Ercan at Turtle Beach: Where Northern Cyprus Smells of Sea, Music and Summer

There are places in Northern Cyprus that do not need to be explained, because they tell their own story.

Alagadi Beach is one of those places.

You drive down toward the sea, leave everyday life a little behind, and suddenly you are standing on this long, bright beach that does not feel perfect in a polished way, but is beautiful exactly because of that. The sea is warm, the sand is clean, and the air carries that summer scent of salt, sunscreen, dust and food drifting over from the restaurant. And when you take a few more steps, you are right in the middle of a small world in which Northern Cyprus becomes very close and very human.

Right in the middle of it sits Ercan.

Many readers may already know him from our book. There, we dedicated an interview of his own to him: Ercan Mehmet, a hippie with a big heart and astonishing knowledge of Northern Cyprus' flora and fauna. Even back then, we sat with him in exactly this place, in the restaurant at Alagadi Beach, over coffee, hand-rolled cigarettes, sea air and that flow of conversation that you simply cannot plan with Ercan. He starts somewhere and eventually lands with turtles, plants, England, Mallorca, art, childhood, freedom and the meaning of life.

Ercan is one of those people you do not simply visit and then forget. In the book, we describe him as a Northern Cypriot original, as someone who is at home all over the world and yet belongs exactly here. He speaks German, Spanish, English and Turkish, but really he speaks another language too: the language of open encounter. When he realizes someone is from Germany, he may well greet them with his famous "Na, wat schnackt?" And by then, at the latest, you know that you have not merely arrived at a stall, but in Ercan's world.

This summer, he once again has new fashion and jewelry with him. His cotton and hemp products are especially beautiful: shirts, trousers, tops, dresses, bathrobes and towels in wonderful colors, good quality and at a very fair price. Much of it comes from Turkey, feels light, and fits exactly those days when you only want fabric on your skin that can breathe. It is also remarkable that Ercan has managed to keep his prices at last year's level, which is not something to be taken for granted these days.

Then there is his jewelry. Some pieces he buys, others he makes himself. The small works made from things he finds on the beach and then refines are especially touching. In the book, we already wrote about jewelry, dreamcatchers and small artworks made from what the sea and the beach give him. Back then, Ercan said this wonderful sentence: "This place throws out treasures every single day." That is exactly how he works. A found object is not simply put aside by him, but receives a second beauty. His incense cones are part of this little magic too. They smell warm and natural because they are made with real herbs, and when his music is playing as well, for a moment there is this feeling that the day no longer has to achieve anything.

Ercan sits in the entrance area by the restaurant at Alagadi Beach, also known as Turtle Beach. Anyone passing by should take their time. Not only to look, but to pause for a moment, exchange a few words and perhaps say: "Na, was schnackt?" Then Ercan knows you are an insider.

From Our Book: Why Ercan Sits Exactly Where He Belongs

In the book, we tell how Ercan did not always sit at Alagadi Beach. He was born in England, grew up in a multicultural neighborhood and learned early on that people from very different countries can live peacefully side by side. At home, he was still expected to remain Cypriot. He had to learn Turkish consciously later, because his everyday life was English at first. This mixture explains a lot about him: he is open to the world without being rootless.

Later, he was drawn back to Cyprus, to his family roots. After a phase of life in which he had to rethink everything once again, he traveled through America in a camper van with a German woman. In the interview, he said, in essence, that his real life only began when he let go and no longer simply followed what others expected of him. Perhaps that is exactly why there is so much freedom in him.

Later on Mallorca, he ran a restaurant with a gallery. This story also fits his stall today. He did not want to exploit artists, but to offer them fair conditions. In the book, we describe how he changed the terms in favor of the artists and thereby created a place where art, food, encounter and village life came together. Anyone standing with him in Alagadi today can sense something of that again. His stall is not a shop in the usual sense. It is a small open-air gallery.

And then there is Alagadi itself. Back then, Ercan explained to us why this place is so special to him. When you look from the water toward the mountains, the landscape feels like a natural arena. The Five Finger Mountain stands behind it like a temple. Ercan used to find small pottery shards on the beach and imagined that people may have lived here long ago, because there was water, sea, food and shelter. For him, Alagadi is therefore not just a beach, but an ancient place of life.

A Beach That Is More Than a Beach

Alagadi is not only a beautiful seaside spot. The beach is one of the important turtle sites of Northern Cyprus. Right now, there are many nests in the sand again. In our impression, there are fewer than last year, but still quite a few, and every single one is a small promise to the future.

The work around the turtles has been accompanied for many years by SPOT, the Society for the Protection of Turtles, together with research partners and the North Cyprus Department for Environmental Protection. SPOT describes Alagadi as a central place for turtle watching and points out that the beach is closed to the public at night during nesting season so that the animals are not disturbed. SPOT information on turtle watching in Alagadi

This matters because sea turtles depend on places like this. They need quiet beaches, darkness, protection from disturbance and enough space to lay their eggs. Many turtles only become sexually mature after many years and then return to the beaches where they themselves hatched. If these beaches disappear or are disturbed too much, an entire cycle of life breaks away for them.

That is why special rules apply during the season. The beach is accessible during the day, according to local information currently roughly from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; at night it belongs to the turtles and the trained teams. Dogs are not allowed during this time, because they could dig up nests or disturb animals. Light, noise and careless walking around can also cause more damage than one might think at first glance.

We also spoke about this with Ercan in the book. He told us how important darkness and quiet are, because the turtles come ashore at night and orient themselves by the light of the moon. What moved me especially was how he connects the protection of the animals with the lives of the people here. Many Northern Cypriots had to live with very different worries over the past decades, he said in essence. An unrecognized country, economic pressure, everyday life, survival, family. That is why sometimes what is needed is not the raised green finger, but education, patience and respect for the life achievements of the people.

For me, this is exactly where the beauty of his attitude lies. Ercan does not protect the turtles against the people, but with them. When someone wants to walk on the beach with a dog, he explains why that is not possible at this time of year. Some understand immediately, others need longer. But every conversation is a small step. In the book, he says in essence: whoever lives here is part of something special. And then this simple, wise sentence: "You can have hotels anywhere." Turtles on this beach, however, you cannot.

Anyone who truly wants to experience turtles should not simply go to the beach at night, but should inform themselves about the guided offers. During the season, SPOT offers night watches in small groups, where visitors can accompany the teams' work. During hatchling season, there are also guided nest excavations and releases, depending on the condition of the nests and only under controlled conditions. SPOT: Night Watch Booking at Alagadi

Especially for children, this can be something very special. Not as a spectacle, but as a quiet lesson in how delicate life is and how much care it takes for an egg in the sand to one day become a turtle in the sea.

Food, Sea and This Simple Happiness

The restaurant at Alagadi Beach is also well worth a visit. We can especially recommend the shish skewers, for example chicken shish with fresh salad and that wonderful dressing that fits a hot beach day perfectly. There are cold drinks, simple good food and enough closeness to the sea to get up in between, walk barefoot to the water, take a quick dip and then return to the table.

You can rent an umbrella, spend the day on the beach, eat something in between and then go back to the water. That is exactly where the charm of this place lies. It is not perfectly organized, not polished smooth and not over-staged. It is alive. A little salty, a little improvised, a little like Northern Cyprus itself.

At the weekend it can get fuller, because many locals love the beach too. Those who prefer it quieter should come during the week. Then Alagadi has this special openness in which you can once again hear the sea breathe.

Why You Should Visit Ercan

There are many things one can buy while traveling. Souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, small gifts. But sometimes the real thing is not the object, but the encounter behind it.

With Ercan, it is like that.

His things are beautiful, fair and chosen with taste. The clothing is light and summery, the jewelry has character, the incense cones smell of herbs and warmth. But the reason why I truly recommend visiting him is Ercan himself. He is a host without a big stage. A person sitting at the edge of a beach who turns a stall into a place where you like to stop.

Perhaps that is also why he was such a good figure for our book. Because he does not only tell something about Alagadi, he embodies Alagadi: a little wild, very warm-hearted, close to nature, open to the world, slow in the best sense and full of small stories. He knows the plants, he knows the turtles, he knows the visitors and he knows this feeling that Northern Cyprus does not have to be perfect in order to reach you deeply.

Perhaps that is exactly one of the reasons why I love Northern Cyprus so much. Because here you keep meeting people who do not have to be loud in order to stay with you. People who make a small corner of the island brighter by the way they are.

So if you are in Northern Cyprus, drive to Alagadi Beach. Go to the sea, look at the protected nests, eat something at the restaurant, respect the rules for protecting the turtles and visit Ercan at the entrance.

And when you see him, feel free to say:

Na, was schnackt?

He will probably smile.

And you will have arrived.

Practical Notes

• Place: Alagadi Beach / Turtle Beach, east of Kyrenia/Girne.

• Visit: Usually more relaxed during the week than at the weekend.

• Beach access during nesting season: possible during the day, according to local information currently roughly from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; at night the beach is closed to protect the turtles.

• Dogs: do not bring dogs to the beach during turtle season.

• Turtle watching: only through guided offers, for example via SPOT.

• Ercan: in the entrance area by the restaurant at Alagadi Beach.

Sources

• Own book / style and content anchor: Northern Cyprus in One Word, Chapter 2.3.6 "Dream Beaches at Alagadi & Golden Beach", Chapter 2.3.8 "Fascination of the Turtles in the Nature Reserve" and Chapter 2.4 "Interview with Ercan Mehmet - A Hippie with a Big Heart and Endless Knowledge of Northern Cyprus' Flora and Fauna".

• SPOT / Cyprus Turtles, information on turtle watching in Alagadi: https://cyprusturtles.org/where-to-watch-turtles

• SPOT / Cyprus Turtles, Night Watch Booking at Alagadi Beach: https://cyprusturtles.org/night-watch-booking-at-alagadi

• SPOT / Cyprus Turtles, background on the work of the Society for the Protection of Turtles in Northern Cyprus: https://cyprusturtles.org/