Akyaka
A slow-paced village at the head of Gökova bay, known for its wooden houses and cold stream.
The Turkish name
Akyaka
At a glance
- Province
- Muğla
- District
- Ula
- Cittaslow
- Since June 2011
- Known for
- Ula-style houses, the Azmak stream
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The story
Akyaka sits where the Gökova gulf ends, between Marmaris and Muğla in the Ula district. Ancient Idyma stood here, and its rock tombs can still be seen. It stayed a small fishing village until the 1970s.
In 1983 the artist and journalist Nail Çakırhan built his house in the traditional Ula style of timber and whitewash, and the design won an Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The village adopted the style for all new building, and in 2011 it joined the Cittaslow slow-town network.
Its Azmak stream, fed by springs, runs clear and cold all year, and a steady breeze blows through the summer.
