Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has bought roughly 100 dönüm (about 10 hectares) of coastal land near Kaplankaya in Türkiye’s southwestern Muğla province, according to a report by Turkish journalist Fatih Altaylı that was picked up by tourism and property outlets on Oct. 14. No official confirmation of the purchase has been published.
According to the report, Abramovich had been looking for a large plot inside Kaplankaya itself but could not find one of the size he wanted, so he acquired a neighbouring parcel instead. Turkish trade site Türkiye Turizm, citing Altaylı, said the land has access to two beaches.
Villas, not a hotel
Early speculation had linked the billionaire to a possible hotel investment on the Bodrum coast. The latest reports point to a far smaller footprint: three luxury mansions, with each reportedly allotted around 30 dönüm (about 3 hectares) of the site.
Altaylı argued that low-density, high-end homes of this kind would avoid the controversies over overbuilding and environmental damage that often follow large tourism projects in the region. He compared the potential value of such residences, which he put anywhere from $10 million to $100 million each, with prime property on the French Riviera, Sardinia and in Marbella, and said such buyers raise the country’s international profile.
Türkiye Turizm noted that there is no public information yet on the details of the deal, building permits or a construction timetable, and that any environmental impact would depend on how the project is carried out.
Why Kaplankaya matters
Kaplankaya lies on the Muğla coastline north of the Bodrum peninsula, an area of pine-covered hills and quiet coves that has been marketed in recent years for upscale resort and residential developments. The wider Bodrum area is one of Türkiye’s most expensive property markets and a long-standing summer base for wealthy Turkish and foreign buyers.
Abramovich, the former owner of English football club Chelsea, was placed under UK and EU sanctions in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Türkiye did not join those Western sanctions.
What it means for the local market
For residents and foreign homeowners on the Bodrum peninsula, the report fits a broader trend of very large private estates being assembled on the less developed stretches of the Muğla coast. Zoning on much of this shoreline is tightly controlled, and coastal plots usually need several layers of approval, including environmental and planning permits from local and central authorities, before any construction can begin.
Any building on the reported site would therefore have to go through Muğla’s planning process, which is likely to be watched closely by local environmental groups that have challenged a number of coastal projects in the province in recent years.
Sources
- Abramoviç Türkiye’ye otel yatırımı mı yapacak? Bodrum’dan 100 dönüm arazi aldı (Turizm Güncel)
- Abramoviç, Bodrum’da 100 dönüme ne yapacak? (Türkiye Turizm)
Photo: Emre Arolat Architecture / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
