Kalkan is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of

Kaş Kaş () is a small fishing, diving, yachting and tourist town, and a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Antalya Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,750 km2, and its population is 62,866 (2022). It is 168 km west of the city ...

Antalya Province Antalya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. It is located on the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taur ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its population is 3,926 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''

belde Belde (literally "town", also known as ''kasaba'') means "large village with a municipality" in Turkish language, Turkish. All Turkish province centers and district centers have municipalities, but the Villages of Turkey, villages are usually too ...

''). It is an important tourist destination on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast. The area includes historical sites (such as

Tlos Tlos (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊍𐊀𐊇𐊀 ''Tlawa'', Hittite language, Hittite: 𒁕𒆷𒉿 ''Dalawa'', or Τλῶς) was an ancient Lycian city near the modern town of Seydikemer in the Mugla Province of southern Turkey, some 4 kilo ...

and Kekova) and fine beaches (including Patara Beach and Kaputaş Beach). Kalkan is an old fishing town, and the only safe harbour between

and

Fethiye Fethiye () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 875 km2, and its population is 177,702 (2022). It is one of the prominent tourist destinations in the Turkish Riviera. It was formerly k ...

; it is known for its white-washed houses, descending to the sea, and its brightly coloured

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the family, Nyctaginaceae. They are native to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. There are between 4 and 22 species in the genus. The i ...

s. It averages 300 days of sunshine a year. The word "Kalkan" in Turkish either means

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

turbot The turbot ( ) ''Scophthalmus maximus'' is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a ...

referring to the town's fishing status. A substantial Christian community of Greeks lived in Kalkan until the 1920s and the town was called Kalamaki. They left in 1923 during the

exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

after the Greco-Turkish War and emigrated mainly to

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

, where they founded the new town of Kalamaki. Abandoned Greek houses can still be seen at Kalkan. Kalkan was an important harbour town until the 1970s as the only seaport for the environs. It declined after the construction of the Fethiye road but revived after the emergence of the tourism industry in the region. Although part of the

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

province administratively, Kalkan is connected more closely to Fethiye economically and for transportation. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' listed Kalkan among the best tourist destinations for 2007. The paper recommended Kalkan, especially for those seeking a romantic holiday and who do not want to travel far from their home country in Europe. According to a 2012 survey 96% of visitors to Kalkan during 2011 were from the United Kingdom.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalkan Neighbourhoods in Kaş District Turkish Riviera Populated coastal places in Turkey Former Greek towns in Turkey Fishing communities in Turkey

See also

Footnotes