NEWS

Nature volunteers have a civil lawsuit against a limestone and stone quarry planned to be opened near Akbük.

Members affiliated to the Akbük Nature and Life Association staged an event as part of the “We Stand Up for Our Nature” calling on public solidarity against the potentially environmentally damaging project.

Citizens held banners chanting “We Don’t Want Limestone or Quarries in Akbük” and held a meeting in front of the Ceylan Evleri Site on Kazıklı Road.

Association members announced that they have filed a lawsuit against the limestone and stone quarry planned to be opened in Akbük. During the survey, local residents and environmental volunteers protested to prevent the destruction of nature.

A new ‘virtual museum” that will enable visitors to see the Temple of Apollo in a completely new light is underway by the Didim Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber of Commerce President Hilmi Erbaş said the “Apollon VR Project” – allowing the Temple to be seen with the help of augmented reality – will be centred at the Knackfuss House.

The two-story Knackfuss House was used as a home by the descendants of those who settled in Didim after the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1924. It was later used as a storage facility by the German excavation team conducting archaeological excavations around the Temple of Apollo.

The historic building was transferred to the Miletus Museum Directorate in recent years, but a wall of the building, which is over 100 years old, collapsed in 2020 due to heavy rainfall. It has been under restoration since August 2023.

The start of a new year is the perfect time for fresh beginnings, and Realty World / Choices is leading the way with the launch of its new After Sales Services and Property Management division, designed to provide comprehensive, transparent support to property owners in Didim and surrounding areas.

Built around clear communication, accountability, and trust, the new division has been created in response to the growing need for property owners, particularly those living abroad or away for long periods, to have complete confidence in how their homes are cared for, accessed, and managed in their absence.

A massive 20 million lira project to upgrade Mavişehir, including the popular market place, is underway and will be completed by May 2026.

Didim Municipality will be implementing the project with the aim of solving long-standing rainwater drainage infrastructure problems while creating a social living space for the area.

The project will include

• an 8655 square meter parking lot with a capacity of 276 vehicles,

• restaurant areas

• a 560 square meter children’s playground

• a 700-meter long walking path

• a 600-meter long bicycle path

Realty World, the sister company of Voices Newspaper, has received high praise from a couple who decided to sell up after many happy years in Akbük.

Janet and Ahmad came to Realty World based on the positive experiences of a friend who had sold through the company, and they were not to be disappointed.

The couple said: “We have owned one property or another over the years in Didim. We eventually settled in our beautiful villa in Akbük 9 years ago, we loved it there and spent the majority of our time there. We had great neighbours and loved every minute of our stays.

“However, with very heavy, sad hearts, it came to the point we had come to the decision that it was best to sell. The journey was getting too long and health issues. Our friend had sold previously with Realty World in Didim and she told us about her positive experience.”

A massive shopping mall is to be built around an hour away from Didim, it has been revealed.

The Novada Forum Project, planned by Turkmall, will be built between Bodrum and Milas at the Bosphorus Junction, which is around 15 minutes from Bodrum Airport. The shopping mall, featuring food and beverage areas, entertainment units, and a premium outlet concept in the future, will feature, in its first phase, 20,000 square meters of rentable space on a 60-acre plot of land, with a parking area for 1,500 vehicles.

The site overall is expected to be completed in three phases, with a total investment of approximately $75 million. According to statements made by Turkmall, the mall aims to create up to 4,000 jobs once all phases are completed. This is considered a significant economic contribution, particularly for the young population living in the Bodrum-Milas hinterland and those who struggle to find work outside the peak season.

The project will cater to a projected 50,00 to 60,000 visitors in the summer months and 15,000 in the winter months.

One of the sights that most tugs on the heartstrings of any visitor to Didim is the huge number of street animals, cats and dogs without owners, that rely on the kindness of people for their survival, writes Laura Bower.

CoDA, Care of Didim Animals, is a 10-year-old organisation set up to feed and care for as many of these creatures as they can reach.

CoDA is a group of volunteers that work with the council-run dog shelter, supporting the council’s three vets and raising funds and donating time and effort to walking sheltered dogs, bringing animals in for neutering, and the never-ending cleanup operation involved in maintaining a hygienic environment at the shelter.

Didim Council has been resisting pressure from the government to enforce draconian rules designed to reduce the number of street animals, from culling of homeless animals to an incoming law making the last person to feed a street animal legally responsible if that animal goes on to harm someone.