be open and what attractions does it have?

Hi Becky,

Ghost town is not a theme park or anything like that. What it is is basically a little village set up on the hills behind Hisaronu. It used to be a Greek village. When all the Greeks living in Turkey left to go to mainland Greece they left all the houses etc as they were. And the village has been empty since then, hence the name "Ghost village" . It is like an open air museum. I am sure it would be open in may but it has opening hours, unlike the rest of the village, and I think it closes at 7. As there is no lighting system you wouldn't be able to see it after the sunset anyway..

Hayal,
Thanks for the quick reply I will probably take a taxi up there for a trip.
Are there any theme parks or aqua parks in the area? I have not seen any mentioned on the baord or advertised

Try Virtual Tourist.com and search Kayakoy - lots of photos, info etc.
We went a couple of years ago - had a taxi from Olu Deniz - He drove us there with a couple of stops on the way where he thought we would be able to get some good photos - then waited for us whilst we had a good look around and stopped for a drink and I was shown around one of the local lady's home. It was an excellent day out with a couple more stops on the way home - a very cheap and convenient way of seeing the sites without going on an organized tour.
Jules

There is an aqua park in calis.

There are a number of similar ghost towns in Turkey, but Kaya is the one known best to tourists.

It is extremely evocative. In 1923 (I think) Turkey and Greece arranged an "exchange" of ethnic populations.

The people of Kaya were ethnically Greek but most families had been settled in Turkey for generations. The "repatriation" was in no-way voluntary. Whole villages were basically hounded out of their homes at gunpoint and sent to a foreign country with nothing but the belongings they could carry.

The local Turkish populations left Kaya as it was out of respect to the departed who had been their neighbours for generations.

It does have a very melancholy air about it, but is also stunningly beautiful. This wasn't a poor or insubstantialvillage. Some of the houses are extremely impressive stone-built affairs and there are two large Orthodox churches.

Obviously they haven't been lived in or maintained for over 80 years so they are now largely derlict.

It is certainly worth a visit, but deserves to be treated with respect.

Agree wholeheartedly with Rich C's comments. The two countries agreed a "population exchange" as part of the ending of the Greco-Turkish war (1919-1922). About a million Greeks left Turkey in 1923, with about half that number of Turks going the other way. Some Greeks call the exchange the "Hellenic Holocaust", which may be overstating it somewhat, but it shows that it rankles to this day. The Turks coming back weren't altogether happy, either. I remember a young man called Talit in Olu Deniz telling me how his parents had lived on Kos, and had been shot at while fleeing on a fishing boat.

Louis de Bernieres, the author of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", wrote his latest novel "Birds Without Wings" after visiting Kaya. It is set in a thinly fictionalised version of the village. It was published in hardback in July 2004, and is out this summer in paperback. I bet that you'll see hundreds of copies on sunloungers this season!

- Tony -

Thanks everyone for all the info sounds breathtaking will be sure to visit the "ghost" town

"Birds Without Wings" is a wonderful book and would be of great interest to anyone who loves Turkey.
Margaret

Read the book "Birds Without Wings" last year. I thouroghly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone.

Kaya Koy is a beautiful place but not quite as deserted as it used to be. Quite a lot of the old houses are being renovated and sold to Brits and there are quite a few already available to rent. Don't expect solitude at the height of the season unless you go late in the day.

If you do go stay for sunset. Sit in one of the lokanta's at the foot of the village with a drink and watch the light change on the stone houses. It is amazing how many different shades of red, pink, and purple there are. Breathtaking.

i went to the ghost town.it was part of a all day trip we did.didn't think much of it to be honest.(boring)

hellooooo from the northeast.

Thanks for all of this great info. Was on our hit list for days out but this is the most info we have had about it. taxi idea sounds good

Can anyone tell me the name of the restaurant in Kaya Koy that lets you cook your own meat at the table. Or have i got the wrong place?

Hi,

There are a few restaurants like that in Kayakoy. I think the one you mean is Cinbal. Theres also another one called Oba (I think)

Hi
We have been to Cin Bal and they definitely let you cook your own food at the table. When you arrive they bring you a barbecue and set it up at the end of the table. We went with a Turkish friend and he ordered the food for us but you can go to the kitchen and pick what you would like.
They brought us plates of gorgeous bread and bowls of salad to go with the meat. Also several meze starters. We had chicken,lamb and meatballs and they were all excellent.
There were alot of Turkish families eating there when we went.
Carolyn.

It's well worth a visit, as others have said, quite poignant to think of the families leaving their homes, never to return. However a couple of hours (if that) is all you'll need there, but definitely worth doing.
Wittster.

Hi
A tip I would give you is to go either early morning or later in the day. It does get extremely hot up there!
We have been to Hisaronu about 8 times and still go to Kaya every year.