‘See Akyaka and live ...'

Akyaka at the eastern end of the Gulf of Gökova is a paradise that distributes happiness with its pine covered mountains, waters as clear as an aquarium, sandy queenliness beaches, and houses that keep the old Muğla architecture alive.
Akyaka, which is located on one of the greatest coasts of Turkey, is experiencing its most beautiful days nowadays. Stifling heat and crowds are gone and the sea water is at its ideal temperature...
Akyaka, which is a real Mediterranean beauty, welcomes people skittishly at first with its white houses with wooden sills, with small fishing boats on the river Azmak and with gardens full of various flowers. Akyaka, surrounded with mountains covered with pine forests rising up to a thousand meters to the north, with the fresh water sourcing to the east of the Women and the Akçapınar rivers and with its lush plains, was a secluded fishing village for many years and since the 1970s it has become the meeting point of city escapees, loners and of people with artistry souls. Then, thanks to the untouched nature of Akyaka and the sweet breeze that never stops blowing even in summer, the number of people who come here has increased a lot. However, ugly construction has not been allowed.
When the environmental awareness and aesthetic feelings of the new inhabitants of Akyaka were strong, the region was declared a Special Environmental Protection Area in 1988. This tradition continues today. Akyaka is made up of outstanding beautiful houses of the world that are carefully located in tidy, narrow and clean streets.
After having a village breakfast in one of the cafes on the coast of Akyaka, I went for a walk in the Forest Camp, which begins at the end of the beach. Wooden tables shaded by pine trees, scaffolds mounted on rock platforms, numerous stairs leading to the forestland and narrow roads leading to serene bays…
It is a good idea to get lost between the streets in order to get to know the architectural features closely that make Akyaka unique. The houses of Akyaka have been designed supporting the traditional architecture of Ula, a district of Muğla, with modern architectural elements. Nail Çakırhan is undoubtedly the person who makes the architecture of the region so special. As a poet, journalist, architect and restorer, Çakırhan worked with local building craftsmen from Ula and gave a soul to many houses in the region. Akyaka houses, which were awarded by the International Ağahan Architecture Award in 1983, are referred to as Çakırhan architecture in today's literature.

Akyaka is a member of the International Slow City Association (Cittaslow), which gets together locations that combat noise pollution by saving natural and local values. It is a must to meet more than 50 criteria to be a member of this union which has 11 members in Turkey and 208 members in the world. Preventing noise pollution and express traffic, increasing green areas and pedestrian zones, supporting local producers and sellers of these products, preserving local aesthetic elements are just a few of these criteria.

While being here, it is inevitable to go to the beach of Akçapınar, one of the best kitesurfing centres of Turkey. This beautiful sandy beach welcomes kitesurf enthusiasts from all over the world with its year-round wind, equipment rental and training opportunities. My afternoon goal is to visit Sedir Island, the beauty fountain of Cleopatra. The amphitheatre shaded by olive trees on the island full of ruins from the ancient city of Keidra is worth seeing. After a half-hour tour of the island, Cleopatra Beach is a really good choice for sunbathing and swimming. The main feature that makes this tiny beach unique is its sands. The carbonate in the sea water has accumulated in the form of rings around the sand particles here to form this magnificent beach. According to rumour, the beach that has been taken under protection, was the seclusion address of Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen. I don't know how true this legend is. But once I see the beauties of the region, I agree with the fisher of Halikarnas once again.
What did the writer say? See Rome and die, see Gökova and live!

*Compiled from Melih Uslu’s article.