Well-preserved Byzantine hill fort beside Gedelme village on the plateau route between Tahtalı and Göynük. The name comes from kadrema, Greek for grain store, and the small fortress guarded harvests and the mountain road in turn; its curtain walls still stand to a good height. Beside them spreads a monumental plane tree reckoned some 2,500 years old, with a deep cave nearby — the village çay houses in its shade make a natural rest stop.
Highlights
- Byzantine curtain walls still standing to a good height above the village
- A monumental plane tree reckoned some 2,500 years old beside the walls
- A name from kadrema, Greek for grain store, guarding harvests and the road
- A deep karst cave dissolved along fractures near the castle
- Çay houses resting walkers in the same shade the garrison once used
At a glance
| Period | Byzantine (9th c.) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 23 — Gedelme to Göynük |
Take care
- Do not climb the walls — the stonework is old and loose in places
- The cave is unlit — enter only with a torch and company
History
The fort was part of Byzantium's response to the Arab sea raids that harried this coast from the 7th century onward, as garrisons and grain stores withdrew from open shores to defensible points inland; the pass at Gedelme controlled the road from the bay of Kemer up to the high plateaux. Its usefulness outlived the empire — Turkmen herders of the Teke country drove flocks past the walls each season, and an Ottoman-era village took root beside them. Never excavated and only lightly repaired, the castle keeps its medieval outline.
Myth & legend
The monumental plane tree by the walls is reckoned some 2,500 years old — seeded when Lycia still spoke its own language, and already a giant when the Byzantines raised the castle. Walkers rest today in the same shade the garrison once used.
Geology
Gedelme sits on a high step of the plateau country behind Tahtalı, close to where pale Mesozoic limestone meets the darker ophiolitic slices of the Antalya nappes. The cave near the castle is a karst cavity dissolved along fractures in the carbonate rock, and water stored in this fissured limestone feeds the springs on which these upland villages depend.
Wildlife & nature
Walnut, mulberry and fig shade the village springs, with pine and juniper forest on the slopes above and cyclamen through the leaf litter in spring. Grey wagtails and kingfishers work the Göynük stream, and the wet limestone of the canyon below shelters the Lycian salamander Lyciasalamandra irfani, known only from this gorge.
The view
Byzantine curtain walls stand beside a monumental plane tree reckoned 2,500 years old, on a green plateau shelf at about 700 m with Tahtalı's limestone rising behind.
Photography
The plane tree defeats normal lenses — go ultra-wide or stitch a panorama, with a person for scale; morning light suits the castle walls, midday works under the dappled canopy.
When to visit
The plateau stays cooler than the coast, a relief in summer; spring greens the walnut and mulberry trees, autumn colours them, and winter can dust the pass with snow.
Getting there
A mountain road climbs roughly eighteen kilometres from Kemer up the gorge to Gedelme; Lycian Way walkers arrive on the plateau route between Tahtalı and Göynük.
Where to stay
Simple village guesthouses and camping around Gedelme and the neighbouring plateau hamlets, with the full resort range of Kemer waiting at the bottom of the road.
Food & water
One of the better-supplied stops up high: spring water feeds the village fountains by the çay houses — fill here before the drier forest stages onward.
Safety
Do not climb the castle walls — the stonework is old and loose in places. The nearby cave is unlit: go in only with a torch and company. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The plane tree and çay houses sit beside the road on level ground, an easy stop for anyone; the castle knoll is a short but rough scramble, and the cave is unlit.
Visitor tips
Take tea in the shade the garrison once used, and only enter the cave with a torch and company; the village makes a natural rest day between the Tahtalı and Göynük stages.
Listen: the audio guide
The full narration of this stop's audio guide, in text. The audio itself plays only in the app.
You will probably smell the tea before you see the castle, and after the climb you have just done, that is the right order. Gedelme sits on a green shelf of the plateau at around seven hundred metres, and the village çay houses spread their chairs beneath a plane tree of frankly unreasonable size. Order something. Sit down. Then look up at the walls on the knoll beside you, and at the tree above your head, because those two things belong together more closely than you would think.
The castle is Byzantine, ninth century in the form you can see, and its curtain walls still stand to a good height. Its name gives away its purpose. Gedelme comes from kadrema, the Greek word for a grain store. This was never a grand fortress of war. It was a strongpoint that guarded harvests and the mountain road, and those were really the same job, because whoever held the grain held the pass. It went up as part of Byzantium's long answer to the Arab sea raids that harried this coast from the seventh century onward. Garrisons and granaries pulled back from the open shore to defensible points inland, and Gedelme controlled the road climbing from the bay of Kemer up to the high plateaux. Its usefulness outlived the empire that built it. Turkmen herders of the Teke country drove their flocks past these walls season after season, and an Ottoman village took root beside them.
Now, look for three things without leaving your chair, or nearly. First, the walls themselves, never excavated and only lightly repaired, which means you are looking at a medieval outline rather than a restoration. Do not climb them. The stonework is old and loose in places, and there is nothing up there the view from below does not already give you. Second, the springs and fountains of the village, shaded by walnut, mulberry and fig, with grey wagtails working the water. Third, near the castle, a deep cave opening in the limestone, a karst cavity dissolved along fractures in the rock. It is unlit, so admire the entrance and leave the dark to itself.
Now the tree. The monumental plane beside the walls is reckoned to be around two and a half thousand years old. Take a moment with that figure, because it is doing something remarkable. That tree was a seedling when Lycia still spoke its own language and cut its own tombs into the cliffs. It was already a giant when Byzantine masons arrived to build the fort beside it. It was ancient when the first Turkmen flocks came through the pass. The garrison rested in this shade between duties. So did the herders. So do you, right now, with your boots off. There are not many places on this trail where the continuity is quite so literal, or quite so comfortable.
The same fissured limestone under the cave is the reason this village exists at all. Water stored underground feeds the springs and fountains that upland settlements here depend on, and not far away the pale Mesozoic carbonate meets the darker ophiolitic slices of the Antalya nappes, which is what gives the surrounding slopes their sudden changes of colour. In the wet limestone of the gorge below lives the Lycian salamander known to science as Lyciasalamandra irfani, found nowhere in the world but that one canyon.
Fill your bottles at the fountains before you move, because the forest ahead is drier ground, and the stage down to Göynük is waiting whenever you are. The plateau stays cooler than the coast all summer, and winter can dust this pass with snow. But finish your tea unhurried first. The tree has been holding this shade for two and a half thousand years, and it can spare you another half hour. Walk safe.
Common questions
How old is Gedelme Castle?
Gedelme Castle dates from the Byzantine (9th c.) period.
How do I get to Gedelme Castle?
A mountain road climbs roughly eighteen kilometres from Kemer up the gorge to Gedelme; Lycian Way walkers arrive on the plateau route between Tahtalı and Göynük.
Is Gedelme Castle accessible?
The plane tree and çay houses sit beside the road on level ground, an easy stop for anyone; the castle knoll is a short but rough scramble, and the cave is unlit.
When is the best time to visit Gedelme Castle?
The plateau stays cooler than the coast, a relief in summer; spring greens the walnut and mulberry trees, autumn colours them, and winter can dust the pass with snow.
Is there food and water at Gedelme Castle?
One of the better-supplied stops up high: spring water feeds the village fountains by the çay houses — fill here before the drier forest stages onward.
Where can I stay near Gedelme Castle?
Simple village guesthouses and camping around Gedelme and the neighbouring plateau hamlets, with the full resort range of Kemer waiting at the bottom of the road.
What should I know before visiting Gedelme Castle?
Take tea in the shade the garrison once used, and only enter the cave with a torch and company; the village makes a natural rest day between the Tahtalı and Göynük stages.
Is Gedelme Castle safe to visit?
Do not climb the castle walls — the stonework is old and loose in places. The nearby cave is unlit: go in only with a torch and company. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
Plan the visit
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