Kayaköy Archaeological Site

Kayaköy, known in antiquity as Karmylassos, lies about 8 kilometres south of Fethiye. Written sources place its origins as far back as the third millennium BC, though the oldest finds within the ruins date to the 4th century BC, among them a sarcophagus and rock-cut tombs.

What you walk through, however, is a late Ottoman town. Its slope is covered with some 350 to 400 two-storey houses, each of about 50 square metres, laid out so that none blocks another's view or light. Lower floors were usually cellars, and every house had an underground cistern that collected rainwater from the roof. Between them are many chapels, two large churches, a school and a customs building.

The Greek families who lived here left during the population exchange in the early years of the Republic. Weather and time then took the roofs, doors and windows, leaving the ghost-town look that draws visitors today.