Last updated on .
Sedir Island (Sedir Adası) is a protected island in the Gulf of Gökova in Turkey. It makes for an easy day trip from the resort city of Marmaris.
Visiting Sedir Island
The island is open to the public from May through October as the Sedir Island Archaeological Site (Sedir Adası Örenyeri). It costs 300₺ to enter (as of February 2024) and is accessible via boat on an excursion from Marmaris. Visitors to the island have plenty of time to enjoy the pristine Cleopatra Beach (Kleopatra Plajı) and wander the ruins of ancient Kedreai.
Sedir Island Excursion from Marmaris
While leading a tour in Turkey, I had a free day in Marmaris and decided to take an excursion to Sedir Island. I booked the Cleopatra Island Boat Trip through Mares Travel. It costs 550₺ for adults and 275₺ for children age 7 to 12 (as of February 2024). The price includes all transportation, lunch, unlimited soft drinks, four stops, and guide fees. Not included, however, are the entrance fees to the island (see below). I’ll save my review of Mares Travel until the end of the post.
Boat Ride to Sedir Island
I was picked up by a tour bus outside my hotel in Marmaris at 9:30am. After a short ride, we arrived at the village of Çamlıköy on the Gulf of Gökova and were led to a large boat. I boarded, grabbed a table, and waited for a couple other busloads to arrive. The group was a good mix of English, Russian, Lebanese, and Dutch travelers.
A half hour later, the boat left the dock and started cruising towards Sedir Island. It was an enjoyable ride through the gulf and the scenery was incredible.
As we got closer to the island, the guide got on the microphone and asked everyone in the group to hand over the entrance fees to the island in cash or they would have to stay on the boat.
Entering Sedir Island
After collecting the cash, everyone got off the boat and walked down the dock to the site entrance. It was there that I noticed visitors can use a Museum Pass Türkiye to enter. This allows entrance to any government-run museum or archaeological site for 15 days. I had one day left on mine and could have saved on the fees, but the possibility of using the pass was never communicated to me either at booking or during the tour. I’m almost 100% sure the guide or perhaps the tour company pocketed everyone’s entrance fees because he was buzzing people in with his guide pass.
Cleopatra Beach
After entering the site, a boardwalk leads visitors through the island to Cleopatra Beach (Kleopatra Plajı). When the beach came into view, it was love at first sight.
Cleopatra Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It’s a tiny patch of fine pinkish sand opening to a small bay with tranquil turquoise waters.
The sand at Cleopatra Beach is actually made up of limestone droplets. The beach is under federal protection and it’s forbidden to take any sand. A similar type of sand can only be found on Crete.
Legend has it that Mark Antony gifted the island to Cleopatra but she didn’t like the sand. Antony then had sand shipped in directly from the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt to make her happy.
Anyway, I had three hours to enjoy the beach and explore the island, including the ruins of ancient Kedreai. I spent about an hour exploring then went back to the beach to lay out in the sun and swim. The water was fantastic and the perfect temperature for a hot sunny day.
Kedreai
Kedreai (Κεδρεαί), or Cedreae, was an ancient city of Caria. The remains of the city are on Sedir Island, just a short walk from Cleopatra Beach. The main settlement is mostly located on the east side of the island, including a theatre, residential areas, a harbor, religious structures, and civic buildings. Byzantine churches are located on other parts of the island. The necropolis sits across from the island on the mainland, while a few other elements are on a smaller neighboring island.
History of Kedreai
Kedreai was founded by the Carians, who were categorized as “semi-barbaric” by ancient Greek historian and military leader Xenophon (c. 430 BC – c. 354 BC). The city was named after the cedar trees that were once found on the island.
In the 5th century BC, the city joined the Delian league and supported Athens during the Peloponnesian War. As a result, Spartan military leader Lysander (d. 395 BC) attacked Kedreai in 406 BC and sold its people into slavery.
By the 3rd century BC, the city was Hellenized. The inhabitants worshipped Apollo and spoke the Greek language. In the 2nd century BC, the city fell under the jurisdiction of Rhodes, which was later declared independent by Rome in 168 BC. It officially became part of the Roman Empire in 129 BC, and was later ruled by the Byzantines.
Towards the end of the 11th century, the region suffered from frequent attacks by Turks. Kedreai fell to the Ottoman Empire in the early 15th century.
Orata Island
First of all, while cruising towards Sedir Island, the boat passed the smaller Orata Island. It was easy to spot three structures on the island. To the east is the Domed Church (Kubbeli Kilise), in the middle is the so-called Big Structure (Büyük Yapı), and to the west is the so-called Apse Structure (Apsisli Yapı).
Isthmus Church
Next, after arriving at Sedir Island and passing through the entrance, a boardwalk leads to Cleopatra Beach. On the way to the beach, the path splits to the right and ends at the Isthmus Church (Kıstak Kilisesi).
The Isthmus Church dates back to the Byzantine period, most likely the 13th century. It’s one of two structures on the island outside the city walls. It was built on a rectangular plan with an aisle and nave.
The apse sits to the east, while on the northeast side of the building is a cistern. It was a later addition to the church and is still intact.
Big Basilica
The other structure built outside the city walls was the Big Basilica (Büyük Bazilika). It’s located on the west side of the island at the end of a path leading southwest from Cleopatra Beach.
The Big Basilica dates back to between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was built during the Byzantine period, mostly with pieces recycled from older structures. It’s considered to be one of the largest basilicas in the entire Carian region, measuring 35.5 meters x 19 meters.
The basilica had three naves and an apse. It’s completely ruined, but it’s easy to spot architectural pieces such as column capitals with crosses, the ambo, and other pieces with ivy motifs. I also met a friendly tortoise at the ruins.
Agora
Back at Cleopatra Beach, a sign points towards the main settlement of Kedreai. A boardwalk leads past a lagoon, which served as the city’s port, to the agora.
The agora was built outside the city walls on flat land between the port and the theatre. It dates back to the Roman period and probably took its final shape during the Byzantine period.
It was a large area measuring 35 x 35 meters. Only parts of the front and side walls remain. The front walls reach a height of four meters while the side walls reach up to two meters high.
Theatre
The boardwalk continues past the agora to the theatre. The theatre, which sat outside the city walls, faced north and had a nice view of the sea.
The theatre was originally built in the 4th century BC during the Hecatomnid dynasty. It had a capacity of 2,500. The theatre is in decent condition but some of the seats have yet to be excavated. There’s also a small section of seats that have collapsed.
City Walls
Behind the theatre, the city walls come into view. They enclose the residential and religious area on the east side of the island and split the island into two parts. The walls closely follow the shoreline and are made of huge stones.
The walls were first built in the 5th and 6th centuries BC and were fortified with towers in the weakest sections. They took their final shape in the 4th century BC. The walls continued to be in use through the Byzantine period solely through repairs.
The path continues between the outside of the city walls along the shoreline, passing a cistern, until it reaches the Sanctuary of Apollo.
Sanctuary of Apollo
The Sanctuary of Apollo is near the southern shore of Sedir Island. It was the most important religious center in Kedreai.
The Sanctuary of Apollo was built in the 2nd century BC and measures about 36 x 36.3 meters. The entrance was from the north. It had a peristyle in the Doric order and an open terrace where religious ceremonies would take place.
The sanctuary continued in use after the rise of Christianity, and a basilica was built on top during the Byzantine period.
Church with Mosaic Base
The final structure I spotted at Kedreai was the Mosaic-Based Church (Mozaik Tabanlı Kilise). There was no path to it on the island so I had to view it from the boat.
İncekum Beach
When the last call was made to get back to the boat, I walked to the dock and boarded. We took a very short cruise towards a small beach on the mainland, İncekum Beach (İncekum Plajı). There, we were treated to lunch and anyone who wanted to swim was able to jump in the water.
Lacivert Koyu
Next, we cruised back towards Çamlıköy for our third stop of the day at Lacivert Koyu. This small hidden cove was a great place to take a swim. Unfortunately, it started to rain shortly after we arrived. Only a few people took advantage and got in the water.
Thankfully, everyone on the boat was entertained by a brave individual who swam over to the shore, climbed to the top of a cliff, and jumped in. He hesitated for a while but was encouraged by everyone on the boat and finally took the plunge.
Rabbit Island and the End of the Tour
Our fourth and final stop of the day was at a little rock called Rabbit Island (Tavşan Adası), where the only inhabitants are rabbits. We were given the chance to jump off the boat in shallow water and wade onto shore to see the rabbits. I skipped it.
Once everyone was back on the boat, we cruised back to Çamlıköy and everyone got on their bus back to Marmaris. I was dropped off at my hotel after a long seven-hour day.
My Thoughts on the Tour to Sedir Island
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the beach. I was also happy that I pretty much had the ruins of Kedreai to myself, as only a handful of people decided to take advantage of the whole island. What I wasn’t happy with was the tour company. I already mentioned about the Museum Pass Türkiye debacle, but there are a couple other reasons I wouldn’t recommend Mares Travel.
The so-called guides, first of all, didn’t care about any of the tourists. They weren’t approachable at all. The Russian guide was especially gruff and even snapped at people when they asked her simple questions. She preferred to sit on the deck and smoke her cigarette. Secondly, both guides seemed to be going through the motions. They each gave a long introduction after the boat left the dock (one in English and Turkish and the other in Russian), but after that they were useless. All they did was collect money for the island and let us know when to get back to the boat.
Finally, the service on the boat was terrible and their policies were enigmatic. Shortly after getting back on the boat at Sedir Island, I saw one woman go to the bar and buy a beer. I went up right after and asked for my free soft drink, but the bartender refused. He told me the bar is closed and it was only possible to purchase drinks at that moment. I would have to wait another half hour until the bar was “open” again for my free drink. Seriously, how difficult is it to pour a glass of Coke?
I can’t speak for any other tour operators in Marmaris, but I’d like to hear if you have a different experience with another company.
