Dalaman , Turkey is the gateway to one of the most beautiful areas of the Turkish Riviera that stretches from Bodrum to Marmaris through Fethiye and on to Kas on the southern tip of Turkey.
Over 3 million tourists pass through the town each year having arrived at Dalaman International and domestic airport on their way to their chosen resort.
But the majority of those tourists that pass through the town will be oblivious to a fascinating quirk of history that saw a railway station being built in the town at the turn of the 20th century by mistake.
Quirk of History
The building of a railway station in Dalaman may not sound strange except that it was originally planned to be built in Alexandria Egypt, and not in Dalaman that was and still is miles from the nearest Turkish rail connection.
According to an entry in Wikipedia the area now known as Dalaman had been purchased by the Khedive of Egypt who planned to use the fertile land on the Dalaman delta to grow crops.
Due to a planning mix up (heard that one before) the building materials, plans and resources to built a residence for the Khedive at Dalaman were mixed up with those of the Alexandria railway station in Egypt.
So Dalaman ended up with a wonderful building but with no railway to serve except a few kilometres of track that was built but was never used.
State Farm Headquarters
The Dalaman railway station, which has been lovingly maintained, now serves as the headquarters of the Dalaman state farm.
Access to the building is restricted because it is located inside the state farm complex.
However, our roving reporter managed to gain permission to view the outside of this historical building.
So next time someone asks you if there is a railway station at Dalaman you can answer yes and no, and share this quirk of history with them.
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