Located in southwestern Turkey just a short drive from the Turquoise Coast and what was once a bustling and thriving town of Turkey’s Muslims and Greek Orthodox Christians, now lies a silent, abandoned and ghostly village.
The village is situated around 120 metres above sea level in the Kaya Valley, a tranquil and beautiful place.
This eerie village has been abandoned for more than 100 years. As you walk along the quiet, winding streets you will see remains of schools, shops, chapels, houses with crumbling walls and collapsed roofs and courtyards which are now overgrown. You will also see the two Greek Orthodox churches that are still very well-preserved to this day. All buildings are now immersed with winding vines and nature which actually complements the surrounding hillside landscape.
As you stroll through the empty streets there is no sound or sign of life, except the tourists coming to explore the rich history of the village, yet you can still get a sense of how the village use to be.
The once bustling community dates all the way back to the Byzantine era and possibly further due to the ruins of Karmylassos that lie underneath the foundations. Kayakoy was a thriving village by the 19th century.
Reasons for the abandonment of the village are pretty well known and firstly it was down to the population movement of 1923 after the Greco-Turkish War, secondly the local area had a particularly weak economy so people moved out looking for a stronger and more stable future, and lastly the earthquake of 1957 forced any remaining residents to look for alternative towns & cities in which to stay.
There have been many talks over the years whether to preserve or restore the village. Some have shown interest in restoring areas to perhaps recreate a residential area or make it a heritage site and even a centre for tourism with visitors being able to stay in the houses that have been restored and learn the history and traditions of the once great village while others believe the village should be left alone and preserve it as a painful part of history.
The debate to preserve or restore is still going on.
Kayakoy was declared a protected archaeological haven in 1988 and recognised by UNESCO as a ‘World Friendship and Peace Village’
Source: www.mirror.co.uk
Check out all our properties for sale in Turkey
