Shared Aegean culture is kept alive on Greek island of Symi, surrounded by Turkish peninsulas

By Mustafa Yildirim

SYMI, Greece / MUGLA, Türkiye (AA) - On the Greek island of Symi, a small island where the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean meet, the common Aegean culture is still being kept alive.

Symi lies 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) from Datca and 6.5 km (4 mi) from Bozburun, Marmaris, both in Türkiye.

Surrounded by Turkish peninsulas, the island is 41 kilometers (25.5 miles) from the nearest Greek island, Rhodes, and 601 km (373 mi) from the Greek mainland.

Attracting tourists from many countries, Symi is a frequent summer stop for Turkish yachts and sailors.

In Symi, which is only 57 square km (22 square mi) and has a population of 2,500, most of the residents concentrate on tourism to make a living but also fishing and trade.

Vessels approaching the island's U-shaped harbor quay are greeted by yachts, sailboats, fishing boats, and cruise ships that come and go.

Surrounded by the Datca and Bozburun peninsulas, Symi also contains the traces of a common culture that has survived from the Ottoman era, which ruled it for 400 years.

On the island, there is a rush to find a spot to eat in restaurants, with the unique tastes of Aegean cuisine on offer.

Dozens of colorful hundreds-of-year-old houses lined up on the edge of the postcard-perfect beach display the best examples of neoclassical architecture. These pastel-colored houses, integrated with the blue of the sea, survived with their original architecture from the Venetians to the present day.