Underwater Ruins in Turkey Near Kekova are among the most fascinating archaeological landscapes on the Lycian coast. Around Kekova Island, Simena, Üçağız, Aperlai, and Andriake, history does not stop at the shoreline. Lycian settlements, harbor remains, stone stairways, tombs, and old quays continue into the sea, creating one of the most striking coastal heritage zones in Turkey.
What makes this area so memorable is not one single “lost city,” but a network of connected ancient places. Earthquakes, coastal change, and centuries of maritime life shaped a landscape where some ruins remained on land while others slipped partly underwater. If you are planning to explore this part of Antalya Province, you can also look at our Antalya Myra Kekova Tour, browse more Antalya tours, or get inspiration from our broader Turkish Riviera itinerary.
Table of contents
- Quick guide to the main sites
- The Sunken City of Kekova
- Simena and Kaleköy
- Theimussa at Üçağız
- Aperlai
- Andriake and the port world behind Kekova
- Why Kekova stands out
Quick guide to the main sites
| Site | Location | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|
| Sunken City of Kekova | Northern shore of Kekova Island, Antalya Province | Partly submerged settlement with walls, stairways, quays, and old foundations visible from the water |
| Simena / Kaleköy | Opposite Kekova Island, between Kaş and Demre | Castle views, Lycian sarcophagi, village atmosphere, and traces of submerged waterfront remains |
| Theimussa / Üçağız | Üçağız Bay, near Kekova | Ancient harbor-village setting and the main departure point for many Kekova boat trips |
| Aperlai | Sıcak Peninsula, between Kaş and Kekova | Quiet Lycian harbor city with shoreline ruins, walls, and tombs in a more remote setting |
| Andriake | Near Demre, west of the ancient city of Myra | Historic port, agora, granary, and the Museum of Lycian Civilizations |
Interested in visiting Kekova, Myra, and the Lycian coast with a guide?
The Sunken City of Kekova
The most famous site in the area is the Sunken City of Kekova, along the northern shore of Kekova Island. The place is widely known because part of the ancient settlement slipped below the waterline, creating the impression of a city divided between land and sea. From passing boats, visitors can still make out stone stairways, house walls, old dock remains, and foundations fading into the clear blue water. You can read more about the wider significance of Kekova on the UNESCO Tentative List page. This is really the place to observe underwater ruins in Turkey.
What makes this stretch of coast so striking is the feeling that daily life once unfolded right at the edge of the water. Nothing here feels theatrical. The ruins are not set apart from the landscape. You notice them gradually: part of a wall, a staircase, the line of an old waterfront, then the realization that the ancient settlement continues below the surface.
Travelers should know one important modern detail: the underwater archaeological zone is protected, and swimming directly above the most sensitive sunken remains is not allowed. That is part of what has preserved the atmosphere of the site. The broader Kaş-Kekova area is also a protected marine and coastal zone, which adds another layer of interest for travelers who care about both archaeology and nature. For more context on that protected area, see the Kaş-Kekova protected area overview.
Nearby Tersane Bay is often mentioned separately because it has denser remains, including the apse of a Byzantine basilica. This is one reason boat trips around the area are so rewarding. If you want a longer coastal experience beyond a simple day stop, our one-week schooner cruise in Turkey also connects naturally with the Lycian coast atmosphere.
Simena and Kaleköy
If Kekova Island gives the region its famous underwater image, Simena, now known as Kaleköy, gives it a human scale. Located on the peninsula opposite Kekova Island between Kaş and Demre, Simena was a small Lycian coastal settlement in a strategic position. It is one of those places where the geography explains the history immediately: a protected harbor, slopes rising behind it, and wide views over the maritime routes that once linked the whole region.
The best-known feature of Simena is its castle, which still dominates the village and offers one of the classic views over Kekova. Official visitor information for the site is available on the Turkish Museums Simena page. But Simena is not only about the panorama. The area between Kaleköy and Üçağız still preserves traces of submerged roads and dock remains close to the shore, while Lycian sarcophagi remain one of the most memorable images of the settlement.
That combination is what makes Simena so appealing. It does not feel like a single archaeological stop disconnected from modern life. Instead, it feels inhabited, layered, and still tied to the sea in the same way it was centuries ago. The modern village did not simply appear in a scenic place by chance. It developed where an older coastal community had already learned how to live with stone, wind, and water.
Theimussa at Üçağız
A short distance away lies Theimussa, associated with modern Üçağız. It is one of the most useful places for understanding the region because it reminds us that not every ancient settlement on this coast was a major city. Some places were smaller harbor communities that supported movement, shelter, and exchange rather than monumental urban life.
Today, Üçağız acts as the natural harbor and practical departure point for many boat trips to Simena and Kekova Island. Historically, that makes perfect sense. The bay is sheltered, accessible, and closely tied to the rest of the Kekova system. The remains in and around the village include funerary monuments and coastal traces rather than one large dramatic ruin complex.
That is exactly what makes Theimussa important. In many Mediterranean travel articles, the spotlight always falls on grand theaters, temples, or giant civic buildings. Here, the more revealing story is maritime. Harbors, quays, tombs, and modest settlement remains tell you how this coastline actually functioned. If you are combining this area with a broader regional trip, it fits naturally into a route through Antalya and the Lycian coast.
Aperlai and its ruins
Among the main sites near Kekova, Aperlai is often the one casual visitors overlook. Yet for anyone interested in the deeper maritime history of the region, it is one of the most rewarding stops. Aperlai was a small Lycian port city on the Sıcak Peninsula, between modern Kaş and Kekova, at the head of a long narrow bay.
Aperlai matters because it shows that the underwater and shoreline archaeology of this coast goes well beyond the famous Sunken City itself. The wider Kekova landscape was made up of multiple settlements linked by maritime traffic, local exchange, and natural anchorages. What survives at Aperlai today is not a spectacular cinematic drowned city, but something historically richer in its own way: a quieter harbor settlement with shoreline traces, walls, and tombs that still reveal how deeply life here depended on the sea.
For travelers who are drawn to less obvious ruins and quieter corners of the coast, Aperlai is often the point where the region starts to feel bigger than its postcard image. It is one more reason why the Lycian coast remains one of the most compelling areas in Turkey for a mix of history, landscape, and boat-based exploration.
Andriake and the port world behind Kekova
Strictly speaking, Andriake is not the classic underwater-ruins stop of the region. Even so, it belongs in any serious article about Kekova’s ancient maritime world. Andriake was the port of Myra, near modern Demre, and it helps explain the larger system behind the smaller coastal settlements.
Excavations have restored much of its harbor identity, including the agora and major storage structures. The most important surviving building is the ancient granary, which now houses the Museum of Lycian Civilizations. That museum visit adds an essential layer to the coastal experience because it connects the visible ruins with the wider history of Lycian trade, funerary traditions, and regional networks.
So why include Andriake in a guide about underwater ruins? Because the submerged walls, harbor traces, and island settlements around Kekova did not exist in isolation. They belonged to a functioning coastal economy with supply lines, storage, and larger urban links. Once you include Andriake, the whole area begins to feel less like a collection of beautiful ruins and more like a connected ancient maritime system.
If you want to combine archaeology, coastline scenery, and a practical guided route, our Antalya Myra Kekova Tour is the most natural internal continuation of this article.
Why Kekova stands out
What makes the ruins near Kekova so memorable is that they are not only underwater, and not only ancient. They are coastal ruins caught in transition, preserved in that narrow strip where land meets sea. Turkey has other historic coastal sites, but Kekova stands apart because the whole zone works as a layered landscape rather than a single isolated monument.
Here, island ruins, harbor towns, village settlements, sarcophagi, old quays, and Byzantine traces all seem to answer one another. That is why Kekova stays in people’s minds. You are not chasing a myth. You are looking at a real coastline shaped by Lycian settlement, maritime trade, geological change, and long-term continuity.
The main sites known as the Sunken City of Kekova, Simena at Kaleköy, Theimussa at Üçağız, Aperlai, and Andriake each reveal a different side of that story. Together, they make this stretch of coast one of the richest places in Turkey for anyone drawn to underwater ruins, ancient harbors, and the feeling that history still lingers right at the water’s edge.