Ören

ÖREN is an endangered Turkish species – a coastal resort that’s not completely overdeveloped. It’s one of the few sizable villages on the north coast of the Gulf of Gökova, and owes its pre-tourism history to the narrow, fertile, alluvial plain adjacent, and the lignite deposits in the mountains behind. The upper village, on the east bank of a canyon mouth exiting the hills, is an appealingly homogenous settlement, scattered among the ruins of ancient Keramos. You can easily make out sections of wall, arches and a boat slip, dating from the time when the sea (now 1km distant) lapped the edge of town. The resort area down on the coast has little in the way of relics, save for sections of column carted off from the main site by pansiyon owners for use as decoration. The beach is a more than acceptable kilometre of coarse sand, gravel and pebbles, backed by handsome pine-tufted cliffs; in clear weather you can spy the Datça peninsula opposite. Once there was a working harbour at the east end of the town, but what’s left of the jetty now serves a few fishing boats and the occasional wandering yacht.