This crumbling Turkish village has become a hotspot for ghost hunters and paranormal influencers after most of the population fled 40 years ago.
The village of Lubbey, in the district of Odemis, in the Turkish province of Izmir, used to be home to over 200 citizens.
But only five have remained since 2013, although the population increased to eight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now its spooky appearance has made the place a magnet for paranormal influencers and ghostbusters – to the fury of the few real-life villagers.
When the electric power supply bypassed Lubbey decades ago, villagers moved to nearby plateaus and slowly abandoned the area from the 1980s onwards.
The village now looks like a ghost town, with crumbling buildings and few signs of life, leading to it becoming popular with ghost hunters and influencers filming paranormal videos.
Suat Inan, 39, a full-time traveller, told Newsflash about his experiences in the ‘ghost town’. He said: “After having a conversation with someone living in the village called Mr Mehmet, he said over 200 people lived there at one time.
“As the village was lacking electricity in the past and there was power in the plateaus where they went in the summer, people migrated from Lubbey to those places.
“The migration started in the first half of the 1980s. People mostly settled on Cam Plateau, which is about seven kilometres away and had electricity.”
When asked about the village’s popularity with ghost hunters, Suat told Newsflash: “Personally, I have not witnessed any paranormal events in the village. I think the reason for such interest is due to the crumbling buildings that have become decrepit and neglected over time.
“Sometimes old rocks crumble and fall while people are visiting, etc.”
He added: “I know that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism took action to preserve the village’s historical structures and architecture.
“Due to Lubbey’s popularity, people put their homes up for sale at high prices and unfortunately found buyers.
“This will lead to a change in the village and cause it to lose its current look. That is why I agree with the Ministry of Tourism and support the move [to protect it].
“I am embarrassed about the amount of graffiti in the buildings, some ignorant and disrespectful people have caused this damage.
“This will unfortunately continue and become worse over time unless the authorities take control.
“I know that some villagers are uncomfortable with the area’s alleged paranormal activity and believe it could harm its tourist appeal, saying they do not want to be associated with such a situation.
“However, there is also a group of people who feed on this chaos and believe more visitors will come with such a reputation.
“The situation has also attracted a number of influencers to the village who film unflattering content.
“I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing because people are now talking about Lubbey Village due to this interest.”
One villager, named Ali Ozturk, said: “I am 93 years old, I have been living in this village for as long as I can remember.
“In the past, there were many people in this village, but now there are only a few left. I love Lubbey so much. This is my homeland. I can’t live anywhere else.”
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Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: William McGee, Agency: Newsflash
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