Another month is behind us. And so it’s time for another monthly Fethiye news update. They really do seem to come around so fast, these updates.
As far as we’re concerned with our own daily life, it’s been a relatively quiet month. Just doing the day to day.
The usual morning exercise, however, despite the very mixed bag of Fethiye weather for March, has been very much brightened up by lots of mimosa appreciation.
But all around us, locally, there’s all sorts underway. So, let’s get underway!
Changing Views
Lots going on along the sahil yolu – Fethiye coast road – at the moment.
New Seaside Mosque
Just to the right of the harbour entrance to Şehit Fethi Bey Park, a new mosque – Sahil Camii – suddenly appeared, as if from nowhere.
It’s become a curiosity because some of the frames arrived readymade.
Whilst the minaret arrived almost completely intact – and was lifted into place by a winch – the metal wall frames were quickly erected before the intact frame of the dome was lifted into position.
The minaret and dome were in situ within a day. Proceedings have slowed a little now the gaps are being filled in with blocks – but it’s an interesting watch.
There’s a lot more focus, at the moment, on earthquake-proof construction. So we could be seeing more frames like this in the future.
New Streetlights
And staying along the seaside road, as I type, new streetlights are being installed all the way along.
These are decorative ones, replacing the not-very-attractive plain lights that were there previously.
And the pattern alternates between the Turkish flag and various images of Atatürk.
Aside from the aesthetics, they’re also serving a practical purpose. Because this is LED lighting.
Pros and cons to everything, of course, but LED lighting has much lower power consumption and has a lifespan of 10-20 years; saving municipalities time and money.
As well as lighting the road, the cycle track and running track are also illuminated.
Significant March Dates
Ramazan Bayramı
The holy month of Ramazan came to an end on Thursday 19th March.
Many Turkish families used the used the half day holiday – Arife – to start preparations for the three day festival, Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr).
This is the festival that is also known as Şeker Bayramı (Sugar Festival) because it is a time when sweets and Turkish desserts are at the forefront.
First Summer Season Flight
Whilst Dalaman Airport remains open in winter for domestic flights and a handful of scheduled international flights, the first charter flight marks the beginning of the summer season for the airport.
Even if some hotels, bars and restaurants in resorts like Marmaris, Ölüdeniz and Çalış Beach are still in prep, that is.
This year, the first summer season flight landed at Dalaman on 23rd March. A Jet2 flight from Manchester carrying 189 passengers.
As is tradition, these passengers were greeted by Dalaman Airport staff and other tourism personnel with flowers and a buffet.
It’s a crazy world we’re living in at the moment. We’ve got fingers and toes crossed for a decent summer season for everyone.
If you’re coming over to this part of the world this summer, check out our recommendations for the best things to do in Fethiye.
Festival Season
Around this time of year in the Mediterranean and Aegean areas of the country, as well as the National Holidays and religious festivals, we get various festivals and events.
Over the weekend, the local crowds headed to the nearby port of Göcek for the Göcek Herb Festival.
We went last year and were hoping to be there again this year – braving potential bad weather – but Barry wasn’t feeling great – newly into a cold – so we gave it a miss.
Great that so many people still went along, despite the threat of rain.
Fingers crossed for great weather and health for the upcoming Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Morel Mushroom Festival on the weekend of 10th-12th April.
18. Mart (18th March)
In Turkey, 18th March is Şehitler Anma Günü – Remembrance Day for the 1915 Çanakkale War.
This year was the 111th anniversary of the end of the Battle remembrance for those who gave their lives in the Çannakale War; known to many of us as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Gallipoli Campaign.
Out & About
A weekend in Kaş at the end of February/beginning of March and another weekend away coming up means ‘out & about’ has been a bit low key in March.
We hadn’t been for a while. So we took ourselves off to Kanatçı Mert for some of their lovely juicy barbecued chicken wings.
And, on the last day of the month, we needed to do some shopping in town – a lovely bit of mackerel from the Fethiye fish market amongst other errands.
The sun was shining. So we went for the old faithful and had a kuşbaşılı pide at Nefis Pide Kordon. Difficult to beat when you’ve not had one for most of the winter.
On The Blog
A Bit Of Cooking
A busy few weeks but we have managed to get a new addition to our list of Turkish recipes out there on the blog.
Dalyan köfte is a really tender, juicy Turkish meatloaf that is literally stuffed with vegetables.
Trust us, if you like red meat, this tastes amazing. Great weekend food, it can be frozen, refrigerated and/or your leftovers reheated the day after.
We actually prefer it the day after!
And it doesn’t really feel like it. But we did have some warm sunny spring days throughout March.
That always calls for making salads so we went for a big bowl of Turkish orzo salad last week.
And sticking with orzo, the local Turkish markets are brimming with springtime seasonal produce at the moment and we love a seasonal broad bean salad with orzo.
And A Travel Update…
Last month, we spent a while making sure our guide to the Greek island of Meis – as it’s known here – was up to date.
In March, we did a very long overdue update to our article for how to get to the island from Kaş by way of the Kaş to Meis ferry.
Archaeological Declaration
And Göcek made the news again in March. A new one on us – the Kalimce ruins.
These ancient Lycian ruins are underwater, just off the shore. And in March, they were declared a Grade 1 archaeological site.
Apparently, they can occasionally be seen from the shoreline when the sea recedes a little.
It’s good news for the Göcek Culture & Tourism Association. And the Göcek Public Assembly who pushed for the recognition.
Their aim is to prevent uncontrolled construction whilst boosting sustainable tourism.
In Other News
Some little snippets of news that have jumped out at us over the last few weeks…
More EU Recognition
Turşu (Turkish pickled vegetables) plays a significant role in Turkish cuisine.
And if you go to any pickle shop, they often also sell turşu suyu (pickle juice) and şalgam suyu (a tangy fermented drink made from purple carrots and turnip).
Already famous for its spicy Adana Kebab, of course, şalgam also originates from the city of Adana.
And in March, this distinctive drink was given EU Geographical Indication registration; the 45th Turkish product to be given the designation.
A Sporting Fest
Take a breath; March was a successful month for Turkish sports stars:
- At the Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup held in Antalya earlier in March, there was a home win for Turkish gymnast, Adem Asil, on the rings. Gold medal and world champion! Meanwhile, Ferhat Arıcan took home the bronze medal for his routine on the parallel bars.
- And not something we usually associate with Turkish sport; March was the month the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held in Montreal in Canada. History was made when Furkan Akar won the Turkey’s first ever speed skating medal. He took bronze in the 500 metres final.
- If you’re someone who likes to keep fit, you might have heard of the move, the ‘Turkish Get Up.’ Quite apt, then, that in March, the World Record for the Heaviest Turkish Get Up was won by a Turkish fitness coach; Burak Yazgı. 116.8 kilograms. Bonkers!
- And last but definitely not least? Of course, you already know that Turkey have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 24 years.
Back To Food
And just to end with a nice read. We move further east from Adana to the city of Gaziantep. This BBC Travel article is all about how the city’s identity is built on ‘Green Gold’.
It is, of course, referring to Gaziantep’s single most important ingredient: pistachio nuts!