Anamur, the southernmost town between Antalya and Adana on Turkey's Mediterranean coast (map), is worth a stop and perhaps even an overnight.
It has an impressive fortress, uncrowded beaches, and a Byzantine ghost town.
The Fortress of Mamure, 7 km (4.5 miles) east of the town of Anamur, was built by the Romans, expanded by the Crusaders, and is still impressive.
The beach, with a selection of hotels and pensions, is at İskele ("Dock"), southeast of the town center.
The Byzantine ghost town of Anamurium, 5 km (3 miles) west of the town center, is an eerie place of semi-ruined stone buildings--churches, public baths, shops, a theater, a stadium, a necropolis (cemetery).
Crenellated walls of Mamure Fortress.
Anamurium was founded by the Phoenicians, flourished under the Romans, but was sacked by the Arabs in the 600s and never recovered. Its very forlorn-ness preserved it: no one wanted to live here, which is why it has been preserved.
Bus is the only public transport serving Anamur.
If you're driving the coast from Antalya to Adana, it makes sense to stop for the night in Anamur. It's smaller and more easily negotiable than Alanya, with more congenial lodgings than Silifke or Mersin. (although Kızkalesi, near Silifke, is another congenial possibility for an overnight stop.)
—by Tom Brosnahan
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