“Cudgel (or Tree) Mountain” Population: 770
The small village of Çomakdağ, near Milas, goes surprisingly unrecognised despite the fact that it has a number of virtually unique features.
The first thing that will strike most visitors is that it hunkers down amid the boulders and pine trees of its rural setting rather like Herakleia-ad-Latmos and Adatepe. It also boasts an astonishing number of super-tall, thin chimneys rather like Milas.
But what really makes Çomakdağ stand out is that villagers who still live in the (declining) number of original stone houses access their properties via ladders, the elaborately carved doors being on the first floor rather than at ground level. In this it harks back to a tradition that existed thousands of years ago at Çatalhöyük and that still continues today way over in south-eastern Turkey in the village of Kalecik.
If you’re lucky enough to get inside one of the houses you will find that the interal woodwork is both elaborately carved and painted in bright colours.
Sleeping
There are no pensions in Çomakdağ for the time being although a guesthouse was being restored to receive guests as of the start of 2024. You will probably be best off staying in Milas.
Transport info
There is said to be a local minibus from Milas but I had no success in tracking it down. Had I done so it would almost certainly have turned out to be a köy arabası, timed to get villagers to and from Milas for shopping and no good for tourists.
Milas taxi drivers will happily run you to Çomakdağ. Make sure you agree a return price to include waiting time before setting off.
