About Kalkan
Kalkan has been a place of settlement since antiquity with the important location as the only safe harbour between Kas and Fethiye. Kalkan was a very important port during the 19th century.

The Kalkan (with the old name of Kalamaki) you see today was settled 150 to 200 years ago by people of both Greek and Turkish origin in the days of the Ottoman Empire.   Camels brought goods to Kalkan from the nearby Xanthos valley and from as far away as the mountain highlands near Elmali.   Cargo ships were then loaded in Kalkan's harbour to sail for the far reaches of the Ottoman Empire carrying charcoal, silk (you can see many mulberry trees in Kalkan today), olive oil, and wine, as well as cotton, grain, sesame seed, flour, grapes, acorns used for dye, and lumber from the vast cedar and pine forests.

By the early 20th century Kalkan had become quite a sizeable village.   At the turn of the century it had its own custom’s house and in 1915 there were reportedly seventeen restaurants, a goldsmith, a shoemaker and several tailors.  The first local elections were held in 1928 and in 1937 the first elementary school was opened.

Following World War I, the exchange in population between the new Turkish Republic and Greece took place in 1921 during the Turkish War of Independence.   Most of the Greek origin people living in Kalkan left Turkey.

Despite the changes, traditional life still continues for many of the local residents. Historically, many locals of Kalkan have owned land both in Kalkan and in the nearby mountain village of Bezirgan, set in a beautiful valley.   Today many of these residents continue to follow the pattern of their ancestors, spending summers in the coolness of the mountains and winters near the warm coast.