Photo: Özgesncnnnn (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Phaselis Ancient City
An ancient city in Kemer founded in 690 BC, it is protected within a national park.
View on map6 places to visit in the Kemer district of Antalya: Phaselis Ancient City, Olympos Ancient City and Tahtalı Mountain Cable Car (Olympos Cable Car). Plan your trip to Kemer with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Until the early 1980s Kemer was a small village; within the last 20 years it has become one of the most important centres of Turkish tourism.
History
Kemer’s earliest history dates back to 690 BC, and the founding of the ancient city of Phaselis dates to this period. Since there was no road access until the 1960s, Kemer was reached only by sea, and it developed rapidly after 1980.
Geography
Kemer district, which lies at the foot of the Western Taurus Mountains and stretches along 52 km of coastline, is one of Türkiye’s most important tourism centres. Sea, forest and mountains come together in Kemer.
Tourism
Among Kemer’s leading attractions are the clarity of its sea, the greenness of its forests, and the use of its pine trees as shade on the beaches. Beldibi Cave lies on the coast 27 km south-west of Antalya and contains prehistoric remains. With its 320-berth modern marina, Kemer plays an important role in yacht tourism. The marina and coastline have qualified for the Blue Flag by meeting the criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe.
History and Culture
Kemer was a small village until the early 1980s, after which it became a tourist centre. With the South Antalya Tourism Project after 1980, its infrastructure developed and Kemer was transformed into a tourism centre. Most of the Olympos remains date to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Olympos was incorporated into Roman territory in 78 BC. In the Roman period, the chief god of Olympos was Hephaistos.
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