From Shore to Village: Dolmuş Lines, Walks and the Mosaics of the Gara Church in Bitez

Two Bitezes

Bitez was a separate municipality until it became a neighbourhood of Bodrum in 2014. Its population multiplies in summer. It once lived from fishing; today it lives from tourism. In our family’s memory Bitez was a natural harbour where fishing and sponge-diving boats took shelter.

The settlement has two parts. Yalı is the strip along the bay, with the restaurants, guesthouses and piers. The village sits on the slope behind the mandarin groves. You can walk between the two along lanes that run through the groves.

Bitez by dolmuş

Two dolmuş lines run from Bodrum bus station to Bitez. Line 2-48 goes via the Adliye (courthouse): it passes Konacık, the Bitez junction, the courthouse and Bitez village and comes down to Bitez Yalı. Line 2-49 (formerly 2-1A) runs past the Gümbet junction and the Ramada hotel to Bitez beach, then climbs to the village.

So if you want to see the village, 2-48 is the more direct line; if you want to go straight to the sea, take 2-49. Fares are based on the distance between where you get on and off, and contactless bank cards are accepted. Line numbers and timetables change from time to time, so check Bodrum bus station’s current information before setting off, especially on Sundays and in winter. For getting to our restaurant there is also our directions page.

Mosaics in the village: the Gara Church

In the middle of Bitez village are the remains of a church that many visitors walk straight past. It is known locally as the Gara Church. According to the paper Emine Tok presented at a Turkish mosaic symposium in 2006, the church’s first phase was paved with multicoloured geometric, plant and figurative mosaics. This phase dates to the Early Byzantine period, and the mosaics resemble Mediterranean floors of the 4th to 6th centuries. After the Byzantine period a second church was built on the site, which was later also used as a house.

The remains have long been under conservation and restoration, and you may not always be able to go inside. If you want to see the mosaics, look from a respectful distance and do not cross the fences around the site.

One step further: Pedasa and the Leleg Way

About 2 kilometres from Konacık, north of Bitez, lies the ancient city of Pedasa, a settlement of the Leleges, one of the oldest peoples of the peninsula. Excavations have located the site of its Temple of Athena, and the acropolis, tombs and house remains can also be visited.

The Leleg Way, prepared by the Bodrum Chamber of Commerce with support from the South Aegean Development Agency, was planned as a 185-kilometre network of walking routes. Its first 8-kilometre stage opened around Pedasa. Bodrum Municipality also runs guided culture walks to Pedasa and other Lelegian settlements from time to time. For anyone still learning to read the waymarks, a guided walk is the safest start.

In summer, walk either early in the morning or in the cool of the late afternoon. There is little shade, so carry plenty of water. The scrub is dry and very prone to fire: do not smoke and do not light fires.

SOURCES

• Bodrum bus station: 2-48 Bodrum – Adliye – Bitez Yalı
• Bodrum bus station: 2-1A / 2-49 Bodrum – Ramada – Bitez
• Wikipedia: Bitez
• Emine Tok, “Bodrum Bitez Gara Kilise Mozaikleri”, Turkish mosaic symposium paper, 2006
• Haber7: Leleg Yolu (Turkish)
• CNN Türk: Pedasa excavations (Turkish)