Kemer is a
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...
and 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 ...
on the
Mediterranean coast of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
, west of the city of
Antalya
la, Attalensis grc, Ἀτταλειώτης
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 07xxx
, area_code = (+90) 242
, registration_plate = 07
, blank_name = Licence plate
...
, on the
Turkish Riviera
The Turkish Riviera ( tr, Türk Rivierası), also known popularly as the Turquoise Coast, is an area of southwest Turkey encompassing the provinces of Antalya and Muğla, and to a lesser extent Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin. Th ...
.
Kemer is on the
Gulf of Antalya, of sea coast with the skirts of the western
Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...
behind. The coast has the typical Mediterranean hot, dry weather and warm sea. Until the early 1980s this was a quiet rural district, but today the town of Kemer and coastal villages in the district play a very important part in
tourism in Turkey.
History
Kemer was the
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
city of
Idyros
Idyros ( grc, Ἴδυρης, la, Idyrus) was a Greek city in ancient Lycia. Its exact location is uncertain. According to Pseudo-Scylax it was located north of Phaselis.
The site of the town is tentatively located near modern Kemer
Kemer is ...
, member of the
Lycian League, which after the Ottoman era was called Eski Köy (''Old Village'') until a long stone wall was built in 1916 - 1917 to channel the mountain stream water and protect the town from flooding, which until then had been a persistent problem. The name ''Kemer'' refers to those walls.
Before the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Greek families lived in the area with the Turks of the area peacefully coexisting. A water mill still exists in the village of Aslanbucak that used to belong to the Greeks of the village of Kemer and Aslanbucak, but the mill is currently located in private property.
Until the 1960s there was no road connection and the district was accessible only by boat. Then a road was built and from the 1980s onwards this was followed by a great investment in infrastructure, planned by the state and funded by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
, aimed at developing a large tourist industry.
Demographics
The district had a population of 36,010 according to the 2010 census. The town itself has 20,785 inhabitants. Kemer has four municipalities (Beldibi, Çamyuva, Göynük, Tekirova) and four villages.
The population of the towns and villages (municipality names are bold) are shown in the table below:
Economy
The economy of Kemer district is mostly based on tourism. In the district, which has been declared a first-degree tourism area, there are generally touristic businesses on the coast. Especially orange, lemon and tangerine are grown in the region where agriculture and fruit growing. Recently, pomegranate cultivation has also become widespread.
Tourism in Kemer
One of the major attractions of Kemer is its natural environment, including the sea, mountains and pine forests. The shore from Beldibi to Tekirova consists of a number of beaches in bays of various sizes, mostly stoney rather than sand.
Supported by transport and communication links, and related municipal services, Kemer has a large proportion of the hotel bed capacity of the Antalya region, and attracts visitors from countries such as
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, and in recent years families from
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. Many of the visitors come as part of low-cost all-inclusive package deals but tourism is still the mainstay of the local economy. There are so many visitors that most shops in Kemer are set up to sell things like leather jackets to overseas visitors, and trade in the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
as well as the Turkish lira.
Kemer's 320 berth marina offers several restaurants for the tourists as well as being a wintering-over marina for liveaboard sailors from the US, England and other parts of Europe.
Göynük (Goynuk) Canyon, Ulupınar,
Olympos
Olympus or Olympos ( grc, Ὄλυμπος, link=no) may refer to:
Mountains
In antiquity
Greece
* Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology
* Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Les ...
,
Chimaera
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes , known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.
At ...
,
Phaselis, Three Islands and Eco Park are the touristic sites of the Kemer area.
The town of Kemer has a number of clubs, bars and
restaurant
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
s, blue flag beaches and a 320 capacity yacht marina. Coastal villages include Beldibi,
Kiriş
Kiriş is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Kemer, Antalya Province
Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.
Antalya Provi ...
, Çayova, Aslanbucak, Kuzdere,
Beycik,
Çamyuva
Çamyuva is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Kemer, Antalya Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,067 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde Belde (literally "town", also known as ''kasaba'') means "large ...
, Göynük, and
Çıralı.
Annual events in the area include art exhibitions in Phaselis, boat races, WRC (World Rally Championship), Turkey Offshore Championship, Turkey Motocross Championship, Phaselis Art Festival, and Kemer Carnival. International pop stars and DJs, such as
Tarkan
Tarkan may refer to:
People
* Tarkan (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Tarkan (singer) (born 1972), Turkish pop singer
Other uses
* Tarkhan, an ancient Turkic and Mongol nobility title
* Tarkan (comics), a fiction ...
and
DJ Tiesto
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
, give summer concerts on this coast.
The
Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey ( tr, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Bisiklet Turu) is a professional
road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...
stage race held each spring.
In recent years there is a rising number of outdoor enthusiasts visiting Kemer for trekking the
Lycian Way and for mountain biking.
Climate
Kemer has a hot
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
with very hot, long and dry summers with cool, rainy winters. In the height of summer temperatures frequently exceed .
Transport
Kemer Bus Terminal, which was put into operation in 1990, has facilitated the transportation of the district. There are bus services to Kemer Bus Terminal from almost every city in Turkey. There are regular shuttles from the surrounding districts to Kemer Bus Station every day.
Places of interest
Sites of natural interest
* Adrasan Bay - 2 kilometres of
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...
* The
Çıralı village and beach. Used for nature walks and sections of the
Lycian Way.
* Üç Adalar (Three Islands) - visited by
scuba divers
This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable.
Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where t ...
*
Göynük Canyon
* İkiz Kayalar (Twin Rocks)
* The village of
Ulupınar, with its mountain spring water
* There are a number of caves including
Beldibi, and the ''Molla hole'' in the east face of Tahtalı mountain.
* The
Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...
offering
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
or tours with
SUVs
* The 2069 ± 500 years old
oriental pane can be found in Gedelme village.
Historical sites
*
Chimaera
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes , known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.
At ...
- the natural ''burning rock'' of Greek mythology
* The ancient cities of
Phaselis and
Olympos
Olympus or Olympos ( grc, Ὄλυμπος, link=no) may refer to:
Mountains
In antiquity
Greece
* Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology
* Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Les ...
* The town of Kemer itself has some remains of antique Idryos, a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
church and a
Seljuk Turkish hunting lodge.
International relations
Kemer hosted the 2007
World Youth Chess Championship
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kemer is
twinned with
*
Schwabach,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
''(since 1998)''
*
Lapta,
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Rec ...
''(since 2012)''
References
External links
KemerKemer Municipality websiteKemer Tourism Foundation official websiteKemer Travel GuideWeather forecast for 4 daysKemer Marina website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemer
Antalya
Towns in Turkey
Turkish Riviera
Populated coastal places in Turkey
Populated places in Antalya Province
Tourist attractions in Antalya Province
Kemer District
Districts of Antalya Province