Bitez
A beach neighbourhood a few kilometres west of Bodrum, with a long blue-flag beach and a part in a famous folk song.
The Turkish name
Bitez
At a glance
- Province
- Muğla
- District
- Bodrum
- Population
- 11,048 (2022)
- Folk song
- Çökertme
Read more
This page was written from these sources.
- Bitez ↗Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-23
- Çökertme zeybeği ↗Vikipedi · Checked 2026-09-23
The story
Bitez is a coastal neighbourhood of Bodrum, about 8 km from the town. It became a small town (belde) in 1996 and a neighbourhood in 2012. Its blue-flag beach is described as the longest in the Bodrum district, and in summer the population swells well beyond its 11,048 residents.
The land suits olives and citrus and fishing was once part of the living, but today tourism is the main work, with hotels and restaurants along the bay.
Bitez also appears in the story of Çökertme, a Bodrum folk song known across Türkiye. In the tale, Halil Efe and Gülsüm were caught in a boat in Bitez bay while trying to escape to the islands, most likely İstanköy, Kos.
