Hamidiye

West of Demre, a narrow cove known as Hamidiye takes its name from one of the Ottoman navy's most storied ships. During the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, the cruiser Hamidiye, commanded by Rauf Orbay, used this stretch of the Lycian coast as a hiding place between raids on Bulgarian and Greek shipping, exploits that later earned Orbay the nickname 'Hero of Hamidiye' and made him one of the most celebrated Ottoman naval officers of the era.

The cove still carries a physical reminder of that history: a large Turkish flag, painted directly onto the rock face in oil paint by sailors, remains visible from the water and has become the anchorage's best-known landmark, alongside an inscription left by later naval crews who anchored here to honour the ship's memory. The bay itself is modest in size but well sheltered, with clear water that stays calm for swimming even when conditions pick up further along the coast.

Today Hamidiye is a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Turkey, who anchor beneath the painted flag for an afternoon swim before moving on toward the Kekova anchorages further east.