“Sandy Shore” Population: 700
Old name: Sige, Siği
There’s not really a lot of reason why you would want to stop in Kumyaka, the small settlement on the Sea of Marmara midway between Trilye and Mudanya. If you do, though, you may be surprised at its quietly pleasing atmosphere with old and new houses mixing and mingling on their way to the sea in the wake of the ruined brick Taksiaryis Church (Church of the Archangels or Başmelekler Kilise). This church with its twin domes was first built in 787 before being renovated in the 1860s, then left to rot after the Greek population fled in 1923. It retains many of its colourful 19th-century frescoes. A Ramiz Bey is said to have the key.
In 2012 the Greek patriarch from Bursa bought the church with plans to restore it. The latest news suggests that some of the frescoes inside have been boarded up and that restoration work on the dome has started.
Transport info
Buses from Mudanya to Trilye and vice versa pass the road leading into Kumyaka every half an hour.
