LYKIA-RESIDENCE-en

THE NAME OF PEACE

Karaöz is a district of the Kumluca district. It is 25 km from Kumluca. The region has a natural harbor structure and is located in the ancient city of Melanippe and the Gelidonya lighthouse in this region on the historic Lycian Way.

There are summer houses in the region that are open to domestic tourism during the summer months. The region has a population of around 1,000 in summer and around 450 in winter. The region is shaped like a peninsula. This peninsula has a history dating back to the Hellenistic period. The name Karaöz was first seen in written sources in a Helen inscription in the form of Karaozi (3000 BC).

The city, which was surrounded by walls on three sides, was named Sanetus Stephanus / Hagios Stephanos in the Middle Ages. It is believed that this name was given due to a three-aisled church built for St. Stephen on the flat area northwest of the city’s harbor. This church is known to have served sailors. Graffiti depicting ships and boats is engraved on the plaster on the exterior walls, which has survived to this day.