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 | Fethiye Downtown car rental - Travel Guide |  |
FETHIYE is well-situated for access to some of the region's ancient sites, many of which date from the time when this area was the independent kingdom of Lycia. The best beaches, around the Ölüdeniz Lagoon, are now much too crowded for comfort, but unlike Kas, which is confined by its sheer rock backdrop, Fethiye is still a real market town and has been able to spread to accommodate increased tourist traffic.
Fethiye occupies the location of the Lycian city of Telmessos, little of which remains other than the impressive ancient theatre which was only unearthed in 1992 and a number of Lycian rock tombs on the hillside above the bus station. Most notable is the Amyntas Tomb, carved in close imitation of the facade of a temple. You can also visit the remains of the medieval fortress, on the hillside behind the harbour area of town. In the centre of town, off Atatürk Caddesi, the small museum has some fascinating exhibits from local sites and a good ethnographic section. The most interesting piece is the stele found at the Letoön, dating from 358 B.C. which was important in translating the Lycian language.
One of the most dramatic sights in the area is the ghost village of KAYA KÖYÜ (Levissi), 7km out of town, served by dolmuses from behind the PTT. The village was abandoned in 1923, when its Anatolian Greek population were relocated, along with more than a million others, to a country which had never been their homeland and whose language many of them couldn't speak. All you see now is a hillside covered with more than 2000 ruined cottages and an attractive Basilica, to the right of the main path 200m up the hill from the road, one of three churches here - but the general state of neglect only serves to highlight the plight of the former inhabitants. There are plans to make an international "peace and friendship" conference centre here, but ordinary travelers must still stay at a couple of pansiyons at the edge of Kaya.
Ölüdeniz is about two hours on foot from Kaya Köyü - through the village, over the hill and down to the lagoon - although it is also served by frequent dolmuses from Fethiye. The warm waters of the lagoon make for pleasant swimming if you don't mind paying the small entrance fee, although the crowds can reach saturation level in high season - in which case the nearby, more prosaic beaches of Belcegiz and Kidrak are better bets. Ölüdeniz is also the starting point for the Lycian Way, Turkey's only marked trekking route which starts from near the Montana Holiday Village on the Fethiye-Ölüdeniz road and winds along the coast almost as far as Antalya. |
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