Hotel construction in Phaselis canceled

ANTALYA – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

After the remains of historic structures and human skeletons were found in the ancient city of Phaselis, located along the Mediterranean coast, the construction of a five-star hotel near the ancient city has been canceled by the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs. 

Phaselis is also located within the Beydağları Olympos National Park and aims to enter UNESCO’s world heritage list.

The hotel, named the “Dream of Phaselis,” was slated to have 280 rooms and would have been built on the limits of the national park, while a significant part of the facility would have been inside the first-degree archaeological site, where no construction is permitted under current legislation. 

An earlier decision to dismiss the environmental assessment process for the project despite legal constraints had outraged environmental activists and lawyers alike. 

During the trial process, archaeological inspections carried out by Antalya’s Akdeniz University showed there were many archaeological remains still extant under the area.

The construction, which had been suspended last November, was canceled by the ministry on May 11.