Oludeniz

ÖLÜDENİZ
The breathtaking beauty of Ölüdeniz Beach has made it one of the most famous resorts in Turkey , lying on a calm blue lagoon at the heart of this national Park , sweeping into a vast crescent of coarse pale golden sand and pebble beach . It is perfectly complemented by the relaxed resorts of Hisarönü and Ovacık in the hills , tucked into the hills between Ölüdeniz and Fethiye .
The most beautiful beach in Turkey , Ölüdeniz , the Blue Lagoon , is just a 12 kilometers ‘’Dolmuş’’ ride from Fethiye . ("Dolmuş" , a minibus , pronounced as "Dolmush" , is a common means of transportation in cities and between small cities in Turkey . Dolmuş means "stuffed" or "full" . But it never gets full . Whenever the driver sees a passenger , stops and takes him or her on . You may think that no other passenger can fit in , but always they find a room for everybody ! Of course , it is a very intimate , friendly , and economic journey ! Unfortunately nowadays the authorities are limiting the number of passengers in a dolmuş ; maybe because of European Community regulations ! . Before it is too late , give it a try . )

ÖLÜDENİZ
Türkiyemiz'in bir ayrıcalığı Ölüdeniz . Böylesine güzellikleri dünyanın birçok yerinde bulmak gerçekten zor bir ayrıcalık . Kayaköy bir 'Rum Mübadele Köyü' . Ayrıntılı öykülerini size Fethiye'de anlatacağım . Ölüdeniz de , Kayaköy de , yılın tüm mevsimlerinde inanılmaz güzel . Baharın ilk sıcaklarında kekikler , zambaklar , mor yeşil kırmızı , doğanın tüm cömert renkleriye halı gibi örer Kayaköy yamaçlarını , terkedilmiş rum evleri arasında .
Ölüdeniz’i ilk keşfedenlerden biri olarak kendimi şanslı sayıyorum , sahilde tek kişi yok , sakin . Yalnızca deniz sesi . Şimdi , havlu koyacak yer zor bulursunuz . Aslında bahar aylarında harikulade oluyor . Kışın bile çok güzel . Resim gibi . Mavinin o sonsuz renk tonları bir yanda , yeşilin renk tonları bir yanda , yıl boyu .

Temmuz , Ağustos aylarında yolunuz düşmüş ise Fethiye’ye , Ölüdeniz’e sabah erken gitmenizi tavsiye edeceğim . İnanılmaz bir dinginlik , yenice uyanmış da kıpırdamadan size kucak açmış bekleyen bir deniz ve temiz ! Öğleden sonraları kalabalıkla ve güneş kremleri ile denize girdiğimiz için o baştan çıkarıcı güzellik biraz eskiyor . Ayrıca öğleden sonra oldukça sıcak oluyor .

Ölüdeniz, which reminds one of paradise with its motionless sea surrounded by evergreen pines , is a tourism center known throughout the world . Ölüdeniz is famous for its splendid coves as well as its history. Besides the calm , crystal clear sea and the extraordinary hotels, one can also do some parachute gliding off the top of Mountain "Babadağ" ( Baba : "Father" ; dağ : mountain ) , which towers above Ölüdeniz at a height of 1,975 meters. Next to Ölüdeniz is the wide sandy beach of Belcekız . Three kilometers beyond Belcekız is Kıdrak Cove with its sparkling sea, which is surrounded by pine forests . Stretching back from this cove about 3-4 kilometers is Butterfly Valley , which is an interesting canyon with steep cliffs up to 350 meters high. It is called Butterfly Valley because of the fact that a particular species of butterfly called 'Jersey Tiger' is seen here every summer from July to September.
Butterfly Valley is a place very difficult to reach, but, once you are there , the sight of millions and millions of butterflies all over the rocks, tree trunks and laves is so spectacular as to leave anyone appalled. At first, you are unaware of this phenomenon, you may come to think that this is part of the natural flora; but then, a slight movement or a flickering sound would cover the sky in a second, the whole valley would fall temporarily under a dark shadow.

The reason this heavenly place is called Ölüdeniz , its literal meaning being "The Dead Sea" , ( Ölü : "Dead" ; Deniz : "Sea" ) is attributed to the following legend :
Once upon a time, a father and his son were caught in a storm here and were in danger of sinking . The son claimed that if they approached the rocks on the shore , they could take shelter in a cove . In the meanwhile , the father asserted that their ship would be driven onto the rocks and break up and that there were no coves around here anyway . Fearful of running aground onto the rocks , the father knocked his son , who was at the helm at the time , into the sea with an oar and took over the helm himself . Just as the ship was about to smash up on the rocky point , a calm bay opened up in front of him. This is why they say the bay is called "Ölü Deniz" , "Dead Sea".

This Ölüdeniz bay, has a point at the back part of it , whereas vessels are not permitted inside the bay, which keeps water pollution to a minimum.

Böylesine bir cennet köşesinin ‘’Ölü’’ Deniz olarak adlandırılmasının ilginç bir öyküsü var : Bir zamanlar , bir baba ve oğlu , denizde tekneleriyle fırtınaya yakalanırlar . Battı batacaklar , dalgalarla boğuşmaktalar . Oğlu , eğer kıyıdaki kayalıklara yaklaşabilirlerse küçük bir koy bulup sığınabileceklerini söyler babasına . Baba ise , kayalıklara çarparlar ise paramparça olacaklarını , hem de buralarda bir koy olmadığını savunur . Oğlu , dümende , kayalıklara doğru gitmekte ısrar eder . Baba , kayalıklara çarpıp parçalanmak korkusu içinde teknenin küreği ile oğlunun başına vurur . Oğlu suya düşer ve dümene baba geçer . Fırtına tekneyi kayalıklara doğru sürüklemektedir . Derken , tam kayalıklara çarpmak üzereyken , birden bire önüne işte şu sakin koy , Ölüdeniz çıkıverir . Bu öykünün ardından bu koyun adını da Ölüdeniz koyarlar .

Ölüdeniz’in tam o girişinde , Ölüdeniz Burnu dediğimiz yerde , yani , Belcekız ile Ölüdeniz’in birleştiği yerde durun , bu baba ile oğlunun teknelerinin dönüverdiği kayalıkları göreceksiniz . Hemen sonra , sağ tarafa doğru upuzun bir kayalıklar silsilesi vardır . Gemile Koyu’na doğru bir tekne turu alabilirseniz yol boyunca o muhteşem kayalıkları göreceksiniz . Benim için de el sallayın hırçın uçurumlardan denize süzülen güvercinlere .

ÖLÜDENİZ TRIANGLE

The resort used to be three separate villages : Ovacık , Hisarönü , and Belcekız , and covers an extensive and varied terrain separated by hills and woods , thus catering for all tastes .

Ovacık Resort Area : Nestling below Mendos and Babadağ Mountains , Ovacık means "Little Plain" . It is always caressed by cool sea and mountain breezes and command fine mountain and forest views .

Hisarönü Resort Area : Set round the base of a once fortified hill , Hisarönü means "In front of the Fortress" . It has a centrally orientated main-street area , where colourful boutiques , busy restaurants and bars , boast the best of Europe and Turkey .

Belcekız Beach Area : Colourful holiday complexes with lush gardens give onto a beach promenade which leads to the Lagoon of Ölüdeniz . Though now a protected area , several campsites and a hotel run along one of its shores . Intricate paths through myrtle and pine lead to the end of the sandbank , which separates the open sea and the Lagoon . Motor powered boats are no longer allowed through the Lagoon channel , so you can snorkel in peace , finding star-fish , sea cucumbers or even an oyster with a pearl ...

ECOLOGICAL ÖLÜDENİZ

Due to topography of the area , this south-west corner of Turkey escaped the rigours of the last Ice Age . Trees and plants indigenous only to this area are still coming to light . Oleg Polunin discovered new species up Babadağ in 1976 . Just recently a German Botanist has discovered a Lily , restricted to just 1000 square meters of rock-filled terrain . There is at present a movement to give the area "World Heritage" status . This would also protect the area’s fauna such as the Cameleon , Capra Eagagrus Eagagrus Deer , Badger , Tiger-moth , Vipera Lebentina Snake , Lizards , Birds of Prey and many others . Fethiye has a protection plan for the Loggerhead Turtles and volunteers come from far and wide to help protect their nestling areas .

Historical Ölüdeniz
A favorite excursion out of Ölüdeniz is a boat trip to the surrounding bays ... Five stones ... Camel Beach ... The cold Springs and St. Nicholas Island, with its Paleochristian churches. From the summit of the island there is a marvelous view over the crenellating local coastline, which provides fine anchorages for smaller boats. And indeed, in early Christian times, this part of the coast was a trading stop-off for pilgrims, eager to visit St. Nicholas on their way to the Holy land. Remains of small settlements and cisterns cover the surrounding hills.

Ölüdeniz bay itself possessed five churches, Gidrak Beach had a fine mosaic church-floor till 10 years ago. From Gemile Bay's Monastery, an open water-channel ran six kilometres down to the sea, to carry water to passing ships. The locals may even elaborate and mistakenly place Cleopatra in a Byzantine Bath ! They might have their dates wrong but a beautiful woman is always admired in Turkey.
Early Christianity hugged the coastline of Asia Minor (Turkey), but when raiding Arab pirates plundered their sanctuaries, the Christians moved inland... today you can visit one such settlement 5 km. from Ölüdeniz, Kaya Village, the Lycian "Karmylasson", later re-inhabited by their Christian descendants as Byzantines, and called "Levisii". Here Greek and Turk lived side by side in harmony, each practicing his own religion, until 1922, when the exchange of peoples between the two countries brought Thracian Turks here and transported the local Greeks to Thessalonika.
Hopefully the old understanding will return and Greek and Turk will again be seen side by side in Kaya... A Peace Village

WHY ÖLÜDENİZ ?

Though we describe Ölüdeniz as a busy resort , it is still idyllically underdeveloped , it has still managed to retain its original charecter and charm . Nature surrounds you , but just ten kilometers is the bustling market-town of Fethiye , renowned for its aubergines and tomatoes . Fethiye has a fine harbour and quays with restaurants where you can enjoy freshly caught fish , sample a glass of Turkish tea , "çay" , or just photograph the fishermen mending their nets . All banking facilities and good medical care are available . Weather in summer months average 32ºC , and drops to an average 20ºC in winter . But , at will , you can change the seasons around … Playing snowballs in June , half-an-hour’s drive up Babadağ Mountain , and swimming in December in a sea temperature of 17ºC . Whenever you come and wherever you are , you will always find a smiling face and a helping hand .