Simena · Kaleköy

With stone houses climbing the hillside and a castle crowning the top, Kaleköy is Kekova’s most enchanting village. Built over ancient Simena, it has no road access: you arrive by boat or on foot from Üçağız. Inside the castle walls hides a tiny theatre cut into the rock. Below, a Lycian sarcophagus rising from the shallow water of the bay is one of the most photographed sights in the region.

History

Simena was a small Lycian coastal town that later joined a sympoliteia, a union of cities led by Aperlai. A Roman bath inscription records its dedication to the emperor Titus. In the Middle Ages the hilltop castle was refortified and became a lookout guarding the coast against pirates. Together with Teimiussa and the Sunken City, Simena forms part of the “Kekova” area on UNESCO’s Tentative List.

Don’t miss

1. The hilltop medieval castle and its views
2. Tiny rock-cut theatre inside the castle
3. Lycian sarcophagus rising from the sea
4. Hillside necropolis dotted with sarcophagi
5. Roman bath remains dedicated to Titus