Alacami Village: The Source of the Dim River
One of the most popular attractions of the Alanya region is undoubtedly the Dimçayı. This river originates deep in the Toros Mountains and flows into the Mediterranean Sea in the Kestel neighborhood.
Along the last part of the river, you can find plenty of restaurants. Here you can spend your day lazing in a çardak (kind of bower), eat and drink to your heart’s content and take a refreshing dive in the ice-cold water. During the sweltering heat of the summer months, Dimçay is the perfect place to escape from the city.
An Adventurous Trip
What is also a lot of fun, but much more adventurous is travelling to the source of this Dim River. Or better yet: to the sources. At the location which is said to be the place where the Dimçay wells, the water comes out of the rocks in 5 different places. If you want to watch this spectacle, you have to put in some effort as you can only reach the
sources by foot following rather challenging paths.
Called after the Mosque
The supposed source of the Dimçay lies in the village of Alacami (Alacami Köyü), a picturesque farm hamlet in the Toros mountains. It is situated about 42 km drive from Alanya. The small town takes its name from the Seljuk mosque that dominates the village.
During the Ottoman era, the mosque was called Ulu Cami, which means Great Mosque. But with the passage of time, this has evolved into Alacami.
Pace of Life
Alacami is one of those typical Toros mountain villages. It is said that Mediterranean life is sedate, but in villages like this, clocks don’t even seem to exist.
Nature is all-encompassing, and the pace of life determined by the seasons. An integral part of Turkish culture is the welcome offered to strangers; this was certainly experienced here by the friendly and hospitable villagers. When we arrived in the village, we were invited by the Muhtar (village chief) to eat gözleme (a kind of hearty, savoury pancake) before continuing our exploration of the source of the Dim River.
Nature at its Best
After eating, we drove for a short while before stopping to start our hike towards the source. We could already hear the sound of the water. A small path next to a steep slope with the flowing river below leads us to a rocky outcrop. Here the water comes down and splatters over the stones and trees on its way down the Toros Mountain; nature at its best.
Long, Thin Waterfall
Although this is already a perfect place to take a selfie, those who want to see the real source of the Dimçayı need to climb a little more. Believe me; it’s worth the trouble. After a short while, you end up in an open space where water is coming from the rocks from several different places. They say the Dimçay as we know it, starts here, from these five different streams. The most striking is a long, thin waterfall splattering over the moss-covered stones.
Journey of glistening drops
And we realize we got acquainted with yet another treasure of this region where nature is so rich and versatile.
So, next time, when we sit at one of the restaurants by the Dim River and put our feet into the water, we will think about Alacami köyü. And we know the journey these glistening drops have made to get here on their way to join the Mediterranean Sea.
Important information: The accuracy of our content is something we value very much. Therefore we appreciate it, if you contact us if anything in our articles has changed and is no longer correct. You can email us at: helloalanyamagazine@gmail.com
