Travel to a Spooky Ghost Town, Koyokoy Turkey

Spooky at 7:00 am the air conditioning makes me shiver, spirit filled, I wait in the hotel lobby for my taxi. It is early. No one is in the hotel lobby except for the man at the front desk and me. I sit with my coffee watching the boats as the Marina begins to wake. Some of the boats have ladies hurrying off while others have crews cleaning the decks. I start, as early as I can to see the Ghost Town Koyokoy Turkey. The taxi arrives. I hand him a roll and coffee in a to-go cup. He smiles. It’s a good start.

Stroll a Ghost Town, Koyokoy Turkey

Driving to the abandoned ghost town, we drive to the local village, by the local mosque and past several local people. My taxi driver and I kept going and going. On the way, we saw some fun things. Yes, that is an ostrich – I think the ostrich looks a little out of place and belongs in Africa, but some local Turkish person keeps the ostrich in a cage at the family’s home in their front yard. I guess it’s a tourist site. Strange.

A Photo of a Local Turkish Woman

Local Mosque

The Mosque on the way to the Ghost Town Koyokoy, Turkey

Rural Southern Turkey

I see the village farms that look like the ones I have seen in Tuscany, Italy. Picturesque – rural – romantic an undiscovered place off the tourist maps – surely this is the road less traveled. Which is perfect for my journey.

 Solo Women and Men and Travelers 50+ and All Ages

This area feels to me safe. The silent quietness is so strange to me because I am from a city that is always noisy. Quietness can be deceiving. I didn’t see many people.

Village of Koyokoy

The area around Ghost Town Koyokoy, Turkey, looks like any other Turkish borough. The light is spectacular at Ghost Town Koyokoy, Turkey; it feels like you are looking into the past through a looking glass like everything has stopped in time. I am surprised more people don’t go Koyokoy. Koyokoy has a backstory. It is empty now, but it’s early. The Koyokoy village doesn’t come alive as the day goes on. It’s never very busy here no matter the time of day. As I walk the streets, I smell sweet scents from the flowers and gardens in the village. Fresh smells of the morning, the countryside farmland, and smells of freshly tilled soil fills the air.

Ghost Town Koyokoy Turkey

Ghost Town Koyokoy Turkey

There is a picnic area and restaurant at Sooky Ghost Town, Koyokoy, Turkey. We went there so early no one is there, and the restaurant wasn’t open.

Ghost Town Koyokoy Turkey

Next, I took a lazy walk, down the streets of the quiet town. Since no one was here except for me – I had the whole place to myself and explored places I normally wouldn’t have. I explored alleys and empty buildings – but after all, it is morning, and the daylight made me feel safe, and my driver made me feel even safer, and added some extra layer of security, I think?

Quaint Street

Old Church – from the once Christian Community

Here is the top of one of the buildings near the old church in the town. The town was once Christian, but the villagers were forced to resettle. So after years of fight eventually the community was abandoned and became a ghost town.

Restoration

The church is closed. The gates sealed off the facility under restoration. I still walk around the grounds, the walk is very pleasant, and the roof line is very unusual because it uses the stones of the area for the street.

On Top of the Hill

At this point, I am close to the top of the town, where the church is situated. You can see the mosque in the distance.

View from the church of the mosque.

The Back Side of The Church

One of my favorite buildings – it looks like a painting to me. I have no idea what the building was used for when the village was inhabited.

Walking back down – here is another great view.

Ghost Town Koyokoy Turkey

Root Restaurant

Fabulous Dinner Spot – Roots Restaurant

The Roots restaurant shown in the photo sends a driver to your hotel if you want to come for dinner. The restaurant has pick service – for free. The food is excellent, locally grown, always fresh and seasonal and using uniquely Turkish spices. It’s one of the better restaurants in the area serving chicken and fish.

There is a truly excellent music scene in Koyokoy. Learn more about the Koyokoy music scene here.

Farming Comunity

A local farmer was delivering food to the restaurant. This agricultural community is like most of Turkey.

Ghost Town Koyokoy, Turkey, is a must see when you are traveling in Southern Turkey.

Here are some more things I saw in Turkey,