Mugla,
the capital of the province, is a charming town
whose characteristics from the past have been well
preserved. A stroll in the center helps discover
traditional Turkish houses and the regional way
of life: old houses, squares, mosques, fountains,
shady traditional cafés, workshops, hans and the
bazaar.
Mugla
is one of the oldest cities in Caria
but located rather far from the sea, it could not
benefit from the naval trade and was therefore not
so affluent as its contemporaries Halicarnassus
and Mylasa. Following
Alexander the Great’
s conquest and his withdrawal from the region, Mugla
went through a dark period of tumult. In 188 B.C.,
with the aid of the Romans,
Mugla fell under the control of the Pergamum
Kingdom. When Attalus
III bequeathed all the kingdom to the Romans
in 133 B.C., the city became part of the Roman
province of Asia. After a long
Byzantine period, in 800, when the Abbasid Caliph
Harun Al-Rashid arrived in the region, the Islamic
influence became predominant. Following the Manzikert
Battle in 1071, the Seljuk
Turks spread widely in Anatolia. During the
decline of the Seljuks in 1284, the region was called
“Mentese”, due to the domination of Mentese Bey
(Beg). During the rule of Ilyas Bey, the last Chief
of Mentese, in the end of the 14th century the region
was conquered by Bayezit
I, but following the invasion of Tamerlane,
it was only definitively taken by the Ottomans
in 1424.
One
should not miss to pay a visit to Mugla
Museum established in 1986 in the restored
19th century old prison. The museum, located in
the old town, consists of : - the Natural History Section :
in late 1992, the excavations carried near Özlüce
village revealed numerous animal and plant fossils
which have been displayed in the museum since 1994.
These creatures lived in a vast area between Eastern
Asia and Spain before they became extinct. As these
fossils were first discovered in the region of Teruel
in Spain, they belong to the period called Turolian.
These fossils are 5 to 9 million years old. - the Archaeological Section displays
objects from the ancient sites of the region including
the statues, reliefs and all other findings uncovered
during the excavations led in Stratoniceia
and Lagina (see below). Interesting
ceramics from Ceramos are also displayed here. Ceramos
(Keramos) is located in Ören on the shore of Gökova
Bay. “Ceramos” means pottery or ceramic in Greek.
- the Ethnographical Section is
most interesting to learn about the life, habits
and customs of the locals and their ancestors.
STRATONICEIA
The
ancient city of Stratonicea is located 8 km/ 5
miles west of Yatagan on the main Milas-Mugla
road.
The remains of Stratonicea are surprisingly strewn
among the houses of the former village of Eskihisar,
which was evacuated in the 1970s because of the
surrounding coal mines. A few families are still
living here in their lovely houses.
The city was named after Stratonice, the wife
of Seleucus
Nicator who forced the old king to divorce
in order to marry his son Antiochus I Soter who
founded the city in honor of his erstwhile step-mother
and present wife.
The most significant Hellenistico-Roman
vestiges are the Entrance Gate, the Gymnasium,
the Bouleuterion
located at the center of the city, the Theatre.
The
entrance gate
The
gymnasium
The
bouleuterion
A
house still inhabited in the village
An 11 km/
7 miles long Sacred Road, lined
with tombs and starting from the entrance gate,
connected Stratoniceia, which was the political
center, to Lagina Sanctuary,
the prominous religious center of Caria
dedicated to Hecate. This Anatolian goddess was
Leto’s
twin sister. She reigned over the air, earth and
sea, and she was present at funerals to take care
of the deads’ spirits. Oracles and witches were
her priests. During religious festivals, a splendid
ritual procession carried the key of the Temple
of Hecate from Lagina to Stratoniceia.
The
Temple of Hecate
Earthquakes
produced significant bends on this side
of the temple
The
Temple of Hecate and pediment
The
propylon (entrance building)
The
propylon
Statue
of Hecate found at Lagina
THE
ISLAND OF CEDRAE (SEDIR ADASI) Located at the bottom of Gökova
Bay, the Island of Cedrae (the ancient
city of Credrae) is a site of both archaeological
and geological interests.
Coming from Mugla, the place can be reached by boat
either from Gökova-Akyaka or from Çamliköy. It can
also be visited while on a blue voyage cruise.
Several towers in regular ashlar, the temple
of Apollo succeeded by a church, a well preserved
theatre, an agora
and the remains of the harbour can be seen on the
island.
The sand on the shore of the island is worthy of
notice. The carbonate in the spring waters flowing
into the sea envelops the fine sand particles, forming
what is called oolite or pisolite, according to
their size. Within the region of Ula, the calcium
carbonate accumulates on fine particles with each
movement of the waves, and the intake by these particles
of carbonate increases. This phenomenon is unique
within the climatic zone around Turkey and in the
surrounding seas.
It is said that Cleopatra
owed her beauty to these sands. That is why the
island is also called the Island of Cleopatra.
CNIDOS
A scenic road overlooking the Gulf of
Hisarönü connects Marmaris to Datça and
leads to the ancient city of Cnidos.
Located at the far end of the Datça Peninsula
(Cape Krio) in a beautiful natural environment,
Cnidos, a city of Dorian origin in Caria,
belonged to the Dorian confederacy together
with Halicarnassus,
Cos on the island of the same name, Camirus, Lalysus
and Lindus on Rhodes Island. Together they formed
what used to be called the Hexapolis, in Greek
"the six cities". Yet it became the
Pentapolis, "the five cities", when
Halicarnassus was excluded from the confederacy
because one of its citizen, Agasicles, neglected
to make the offering of the tripod he won during
the games of the hexapolis, to Apollo. The cities
had a common sanctuary, a temple
to Apollo named the Triopion, on the promontory
on which Cnidos was located. In the 6th century
BC, Cnidos became a rich city and in the 4th century
BC it was a major metropolis with a cosmopolitan
apearance. It was during this time that the famous
sculptors Skopas and Bryxias worked on the embellishment
of the numerous temples of the city. Spared by
the Persians , contested
by the Athenians and the Spartans, the city was
occupied by Alexander
the Great in 333. It was during the Hellenistic
period (330-31 BC) that the city reached its cultural,
artistic and commercial apogée.
Around 350 BC, Praxiteles sculpted
two statues, one draped and one nude of the goddess
of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Praxiteles' model
was Phryne, one of the greatest “hetaerae”, or
courtesans, of his time. The city of Cos prefered
the more decent draped version while Cnidos purchased
the rejected one, the Nude Aphrodite,
the first female nude statue in classical sculpture,
whose renown immortalized the city. However the
statue of the goddess, which was exhibited in
her temple, is known only through copies. The
following description from the “Amores”, attributed
to rhetorician, satirist and traveler Lucian
(Samosata/ Commagene
ca. 125 – ? ca. 192), praises vehemently the statue:
“We stopped in Cnidos,
at the Temple of Aphrodite (Venus), where stands
her famous statue made by Praxiteles. When we
entered the precincts we felt the caressing breath
of the goddess coming towards us. The walled space
was not made sterile with pavements but was devoted
to fertility as suits Aphrodite. The fruit-trees
towered all over the place, forming a dense vault.
The myrtle, her favourite species, unfolded its
branches, laden with berries..... In the midddle
of the temple stood the goddess – a most beautiful
statue of Carian marble - smiling just a little
haughty with a grin that slightly parted her lips.
Draped by no garment, all her beauty was uncovered
and revealed, except in so far for her private
parts hidden unobtrusively with one hand. So great
was the power of the craftsman's art that the
hard unyielding marble did justice to every limb....The
temple had a door on both sides for the benefit
of those who also wished to have a good view of
the goddess from behind, so that no part of her
be left unadmired. It was easy therefore for people
to enter by the other door and survey the beauty
of her back. And so we decided to see all of the
goddess. Then, when the door had been opened by
the woman responsible for keeping the keys, we
were filled with an immediate wonder for the beauty
we beheld."
Eudoxus, the great astronomer
and mathematician pupil of Plato and inventor
of the horizontal sundial, Ctesias
the physician who stayed at the court of the Persian
king Artaxerxes was the author of the “History
of the Persian” and “History of India”, and Sostratus
the architect of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria
(one of the Seven Wonders of the World) were all
native of the city. Like Cos (the birthplace of
Hippocrates), Cnidos was the location of a famed
school of medicine.
In 129 BC, Cnidos joined the Roman
Province of Asia and had the status of "free
city". During the Byzantine
period, Cnidos suffered from Arab raids and
later of a number a devastating earthquakes.
The city was built partly on the mainland and
partly on the Island of Tropion which anciently
were connected by a causeway and bridge, and now
by a narrow sandy isthmus. The channel between
island and mainland was formed into two
harbours. The southern and larger harbour
was further enclosed by two strongly-built moles.
The Hellenistic
walls, both insular and continental,
can be traced in many places, especially round
the acropolis.
The main ruins of the city which rose in tiers
on the hill slopes, consist of the agora,
the upper and the lower theatres,
the odeon, the
Round Temple (Temple of Aphrodite),
the Temple of Dionysos,
the Temple of Appolo, the Temple
of Demeter. The Statue of Demeter,
discovered during the excavations executed by
Sir Charles Newton in 1857-1858, was sent to the
British Museum, as well as the colossal
Statue of a Lion, carved out of one block
of Pentelic marble, which crowned the pyramid
roof of a mausoleum located 3 km/ 1.9 miles south-east
of the city.
Main
commercial harbour
The
Hellenistic lower theatre was overlooking
the large harbor,
while the another theatre was located in
the upper city.
The
city was established on terraces that slope
down to the sea
Ruins
of the Temple of Apollo and the altar.
Military harbour in the background.
The
Round Temple housed the statue of Aphrodite.
The cella of the Round Temple (Tholos) was
encircled
with columns topped with Corinthian capitals.
Along
the shops at the agora was a stoa,
a long and roofed walkway or portico.
Sundial
Late
hellenistic (1C BC) Nude Aphrodite
found in the Tumulus of Dardanos
(Çanakkale
Museum)
DATÇA
Datça is a small harbour and holiday resort located
south of the Datça Peninsula,
which provides a natural boundary between the
Aegean Sea to the north and the Mediterranean
Sea to the south. The town, which is located 75
km /47 miles away from Marmaris, can be reached
by a scenic winding road overlooking the beautiful
Gulf of Hisarönü where the beautiful
beaches of the confortable holiday villages are
washed by crystal-clear waters. Around Datça marina,
bars, cafés, restaurants and shops keep the tourist’s
interest, but old Datça with its restored houses
should not be missed.
Datça is the nearest town (38 km/ 24 miles) to
the ancient site of Cnidos located
at the end of the Peninsula.
A daily ferry line links Datça (from Körmen Harbour
located 10 km /6.2 miles of Datça, on the northen
coast of the peninsula) to Bodrum, and hydrofoils
link Datça to Rhodos via small Greek Symi island
located at a short distance.
Gulf
of Hisarönü
Datça
MARMARIS
Marmaris is a major and attractive holiday resort
located in a very beautiful scenery bay surrounded
by mountains which dip into the blue waters and
are covered with pine-tree forests. Local pine
scented honey, called “Çambali”, is delicious
and renown.
The ancient city of Physcus was an important stage
on the Anatolian-Rhodes-Egypt trade route. Modern
Marmaris developed around the Ottoman
fortress built by Süleyman
the Magnificent most probably after the Rhodian
campain he led in 1522. At the entrance of the
narrow street with steps leading up to the fortress,
there is a caravanserai
from the same period bearing an inscription dated
1545. The fortress was partially destroyed by
cannon balls launched from a French warship in
1914 during the First World War. The fortress
was restored between the years 1980-1990 and opened
to the public as the Museum of Marmaris.
The museum has an archaeological section displaying
objects unearthed during the excavations at Hisarönü,
Cnidos and Burgas
near Datça, an ethnographical section and an art
gallery. The old houses within
the fortress have also all been restored.
The International
Marmaris Yachting Festival takes place every year
in May, the Marmaris Festival in June and the
International Marmaris Yacht Race Festival in
November.
Marmaris has a domestic and international airport.
Hydrofoils link Marmaris with Bodrum and the Greek
island of Rhodes. Ferries link Marmaris with Venice.
Marmaris is a good
starting point to explore the region, which is
full of archaeological sites (of which Saranda,
Erine, Castabus, Amos, Bybiassos, Thymnus, Burgaz,
Loryma), and the beautiful bay
with its sandy beaches and the village of Turunç
(which can either be reached by road or by sea)
with its fish restaurants. The port of Marmaris
is also an excellent starting point for the “Blue
Voyage” to the the east towards Ekincik,
the Gulf of Fethiye and Göcek,
Fethiye and
further along the Lycian Coast, or to the west
towards the BozburunPeninsula,
the Gulf of Hisarönü and the
Datça Peninsula.
THE
ISLAND OF CEDRAE (SEDIR ADASI) Located at the bottom of Gökova
Bay, the Island of Cedrae (the ancient
city of Credrae) is a site of both archaeological
and geological interests.
Coming from Marmaris, the place can be reached by
boat either from Gökova-Akyaka or from Çamliköy.
It can also be visited while on a blue voyage cruise.
Several towers in regular ashlar, the temple
of Apollo succeeded by a church, a well preserved
theatre, an agora
and the remains of the harbour can be seen on the
island.
The sand on the shore of the island is worthy of
notice. The carbonate in the spring waters flowing
into the sea envelops the fine sand particles, forming
what is called oolite or pisolite, according to
their size. Within the region of Ula, the calcium
carbonate accumulates on fine particles with each
movement of the waves, and the intake by these particles
of carbonate increases. This phenomenon is unique
within the climatic zone around Turkey and in the
surrounding seas.
It is said that Cleopatra
owed her beauty to these sands. That is why the
island is also called the Island of Cleopatra.
DALYAN
AND CAUNUS
Dalyan is a small and lovely resort town located
on the left bank of the Dalyan River (Dalyan
Çayi), a stream that meanders through
the reeds from Köyçeyiz Lake
down to the sea. The lake narrows into a channel,
flowing into the Dalyan river which empties into
the sea at Iztuzu beach, one
of Turkey's most spectacular beaches. This beach
has been made a protected area as the breeding-ground
of the Caretta Caretta which are a species of
sea turtles. The best way to enjoy the whole site
is to take a pleasant boat ride from Dalyan down
to the sea (or the other way round for those on
a cruise). On the right bank of the river stands
the ancient city of Caunus with
Hellenistic fortifications, beautiful
rock-cut Lycian
tombs, a well preserved theatre
and some other minor ruins.
According to Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, the story
of the founding of Caunus goes as follows: Miletus,
the son of Phoebus (Apollo) and founder of the
city of Miletus, loved
the nymph Cyanee, the daughter of the river god
Meander, who gave birth
to the twins Byblis and Caunus noted for their
beauty. Byblis fell incestuously in love with
her brother Caunus and declared her love to him
in a letter. Caunus, horrified, rejected her.
Fleeing his sister, he came to this part of Caria
and founded the city of Caunus. As for Byblis,
she pursued him as he fled her but could not find
him. She was weeping so much and was about to
die from grief and exhaustion when she was turned
by nymphs into a fountain.
Caunus was a wealthy city but gained an unhealthy
reputation because the locals contracted malaria
which was rife due to the proliferation of mosquitoes.
The decline of Caunus, which was once upon the
sea, was caused by the progressive silting up
of its harbour which made it dangerous for ships.
The population gradually reverted to village life
and fishing as it has remained to the present
day. The Turkish word “Dalyan” means “fishery”.
The river is studded with wooden structures stretching
accross it, to trap the grey mullets as they return
to the sea after spawning in the fresh water of
Lake Köyçeyiz.
Dalyan and Köyceyiz Lake are also reputed for
their therapeutic mud baths and
hot sulphur pools used since
Hellenistic
times and believed to cure rheumatism, skin, liver,
spleen and bowel complaints, as well as being
beneficial for nervous and digestive disorders.
It also cleanses and beautifies skin.
FETHIYE
Fethiye is located 50 km/ 31 miles from Dalaman
airport, in a region that has become very popular
for beach holidays and yacht tourism. The town
itself is a nice holiday resort with a lot of
accomodation facilities and an important marina
on the shore of a superb bay where small islands
are strewed. The bay is itself located in the
Gulf of Fethiye where there are
twelve islands and countless inlets each more
beautiful than the other, and which are ideal
shelters for yachts during a “blue
voyage”. These islands can also be reached
by boats that start from Fethiye and Göcek
for daily excursions.
Gulf
of Fethiye
Fethiye
was established on top of ancient Telmessos
which was named after Apollo’s son. The town was
captured by Persian King
Harpagos and annexed to Caria.
In the 4C BC, Lycian ruler Pericles besieged the
Telmessians and reduced them to terms. The city,
which was not part of Lycia,
made a peace agreement with Alexander
the Great and passed into the hands of his successors,
the Ptolemies and Lysimachus’ descendants. In 189
BC, Telmessos was given by the Romans
to Eumenes until the Kingdom
of Pergmum came to an end in 133 BC. The city
was then included in the Roman
Province of Asia. Towards the end of the 1st
C BC, Termessos finally became a member of the Lycian
League and shared the fate of the other Lycian
cities. Following the Arab raids, in the 8 C the
city’s name was changed to Anastasiupolis in honor
of the Byzantine
Emperor Anastasius II. The city, taken over in 1284
by the Menteseogullari, received the name Megri
or Makri. In 1424, it was incorporated to the Ottoman
lands. In 1934 the town was finally called Fethiye
to commemorate the Turkish pilot, Fethi Bey who
lost his life in 1914 during the first accident
in Turkish aviation history.
Not much has survived of Ancient Telmessos. The
theather, located
near the quay of new Fethiye, and the Temple of
Apollo, which according to Charles Texier, could
be seen in the 1850’s, were destroyed by two earthquakes
(1856 and 1957). The medieval castle, situated on
the acropolis,
was used by the Knights of Rhodes. It is surrounded
by a wall whose bottom part is Roman and upper part
medieval.
Among the 20 Lycian
tombs cut into the cliff-face above the town,
the most beautiful is that of Amyntas, one of Alexander’s
lieutenant left behind to govern the region, which
dates back to the 4C BC. It is of a temple-type
with two Ionic
columns between the pilasters. Most of the tombs
are of the house-types reminding the Lycian wooden
houses. Within the town there are also a number
of Lycian-type sarcophagi.
The Archaeological Museum of Fethiye
displays the important findings made in the numerous
ancient cities of the region. One of the most significant
pieces is the trilingual stele from Letoon,
bearing inscriptions in Greek, Lycian and Aramaic,
which is crucial in the deciphering of the Lycian
language.
Amyntas
Tomb
Lycian
tomb in the middle of the street
Kaya Köy is a ghost village located about 18
km/ 11 miles in the south of Fethiye near Hisarönü.
The village (ancient Karmylassos) was deserted in
1925 by its Greek inhabitants after the great exchange
of population following the establishment of
the Turkish Republic.
The Turkish people who came from Greece didn’t get
used to the houses, and they built new houses in
the lowland, so that the village was abandoned by
both Greeks and Turks in a few years time. The church
of the village, which is thought to have been built
in the 17th century, was restored in 1888. The frescoes
were covered by the Turkish people who used the
building as a mosque during some time.
Fethiye is a departure point for various boat
tours like for example to:
- the Butterfly Valley is an interesting
canyon with steep cliffs where, among others, a
species of butterflies called “Jersey Tiger” is
seen here from July to September.
- the Dead Sea or Blue Lagoon (Ölü Deniz)
can be reached either by sea or by road
(17 km/ 11 miles from Fethiye). This sheltered lagoon
with incredible hues of blue and green, is almost
totally cut off from the sea. Next, stretches the
beautiful and well equiped wide sandy beach of Belcegiz.
Nice hotels are nestled among the surrounding lush
greenery. The place is ideal for water sports and
paragliding off the top of Mt Babadag which towers
above Ölü Deniz at a height of 1,975 m/ 6,480 ft.
Those
getting to Ölü Deniz by sea should drop anchor at
Gemiler Island also known as St
nicholas Island, from one of the churches named
after the saint who came or lived here for some
time. The place is, like Karacaören Island, full
of Roman and Byzantine remains. Owing to the fact
that an earthquake caused the island to sink a little
into the water in the year 240 AD, some of the remains,
like those of a quay and warehouse, are partially
submerged. Until the 12th century, the island was
an important port of call especially for the pilgrims
sailing to the Holy Lands in Palestine. The remains
of various churches, tombs, small houses, mosaic
floors and a long tunnel can be seen on the island.
From the top one will enjoy the spectacular views
on the surroundings.
In the surrounding
area of Fethiye, there are lots of ancient cities
such as Krya, Cadyanda, Pinara Tlos,
Xanthos,
Letoon
and Patara.
Tlos
(Yakaköy), located 36 km/ 22.5 miles south of Fethiye,
was one of the six major Lycian cities. An axe found
in Tlos and belonging to 2000 BC, makes it one of
the oldest cities in the Lycian region. At Tlos,
one can see the Temple-type tombs cut into the face
of the acropolis hill. The most interesting tomb
features a relief of the hero Bellerophon riding
Pegasus: according to the mythologic legend, the
king of Lycia
wanted to punish gallant Bellerophon who had been
involved in an uncertain love affair. He sent him
to kill the Chimaera, the daughter of Echidnae and
Typhoon who was a three-headed creature with the
front section looking like a lion, the middle section
looking like a goat and the tail looking like a
dragoon. The Chimaera spat fire and terrorized the
region. Helped by Athena, Bellerophon captured Pegasus,
mounted the winged horse and attacked from above.
He drove the lead tip of his spear into the mouth
of the monster, where the lead melted and choked
the creature. Thus he drove her back into the earth
where she still spits fire on top of Olympos.
Crowning the top of the acropolis
is a fortress which was inhabited in the 19th century
by “Kanli Ali Aga” or "Bloody Chief Ali",
a notorious Turkish lord.The view from the top is
spectacular. The lycian sarcophagi are contained
within the walls that encircle the acropolis, while
almost all the main buildings of the city are situated
outside: the remains of the stadium,
the palaestra and
the gymnasium near
the magnificent baths
with a circular terrace, the Byzantine basilica,
the agora, the
theatre and a
Roman tower and sarcophagi of various periods.
44 km/ 27
miles away from Fethiye, high in the Akdaglar mountains
is Saklikent Canyon. This 18 km/
11.2 miles long canyon with its rushing torrent
is a cool and wonderful place on hot summer days,
where one can trek and have lunch in one of the
rustic restaurants serving freshwater trout. In
the village of Arsa (ancient Arsada), Lycian tombs
and sarcophagi can be encountered.
