“Pomegranate Well” Population: 2,500
Old name: Porto Calamie (Genoese)
Due west of Kızkalesi is the pretty little fishing harbour of Narlıkuyu which has one claim to fame: a Roman mosaic depicting the Three Graces that is preserved in situ (despite the building housing it being described as a museum, it contains just the single mosaic).
This mosaic was once part of the floor of a fourth-century AD bath-house and bears a Greek inscription meaning: “My friend, if you wonder who has discovered the hidden source of this wonderful bathwater, then you should know that he is Poimenios who ruled the holy islands in justice and was a friend of emperors.”
Two km uphill from the harbour lie two curious vegetation-filled sinkholes dubbed Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell).
Perhaps fortunately you cannot descend into Hell (120m) although you can descend (!) 260m into Heaven, an experience that is fun going down but not so much fun on the way back, especially in the high humidity of summer. At the bottom of the steps you’ll find a small Byzantine chapel with very faded frescoes that probably dates from the 5th or 6th century. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and, according to local historian Celal Taşkıran, was briefly used as a mosque in the 19th century.
Beyond the chapel the steps continue down and into a large cave which was inhabited by an oracle in ancient times. At this point they become very slippery and as there’s nothing to see inside the cave you might want to call it a day and start climbing back up again.
As you approach the sinkholes you’ll see to the left of the road the remains of a late Hellenistic temple to Corcyrian Zeus that was turned into a church in the fifth century. One hundred and thirty names of its priests are incised into one of the walls. In the fields behind it extensive scattered ruins suggest that there was once quite a large settlement here.
If you follow the signs beside the temple you will come eventually to the entrance to the Astim Mağarası (Asthma Cave) hidden inside a restaurant and souvenir complex. Don’t let that put you off since in some ways this is a better cave to visit than the Heaven one, with a walkway winding past some spectacular stalactite and stalagmites. The humid air inside is though to be good for asthmatics (one of whom was sitting in there knitting when I visited), hence its name. 
Eating
Narlıkuyu is ringed with fish restaurants offering rakı and mezes. They get busy round lunch-time when tour boats pull in; if you stay at the hotel you should be able to appreciate them better.
The road up to Cennet Cehennem is lined with outdoor cafes touting a standard menu of köy kahvaltısı, börek, gözleme, sıkma, sac kavurma, tantuni, çay, meşrubat and ayran. The higher you go the more deeply buried in bougainvillaea they become.
Sleeping
Hotel Calamie If you don’t want to stay in Kızkalesi this 47-room hotel overlooking the harbour might make a good, if not particularly cheap, alternative. Tel: 0324-723 3061
Transport info
Frequent dolmuşes run from Kızkalesi to Narlıkuyu – ask to be dropped at the museum.
There’s no transport uphill to Cennet Cehennem (2km) although the owner of the restaurant beside the turn-off may provide an ad hoc taxi service if he’s not busy. The walk down again is delightful with Kızkalesi floating like a mirage ahead of you.
Day trip destinations
Hasanaliler
