Fethiye is yet another stunning city on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Once a part of the proud Lycian cities, Fethiye rose from the ruins of Telmessos. Some of the ruins can still be found around the city. Though Telmessos is no more, it has left its mark of history and culture on Fethiye.
A glorious part of the Turkish Riviera, Fethiye has a natural beauty that is nearly impossible to miss. For those who love peace and beauty, it is the perfect place to kick back and lay down. With breathtaking sights to see, lively local markets to visit, adventures to go on, and ruins to marvel at, this city invites travelers with open arms.
The blend of beauty, culture, history, and fun makes Fethiye incredibly alluring.
Fethiye- a picturesque beach town to enjoy your holiday in.
Sounds wonderful, right? But there are plenty of those around the world, so what makes Fethiye so especially appealing to Muslim travelers?
Want to know Fethiye's secret? Fethiye takes excellent care of Muslim travelers and locals.
Fethiye has many mosques for Muslim travelers and locals, providing them a place where they can pray in comfort.
Along with the many Mosques in Fethiye, there are also quite a lot of Halal restaurants and cafes, allowing Muslim travelers to enjoy their time in Fethiye to the fullest.
The places worth a visit in Fethiye are almost endless, and we handpicked the ones we think you’ll enjoy the most.
The Treasured Beaches Of Fethiye
First, let's look at what Fethiye has to offer you on your Halal holiday. Let's start with the clear beaches, the golden sand, and the fresh breeze.
Calis Beach
Calis beach is one of Fethiye's most celebrated beaches and with good reason. Just a little distance from the town center, Calis beach offers a fulfilling day in Fethiye. Whether you want to have a relaxing but fun day or make an unforgettable memory, Calis beach will be your place. This beach is long and stretched out, and it has everything you need. Bars, clubs, hotels, cafes and shops, grocery stores- everything within reach to enjoy your day to the fullest.
You can go on a walk along the promenade and enjoy the beautiful sunset. Or you could go shopping for souvenirs, gifts, and generally cool items.
Calis beach is quite clean, with shaded seats set up for you to enjoy a cool drink. Just take care not to accidentally buy an alcoholic drink instead of a halal one and ask the servers about Halal beverages before ordering.
the cool shade, have a refreshing drink, enjoy the shopping, breath in the beach air, feel the golden sand beneath your toes, and taste a delicious dinner.
If the kids want to have some fun in the water, water sports are the best option. Waterskiing and wind skiing are the most enjoyable water sports on Calis beach, and you'll certainly love them if you try them.
Oludeniz Beach and Lagoon
Oludeniz beach is another one of Fethiye's famous beaches. Oludeniz beach offers a fun day in Fethiye. The waters there are azure and cool, and there is plenty to do there. The view and the experience are sensational. The entrance to the pebbled area of the beach is free, so you can enter without care. You can have fun with the watersports. The stand-up paddling and Kayakoy are enjoyable on Oludeniz beach. You can walk along the long stretch of beach, have a cool drink and enjoy the breeze. The weather in Fethiye is usually hot, so visiting a beach a dipping your toes in the water will feel very good.
Attached to the Oludeniz beach is the Blue Lagoon, one of Fethiye's most popular sites. The entrance to the Blue Lagoon is not free, but it's not costly either. The restaurants and cafes at the blue lagoon are also reasonably priced, ensuring that you have a pleasant experience without worrying too much about the costs. The restaurants on Blue Lagoon also serve some Halal meals, but be sure to ask the kitchen to prepare something halal- just in case.
Historic Sites You Need To Visit In Fethiye
Fethiye has a lot of historical treasures, and a visit to Fethiye without seeing these sites wouldn’t be complete at all.
Letoon
Just a little distance from Fethiye, and very close to Xanthos, is Letoon; the center of Lycian beliefs and religion. Letoon is not a city- as there was never much settlement around it throughout history- but a sanctuary. Letoon is one of the most beautiful Lycian ruins and is even considered romantic because of the surrounding greenery and water. But the most interesting thing about Letoon is, of course, its history.
Learning about other religions- to learn the points from where they stemmed in Islamic history- can be beneficial for Muslims. Along with that, the Greek legends are always interesting to learn- even though they are just legends.
Letoon is the temple of Leto, mother of Apollo; the sun god, and Artemis; the moon goddess in the Greek legends. Zeus, the King of the Greek gods fathered Artemis and Apollo. As the legend goes, the wife of Zeus, Hera punished Leto, and she ended up at the place where the Letoon is currently located.
Throughout history, Letoon was the center of cults- as understood from the ancient relics. Yearly or monthly sacrifices were performed at Letoon, and any who went against such sacrifices were severely punished- even killed.
Many artifacts acquired from Letoon and other ruins have been stored in the Fethiye Museum. Even the Trilingual Stele has been obtained from Letoon.
In Letoon, you can look around the ruins surrounded by beautiful scenery, and learn the greek legends while marveling at Lycian history. It is the perfect food for history-hungry people.
Tlos Ruins.
Tlos was once a very important city in Lycia. Though few travel guides offer information about the glorious ruins of Tlos, this city contributed a lot to Lycia and is now one of the most beautiful ruins in Turkey.
The city of Tlos was a place for grand tombs and sarcophagi, and the ruins of Tlos still house some of them. In Tlos, there is a tomb of a king of ancient history. It is on a high cliff inaccessible by humans, to make it easier for the soul to reach the heavens- as explained by a Lycian legend.
There is also a graveyard-like area housing the grand tomb of the hero of Lycian legend, Bellerophon. That tomb- although hard to see- was once grand enough to put shame on the tombs of emperors and kings. According to Lycian legend, along with the hero Bellerophon, that tomb also houses Bellerophon's winged horse- a Pegasus.
It was a common tradition of old-time Tlos to bury some precious items in the tombs, for the dead to take to the afterlife. Standing among the breathtaking ruins of Tlos, and trying to imagine the city as it once was can be a truly unforgettable experience. The ruins of the sarcophagi, tombs, city walls, and amphitheaters can drive a history lover mad with excitement. Even if you don't like history, the scenery of Tlos is worth the visit, and you can also see the architectural traditions and customs of Tlos, and how it has evolved today.
Tlos is full of fun, and you wouldn't want to miss it when visiting Fethiye
Pinara
Pinara used to be one of the six major cities of Lycia. Some say that Pinara was an important port city and Lycia's largest at that. The Pinara ruins lie on Mount Bababag, and the greenery and atmosphere give it an enchanting vibe. It can be found behind a forest, and some have even called it an enchanted forest.
The ruins of Pinara are untouched and enticing. The breeze smells of thyme, and the captivating mountain setting just lures you in and captures you within its history.
Pinara provides a view of the Xanthos valley like no other, and it leaves you stunned and amazed.
There are multiple tombs and sarcophagi on Pinara as well, each of them unique and wondrous. Wildflowers are littering the city, along with ancient pine and olive trees. Pinara is the perfect place to go with your partner or family. You can enjoy wandering about the ruins and think up theories of the ancient time with each other. Just the scenery is appealing enough to ensure a good day out, but if you're at the ruins, you might as well have some fun with the history too.
If you decide to visit any of the Lycian ruins on your halal holiday, always remember to take a prayer mat with you, and download a Qibla direction app. Because you never know how much time the exploring might take, and you wouldn't want to miss your prayers.
Also, praying among ancient ruins surrounded by greenery and history just makes you more grateful and astonished at Allah's creations.
Tomb Of Fethiye
The tomb of Fethiye- more famously known as the tomb of Amyntas, is another proof of the Lycian burial traditions. This tomb was located in ancient Telmessos, which we now know as Fethiye. You can see the ruins of this tomb base of a mountain, located on the south side of the city.
The name ‘Tomb of Amyntas’ was found by reading the greek inscription written on the tomb. That Greek inscription- when translated to English- means ‘Amyntas, son of Hermagios’.
Fethiye Museum
After an escapade in the historical Lycian cities of Tlos, Xanthos, and Pinara, and a visit to Letoon, you can finally take a look at the hidden gem of Fethiye, the Fethiye Museum. In the Fethiye Museum, you can appreciate the Turkish history and historical artifacts- and a visit to the Museum after seeing the historical is a lot more fun and enjoyable.
You can gape at the historic artifacts, connect them to the ruins you've seen, and be mind blown. There are many pieces of art, history, tradition, and culture from the Lycian cities present in this Museum.
This might sound like a grand museum with floors filled with historic treasure, but it is quite small- a museum of two to three rooms.
There is no entrance fee, and the artifacts in the museum are labeled in both English and Turkish so that everyone can have a delightful time looking around.
It's a bit hard to find behind a school in Fethiye. Instead of going to find it yourself, you should ask a local or a taxi driver. That will save a lot of your time, and rescue you from a fruitless day spent searching for the Museum.
This Museum will be a history lover's paradise, small but with treasures of high importance.
Fethiye Has Much More To Enjoy
The beaches and the historical sites aren't the only places in Fethiye. Fethiye is a city blessed by naturally beautiful sites, and you should see as many as you can on your Halal holiday to Fethiye. Fethiye has much more to enjoy than your average beaches and ruins.
Butterfly Valley
The Butterfly Valley is the jewel of Fethiye, and if you don't see it on your halal holiday to Fethiye, one might wonder if you have truly seen Fethiye.
True to its name, the Butterfly Valley is home to over a hundred different species of butterflies. This is a destination inaccessible by land because of the canyon, so you have to reach it by boat. It is as beautiful as a paradise on earth can ever be.
Though the entrance fees are high, the food and drink prices are considerable. The experience, though, is worth every coin spent. Setting up camp in a valley as naturally beautiful as this one is pretty common, but bring your tent, as the tents there are quite overpriced and small. Or you can rent one of the houses there.
The water in the Butterfly valley is clear and breathtaking. It changes color with the light; from aquamarine and sapphire to a stunning cobalt blue.
The trees all around with their sweet aromas and vibrant flowers just add to the beauty of Fethiye's paradise.
Kayakoy
How does a visit to an abandoned ghost town sound?
Scary? Exciting?
Thrilling for sure. Turkey has one such town near Fethiye, and that town is called Kayakoy. This town has gone by several different names in history and has finally settled on 'Kayakoy'.
The town of Kayakoy was in the middle of the conflict between Greece and Turkey during World War I. What was once a bustling, lively place now is nothing more than a ruin.
Because of the conflict, all the residents had to abandon their hometown, and Kayakoy is currently deserted. The structures of the houses are still strong and standing, but the roofs have caved into harsh weather.
This ruin- unlike the others- is quite modern, and not a ruin of ancient time, but recent history. World War I greatly affects the history of the world and Muslims, and Kayakoy gives us the chance to learn about that history all the while having fun.
If you decide to go on a trip to Kayakoy, make sure to take a travel guide with you. Just looking at these ruins is enough to please, but knowing the history of the ruins you gaze at is just the cherry on the top.
Fethiye Old town
Fethiye Oldtown, as the name suggests, is the old part of Fethiye. Fethiye Old Town is a really fun place, offering you a fulfilling day. Fethiye Old Town is not much visited by the tourists, because most don't know about it and it is tucked away in a location not so obvious.
Fethiye old town has shops and restaurants and cafes, and laughing while shopping through Fethiye Old Town will become your best experience ever. When shopping in Fethiye Old Town, make sure to haggle away. Never accept the first price offered to you, because that would just mean emptying everything in your pockets. The haggling is quite fun, and it gives you a deeper insight into Fethiye's customs and traditions.
Because there is a common type of beer served and loved in Fethiye Old Town, be careful of what you drink. The locals and tourists enjoy this drink very much, so it is served very commonly around Fethiye Old Town. Fethiye Old Town offers you an experience of both the old and the modern, giving you an experience like no other.
Along with Fethiye Old Town, there is the Fethiye Market- widely loved by both tourists and the locals. Fethiye Market is famous for its unique shops and the whimsical beauty they offer.
Saklikent National Park
Saklikent National Park is a park located in the Saklikent Canyon. This is a hidden, lost place closed off from the world. Saklikent Gorge means "hidden city" or "lost city", and that is a fitting name for a place not easily visible. The sun rarely touches the water there, so it is very cold, even in the summer.
To visit and enjoy the Saklikent National Park, you need to have an adventurous spirit. Venture into the canyon and enjoy a sight crafted by nature's own hands. To get the full experience of the Saklikent Canyon, you would have to brave a swim in icy waters, walk unmade trails, and fight the rocky, steep path. But the view is worth the journey.
Before going to Fethiye, you should learn two of its most commonly used words. Buyrun and Hadi. The word Hadi means ‘Go on’ or ‘come on’, and while the word Hadi has no official translation in English, the meaning can be something like ‘Come in’, ‘Anything else?’, ‘How may I help you?’- depending on the occasion.
Fethiye is a pretty beach town in Turkey, and if you love how it sounds, trying it is a must. Take a step out of the mundane daily life and take a step forward to enjoy something new and mystical- like the city of Fethiye. On your Halal holiday to turkey, Fethiye is one of your best options, because it is very Muslim- friendly. Halal foods can be found easily, and there are plenty of Mosques.
Make Your Experience in Fethiye As a Muslim More Comfortable
When Muslims travel the world, they need to take care of several things. Worshipping Allah and praying in other countries- amid ancient ruins and stunning beaches- has a surreal feeling of its own. It's a feeling that's better than anything you could experience during your tour.
Along with that, all the fun and excitement can leave you feeling exhausted, so to recharge for the next day, you need a comfortable space to rest in.
We have vacations home in Fethiye, and we do everything in our hands to make sure that they are fully equipped for Muslims. Keeping the needs of Muslim travelers in mind, our vacation homes will provide you everything you need.
You can pray peacefully, rest comfortably, and enjoy lavishly in our vacation homes.
Having a good place to rest matters very much on Halal holidays, and we have just what you need. Our vacation homes aren't only comfortable, but luxurious too. Make your experience in Fethiye even better by living in style and comfort.
