Gümüşlük: Tree in the Water, Romantic Seaside Dinner, and the Sunken City of Myndos

About 45 minutes by car northwest of Bodrum is the seaside village of Gümüşlük, known for its (pricy) seaside fish+seafood restaurants, splendid views of sunset over the Aegean, and the Sunken Underwater City of Myndos. 

Being the site where the ancient city of Myndos once stood, modern Gümüşlük is accorded the status of a designated protected area, which has helped to prevent the beaches and hillside surrounding this little village from falling prey to the watchful eyes of property developers. Besides the fish restaurants and taverns that lined the waterfront of the harbour which made the little fishing village appearing more Greek than Turkish, the main attraction of Gümüşlük is of course the sight of the ruins of ancient Myndos, which lie in part submerged in the shallow waters, in part on the Rabbit Island right across the narrow stretch of sea directly facing the small fishing harbour.

During low tides, it is possible to walk across the knee-deep waters of the narrow channel between the harbour and the Rabbit Island to visit the remains of ancient Myndos. Alternatively, one can swim over to the Rabbit Island and look at the sunken ruins that have remained underwater since that unrecorded earthquake in antiquity which sent the seafront parts of Myndos sinking into the water.  

The trademark of Gümüşlük is the tree half-submerged in the crystal clear water of the Aegean.

Prior to the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1923, this part of present-day Turkey was largely settled by Orthodox Greeks who were forcibly removed from Asia Minor after the defeat of the Greek army in the war. As the number of Muslims driven out of Greece as part of the population exchange under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne was far less than the number of Greek Orthodox refugees fleeing Asia Minor, many of the Greek Orthodox churches, stone houses and grand seafront mansions in Gümüşlük and surrounding villages fell into disuse and subsequently left to rot in the open. One of the few monuments that serve as remainder that Gümüşlük was once a Greek village is the site of a former Greek Orthodox church that perched on top of the hill right next to the road linking Gümüşlük to Yalikavak. Following the onset of tourism developments in Bodrum Peninsula, many of these old Greek houses had since been acquired by enterprising Turkish entrepreneuers who are aware of the business potential of converting these houses into upmarket restaurants, hotels and cafes that appeal to the Turkish jetset class's demand of aesthetically pleasing beachfront accommodations and dining options.

Nowadays the village of Gümüşlük is a favourite hideout for artists, musicians and designers from all over Turkey, who are attracted to the place due to its reputation as a haven for artistic activities. Quite a few of them settled down here and set up their own workshops, studios, ateliers and art gallery amid the white-washed stone houses inside the small village. In addition to being the niche of designers, artists and musicians, modern-day Gümüşlük has also acquired the reputation as the place where the rich, the famous, and those with time and money to spare choose to have their leisurely brunch and romantic candlelight dinner on the shore of the Aegean at one of the numerous cafes and bistros housed in former Greek stone houses that graced the beaches of this little seaside village. Restaurants in Gümüşlük are certainly not cheap at all: be expected to pay in excess of more than 100TL for a romantic seafront seafood dinner for two with drinks and spellbinding views of sunset over the Aegean and the silhouette of the Greek islands.

During the tourist season, regular dolmus/minibuses travel between Bodrum and Gümüşlük every half an hour until early morning hours. There is also a less frequent dolmus service between Turgutreis and Gümüşlük. For those who choose to to visit Gümüşlük by boat, during the tourist season, daily boat excursions depart from the harbour of Turgutreis to Gümüşlük at 10am in the morning, and the boat trip will include a swim stop in the sheltered bay of Gümüşlük for an hour to enable visitors to walk up the Rabbit Island for some sightseeings.

Copyrights@YC Cheng 2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.