Afkule

When you walk from Ölüdeniz to the west, towards Gemile, you are greeted by the remains of a historical monastery. The monastery is located at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level. A monk named Elefterios is known to have made the Afkule by carving rocks in an area of about 10 meters. In fact, according to the legend, because this monk has been locked up here for the rest of his life, suffered a lot and asked for forgiveness, then he region was named after him.

Due to its advantageous location, Afkule has an exquisite sea view. From where the monastery is, the island of Rhodes with the Demon Cape is visible. The nearest place to enter the sea around the monastery is Cold Water Bay. You can go down in half an hour by following the footpaths.

In the past, monasteries were built in such a way that they were located in remote areas. The main purpose here is to protect yourself from potential dangers and not be disturbed by anyone. Located on an extremely steep slope, only certain remains of this interesting structure have survived to this day. Still, it is worth visiting.

If you are coming to Kayaköy via Fethiye, you can turn to the right of the road and reach Afkule. Due to its location, it is only suitable for vehicle transport up to a certain point. Visitors therefore need to take a little nature walk to reach Afkule. To avoid losing your way, you can take advantage of the stone signs here. It is hardly advisable for the elderly or those who have trouble walking to the area. Especially the cliffs near Afkule are dangerous in this sense.

Afkule is popularly known as ’Ordeal Monastery'. The road left to the right after Kayaköy is named as ‘Afkule Road’. If you turn to the left side of this area, you will face the Gemiler Adası (island of ships). It is very often found with trees on the road you have to walk. The signs on the roads are separated by yellow and red colours. Even if you follow these colors only, you can reach Afkule without getting lost.