Referendum to be held for Kayaköy

MUĞLA – Anadolu Agency

The Fethiye Municipal Assembly will hold a referendum for the proposal of changing the name of “Kayaköy” to “Kayı Köy.”

At a meeting, the assembly’s architectural commission chairman Zafer Doğan said Kayaköy was known for its archaeological site and the name change might create trouble in terms of tourism.

He said people should get used to the name “Kayı,” adding, “Events should be organized to finish this process of change. As the commission, we suggest holding a referendum.”

At the meeting, the commission also discussed changing the name of the Keçiler neighborhood to “Karakeçililer” and approved the decision.

Following the meeting, Yuruk Turkoman History Researcher Eren Fehmi Eroğlu said they had collected 5,000 electronic signatures for the name change of the village and delivered it to the municipal assembly.

Kayaköy is a historical Greek town in the Aegean province of Muğla’s Fethiye district. It was abandoned after its Greek inhabitants returned to Greece in the population exchange between the two countries in 1923.

Today, the town features almost-intact houses and churches and has become an important cultural center, home to festivals and many international events each summer.