In Datca. Photo by Yilmaz Oevuenc via flickr
Looking south from the ramparts and towers of Bodrum Castle, an angular, spindly spit of land reaching west from the mainland forms the backdrop of the view. Down at the ferryboat port, the destination’s popularity is revealed by the thousands of holiday makers crowding the decks for the four daily trips to the Datça (pronounced “Dah-cha”) peninsula. Together with the Greek Island of Rhodes, just to its southeast, it marks the unofficial boundary between the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
The region’s prime location and fertile green landscape has attracted attention and inhabitation since 2,000 B.C. Although the geography never allowed an extensive metropolis to flourish, the establishment of the Dorian Hexapolis, a confederation of six cities, a thousand years later brought tremendous wealth and growth to Datca’s main settlement, Knidos, endowing it with temples, theaters, statues, a medical school and the world’s first observatory. Naturally, each passing civilization through the subsequent centuries coveted the peninsula, including the Ottomans, who took control in the 15th century.
Archaeological remains can be found, and visited, throughout Datça, especially in Knidos and “Eski Datca” or Old Datca, located a couple miles from the current village of Datca. However, that isn’t what inspires the most affection in locals, who mainly come to enjoy the prodigious natural amenities, which was appreciated all the way back to the philosopher Strabon (56 B.C.–21 A.D.), who remarked “God sends his subjects to whom he wants to give long and healthy lives to Datça.”
Deserted beaches with exceptionally clean water; olive groves; hillsides of thyme, rosemary and sage; high oxygen levels in the air; and low humidity fill the hotels, pensions and villas in summer, and attract boatloads of visitors day tripping to the Datca Peninsula from Bodrum and buses from nearby Marmaris, 40 miles east. Happily, it’s still a small fraction compared to the major tourist sites, leaving a much-appreciated tranquility.
Favorite spots include the beaches of Hayıtbükü and Kızılbük, and Ovabuku, which form a chain of three bays near the village of Mesudiye. Another impressive spot, Domuzbükü (meaning ‘Pig Inlet’) is only accessible by boat and a favorite “parking” spot of the region’s legendary gulet cruises that ply the Turkish Riviera.
The healthy lifestyle extends to Datça’s village markets, replete during the summer and falls with astonishing quality produce, almonds (April and May’s “baby almond”period), olives, figs and the region’s famous honey. Excellent and cheap preparations of the ingredients are served up in restaurants like Yakamengen Kafe Restoran in Yakaköy and Culinarium in Liman Mevkii.
If seeking nourishment for the soul, stop by the old stone house of beloved poet Can Yücel in Eski Datca, who spent his final years there. In his poem “Testament,” Yücel famously declares, “Bury me, my dear, in Datça. Near that view by the sea.”
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