Kekova, also named ''Caravola''Bertarelli (1929), p.134 (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: '' Dolichiste''), is a small Turkish island near Demre (Demre is the

Lycia Lycia ( Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is ...

n town of Myra) district of

Antalya province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visi ...

which faces the villages of Kaleköy (ancient Simena) and Üçağız (ancient Teimioussa). Kekova has an area of and is uninhabited.

Island

After the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

occupation of Kastelorizo, Kekova — which at that time was temporarily inhabited during summer because of wood harvest — was disputed between Italy and Turkey. The 1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey assigned it to Turkey. On its northern side there are the partly sunken ruins of ''Dolchiste/Dolikisthe'', an ancient town which was destroyed by an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

during the 2nd century. Rebuilt and still flourishing during the Byzantine Empire period, it was finally abandoned because of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

incursions. The ''Tersane'' (meaning "dockyard", as its bay was the site of an ancient city Xera and dockyard, with the ruins of a Byzantine church) is at the northwest of the island. The Kekova region was declared a specially protected area on 18 January 1990 by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forest. All kinds of diving and swimming were prohibited and were subjected to special permits from governmental offices. In later years the prohibition has been lifted, except for the part where the sunken city is located. The Kekova region is and encompasses the island of Kekova, the villages of Kaleköy and Üçağız and the four ancient towns of Simena,

Aperlae Aperlae or Aperlai ( grc, Ἄπερλαι, Aperlai) was an ancient city on the southern coast of ancient Lycia. It did not play any significant role in history or politics, yet its lifespan of 1,300 years is worth note. The harsh local terrai ...

, Dolchiste and Teimioussa. Kaleköy (locally just "Kale") (ancient Simena) is a Lycian site on the Turkish coast. It is a small village with the partly sunken ruins of AperlaeCity of Aperlae
/ref> and a castle. ccess to the village is possible only by sea. Üçağız (ancient name, Teimioussa) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

one km from Kaleköy, north of a small bay by the same name, with the ruins of Teimioussa to the east. The name ''"Üçağız"'' means "three mouths", referring to the three exits to open sea.

Notes

Sources

External links

{{Authority control Islands of Turkey Antalya Turkish Riviera World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey Islands of Antalya Province Demre District