Abandoned Türkmen village Population: two
Three km up in the hills above Yalıkavak on the Bodrum Peninsula lie the scattered ruins of Sandıma, a small settlement where Türkmens had been living for 600-odd years before the last of their line decided that they would be better off making a living out of tourism on the coast than battling water shortages in the hills.
After they moved out silence enveloped the village until it was rediscovered in 2003 by the artists İsmail Erkoca and Nurten Değirmenci who moved up here and restored a house to serve as Nuriş Sanat Evi (Art House), a home so deeply buried in foliage that you could easily overlook it were it not for the quirky art pieces around the fountain and the nearby çesme (fountain).
The house hunkers down amid a scattering of rocks and a small ravine. There’s nothing to do up here except sit and soak up the glorious silence (except when the jays are arguing with each other) and the spectacular views back out over the sea.
This being the Bodrum Peninsula, there are signs of new building work creeping ever closer. So far, though, it doesn’t do much to harm the view.
Transport info
There are no buses to get you here. Why would there be when only two people live here? Taxi drivers in Yalıkavak know the route well. If it’s not too hot you can easily walk back down from the village.
