A ghost town in Turkey, or how whole nations were moved from country to country

Ghost towns attract many. Tourists like to wander through the old streets, look into abandoned houses to imagine what it was like when life was still in full swing here. There are many places in the world that have been abandoned forever by the inhabitants, and each of them is shrouded in its own unique atmosphere of mystery. For example, a no less intriguing people-abandoned city can be visited in Turkey. It is called Kayak, and is located in the south-west of the country, 8 kilometers from the resort of Fethiye.

Kayak, or, as it is also called, the "city of stones", was built in the 18th century on the site of the ancient city of Levissi. Mostly Orthodox Greeks lived here, and the city itself was considered very prosperous. However, today only ruins remained from the old buildings.

It all started with the onset of World War I. The Greeks living in Kayakoy turned out to be outcasts in a foreign land, as, indeed, throughout Turkey. They were persecuted, many were killed or forcibly expelled to Greece. Of the 20,000 people at the end of World War I, only a few Greek families remained in the city, but they were also expelled with the signing of a peace treaty between Turkey and Greece. Their housing went to the Turks, who were also forced to return "home" from an enemy country. In total, more than a million Orthodox Greeks left Turkey, and about 500 thousand Muslims who lived there all their lives and now forced to start a new one left Greece.

But only the Turks returned to their homeland in Kayakoe could not take root: after Greece, the new territories seemed too hilly and rocky to them. People considered this land unsuitable for life and went to other areas. So the city was completely empty. And the strong earthquake that happened here in 1957 with a power of 7 points finally made him a ghost.

Today, the city is still abandoned and partially destroyed. However, many tourists nevertheless do not miss the opportunity to come here, because, in fact, this place is an example of how human life can easily be destroyed due to the intrigues of rulers and political maneuvers.