Kız Kalesi or Maidens Castle has a castle lying in the sea as a first defence (more inland). It was built in 1104 by the Byzantine general Eustathius and used to be connected to the mainland by a dam. The name supposedly hinted at a girl that lived here secludedly, since her death by snakebite had been profesized. Unfortunately, a snake was accidentally brought to the island in a basket with fruit, ending the girl and the story. The castle was later a feared pirates nest. Cem, the son of Mehmet II, hid here in 1481 after the death of his father, fearing his brother Beyazit. He fled on to Rhodos.

I took pictures of the castle, the defences at the coast, and the bathing fun. Too crowded for my taste, but people looked very happy. I also show older pictures, 1996, scanned from slides, which have a blue hue, I may remedy it some time, too busy yet.