History of Kalkan Port

Kalkan has been a place of settlement since antiquity with the important location as the only safe harbour between Kas and Fethiye. Up until the 19th century Kalkan was a more important port than its two larger neighbours Fethiye and Antalya.

The Kalkan you see today was settled 150 to 200 years ago by people of both Greek and Turkish origin subject to the Ottoman Empire. Camels brought goods to Kalkan from the local area and Cargo ships were loaded in Kalkan's harbour to sail for the far reaches of the Ottoman Empire. The major exports were charcoal, olive oil, silk and wine but cotton, grain, sesame seed, flour, grapes, acorns used for dye, and lumber from the vast cedar and pine forests also passed through this bust port.

By the turn of the 20th century Kalkan had grown to have its own custom?s house and in 1915 there were reportedly seventeen restaurants, a goldsmith, a shoemaker and several tailors.

Following the Turkish War of Independence most of the Greek people living in Kalkan left Turkey (some going to the nearby Greek island of Meis), but sea trading continued until the 1950's when it gradually faded way with improvements to the overland transportation system.

With no more sea trade, the population of Kalkan trickled away as people moved to larger coastal cities to find work. Luckily, Kalkan was saved by the arrival of wealthy English yachtsmen in the 1960's and tourism eventually became the main economy of Kalkan.

Despite the changes tourism has brought to the people of Kalkan, traditional life still continues for many of the local residents who continue to follow the pattern of their ancestors, spending summers in the coolness of the mountains and winters near the warm coast.