islands Mediterranean

Türkiye’s Mediterranean Coasts has been a popular destination for visitors for a long time! Nowadays the visitors might be attracted by magnificent beaches and Turquoise Sea. Or visitors drawn by the myriad of possibilities to explore and for adventure.

In the past the visitors were kings and conquerors, pirates and marauders many of whom chose to stay and left their mark on the region by building cities and castles, ports and temples!

The Mediterranean Region is known as “Akdeniz” in Turkish. Bordered by the Aegean to the west, central Anatolia to the north and South-Eastern Anatolia to the east. This lush mountainous region that features the Taurus Mountains, has a semi-arid climate with dry summers and mild winters.

Kekova Island, Kaş

Kaş is the closest part of the Turkish mainland to any of the Greek Islands. From its pretty harbour you can look across the sea all the way to nearby Kastellorizo. It is famous for its narrow, cobbled streets with whitewashed houses, for its charming restaurants and cafés and for colourful bougainvillea climbing up the old buildings. 

The island of Kekova is home to a famous underwater city in a lagoon-like setting. You can visit it on a daily boat trip from Kaş or drive to Üçağiz (40 minutes from Kaş by road) and take a smaller fisherman’s boat to explore. Travel agencies in Kaş offer sea-kayaking excursions to Kekova and, to the mind of many, this is the best way to see the underwater ruins. The region of Kekova contains a whole group of picturesque islands, numerous bays and ancient cities.

The island of Kekova gives its name to a whole group of picturesque islands, numerous bays and ancient cities.

Located near Demre and Kaş, Simena is only accessible by sea and has a very impressive view over Kekova Island, the site of an underwater city. The castle is still standing today. The city also has underwater rock tombs.

Kızkalesi (The Maiden's Castle), Mersin

Kızkalesi, 50 km southwest of Mersin, is a pretty destination with fine sandy beaches, motels and camp sites. It is also home to the ancient city of Korykos. The 12th century castle of Korykos on the shore faces another castle, Kızkalesi (The Maiden's Castle), which stands on a tiny island 200m offshore.

The Maiden’s Castle has a similar legend with the Maiden’s Tower in İstanbul. According to legend, a seer tells the king that his daughter will be bitten and killed by a snake. In order to save his daughter, the king built a castle in the middle of the sea and placed his daughter there. The snake, which is hidden in a basket of grapes, goes to the castle and kills the girl. A more realistic story of Maiden’s Castle is that the Byzantines built this castle on the island to protect themselves from pirates. The Maiden’s Castle is about 600 metres from the shore, you can reach the castle by swimming to it or on a small boat.

Islands of Lake Eğirdir

Eğirdir (Eğirdir Gölü, formerly Eğridir) is a lake in the Lakes Region of Türkiye. The town of Eğirdir lies near its southern end, 107 kilometres north of Antalya. With an area of 482 square kilometres, it is the fourth largest lake in Türkiye, and the second largest freshwater lake.

Lake Eğirdir has two islands, connected to the mainland by a long causeway into the town of Eğirdir.

• Can Ada (Life Island) the smaller of the two islands.
• Yeşil Ada (Green Island, formerly known as Nis) - until 1923, was home to a Greek community living in stone and timber houses.