Kekova was a kind of a center of summer houses for the wealthiest people living in Myra who moved there during the summers. However, this summer destination was hit by an earthquake during the 2nd century. Due to this earthquake, today almost half of the city is underwater.
Visiting the sunken city with the boats which have glass floor is the most attractive highlight of this remote destination. Besides that, the ancient city is also famous for its thousands of Lycian Sarcophagus which paved the way for calling it as the “country of graves”.
Visiting Kekova
Boats leave from the village of Üçağız, from Kaş and from Demre, and sail slowly along the coast of Kekova Island, where you see the foundations of houses, stairs and a shipyard below the clear water. To protect the ruins, swimming and diving are not allowed over the sunken city, but the boat stops for a swim in a nearby bay.
The highlight of the day is Simena (Kaleköy), a village reachable only by sea, where a castle stands above the houses with a tiny theater carved in the rock inside its walls, and Lycian sarcophagi rise from the water at the edge of the village. The view from the castle over the islands is one of the finest on the Turkish coast.
Tips
A sea kayak tour over the sunken city is a wonderful alternative for active travelers. Combine Kekova with Myra and the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, or with Patara and Xanthos and Letoon. On a blue cruise from Kaş or Antalya, the gulet anchors right below Simena.
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