The city ghost... An abandoned city... A place where a person especially acutely feels the value of today's moment... When suddenly, in one moment, an earthquake destroyed the lives of hundreds of people who probably also thought that their lives were stable and under their control.
Kayaköy
(Greek name: Livisi, Greek: Λειβησι) is a village in southwestern Turkey, located 8 km from Fethiye.
The last place - the ancient abandoned city of Kayaköy - in my unforgettable trip along the west coast of Turkey, which I called a fresh wind. Now I have been living in Kemer again for more than a month. Such quiet periods in one place are necessary to rest, relax... But after a month of living in one place, I'm dreaming about the next trip again :)
When I planned my trip from Kemer to Cesme, I looked at all the interesting places on my way. I was attracted to this mysterious place and visited it on the way back.
Once a thriving settlement, its ancient stone buildings now stand in eerie silence, witnesses to a forgotten past.
We set out from the city of Fethiye on steep serpentines through the mountains and stopping on the roadside we saw a mysterious abandoned city in the distance, which was really like a ghost.
We drove up to the Lebessos restaurant. We drank tea with pancakes. The restaurant is very popular and really has a nice design in an ancient style.
Immediately outside the restaurant, there is only one house by the road that shows signs of life. Respectable old-timers have their own small businesses here. They sell a variety of folk crafts, carpets and antiques to tourists. Next we saw the entrance fee, but we were able to visit the Koyakoi Open Air Museum for free using our museum cards.
Centuries ago, Koiakoi was a vital trading post on the ancient Lycian trade routes and the city flourished under the influence of different cultures. The strategic location of the city provided it with prosperity and power.
However, some historical events and natural phenomena took place in Koyakoy, a gradual decline took place... People left the city and its prosperous streets were slowly conquered by nature... We slowly climbed the quiet deserted streets on stone cobblestones, which testified to the past strength and wealth of this ancient city. Poppies and daisies were blooming all around, which further emphasized the beauty of this lonely place.
Only a herd of sheep that grazed near the houses made this city alive.
We wandered leisurely through the narrow lanes, feeling a connection with a long-gone world, among crumbling stone abandoned houses, trying to imagine the life that once existed within their walls...thinking about the impermanence of civilizations and the inexorable flow of time...
Kayaköy was founded on solid ground. The buildings are located in such a way that they do not block each other's light
When you reach the top, you will see a wide square. The Upper Church, one of Kayaköy's two great churches, is located here. The church has long been closed, walk down the road from here to see the buildings on the other side of the village. Along the way you come across empty houses with broken roofs and windows. Fires inside houses, chimneys once smoke. Now it's all gone, it's a dream...
Kayaköy is like a big open-air museum.
This walk takes me back in time... I wonder how they lived, what kind of people lived in this house? I wonder what the women who came to the fountain that day to get water were talking about? And what about the children who were playing outside? What did they dream about...
Of course, I found a lot of information about this village, which has extremely ancient roots and a rich history.
Although Levisi is said to have been founded in the 19th century, if you look at historical sources, there is a contradiction here. Because in the early Ottoman period Greek and Turkish life are mentioned here. At the beginning of the 20th century, it experienced its richest and most active days.
The village of Levisi, which was founded further down the slopes, was a small village that was originally made up exclusively of Greeks. Over time, Levissi shows the characteristics of a city, not a village. Its population is increasing, people engage in agriculture and receive migration from surrounding villages. They say that at that time there was a population of 10 thousand.
Education continues in the schools established in Leviss, health care improves, and they open their own pharmacies. The first printing house in the region was created here, the first newspaper is printed here. There were 2 large churches and many chapels in the village. The Orthodox Greek population was engaged in agriculture, crafts and trade, and experienced the greatest prosperity.
After the victory in the Turkish War of Independence, an unprecedented agreement was concluded between Greece and Turkey. Exchange signed January 30, 1923; It came to the fore as a replacement for Muslims and Christians based on the criterion of religion. As a result of the exchange, thousands of Christian Greeks and Turks immigrated to Greece. Many Muslims from Greece were forced to move to Anatolia.
People who were said to have moved from here initially thought they would leave for a short time and come back again. Therefore, leaving the village, they entrusted their belongings to their Turkish neighbors, and left the village with a suitcase. For those who left, there was no return, and people from Greece were brought to this evacuated village...
Today, this place, which survived even the 1957 Fethiye earthquake, is struggling to resist the roots of fig trees that are destroying houses... Fig trees are doing their last duty after lives that have ended and lives that have died...
My daughters were tired from the long walk in the city, which was located in the mountains and sat down to rest, but I was eager to climb up to the very last houses to see the view of the city of Koyakoy from the top.
When I got up and stopped at the last house, the sun was already setting over the city, casting a golden hue on its worn stones. Unbelievable delight and excitement came over me, feeling this silent spirit of past centuries...
I made a video to commemorate our visit to this unique ghost town.
Although the city is abandoned and forgotten, its legacy remains, capturing the hearts of those who seek its hidden stories and legends.
Koyakoi stands as a silent guardian of a bygone era, forcing us to think about the transience of life and the value of today's moment...
And we continue to be on our #TheLongestTrip. Thank you all for your visit and support 💕