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FİNİKE
Finike
is a small port located at the end of a fertile
plain where fruit trees (oranges, lemons)
and vegetables (tomatoes) are extensively
grown. A sand beach stretches over a few kilometers
between Kumluca and Finike. On the
heights of Turunçova spreads the ancient
city of Lymira with its walls, theatre
and acropolis. There, stands the funerary
monument of Pericles, a Lymiran ruler
who distinguished himself by his revolt against
the Persians. The
monument, which dates back to the 4C BC, was
decorated with caryatids.
ARIKANDA
Arikanda is located north of Finike,
in the middle of the mountains. Overhung by
a rock face, the site is gorgious: remains of
a basilica, a gymnasium,
baths, a necropolis,
an agora, a
bouleuterion,
an odeon, a
theatre and
a stadium
can be seen. Findings made at Arikanda indicate
that the place was inhabited from the 5C BC
although the suffix "anda" shows much
older origins. Alexander
the Great and his army passed by Arikanda.
In the 2C BC the city joined the Lycian
League. The Romans
ruled the region in the late 2C BC, and Emperor
Hadrian is said to have visited the city. In
spite of earthquakes and Arabic raids, Arikanda
remained inhabited until the 11th century. This
ancient city is a privileged place off the beaten
tracks.
OLYMPOS
Located
50 km/31miles from Antalya,
Olympos can be reached eather by two scenic
roads which snake through a beautiful nature,
or can be reached from the sea. The visit
of the site is a pleasant and refreshing stroll
because the ruins are scattered all along
a stream and near Olympos beach
where one should not miss the opportunity
to enjoy a nice swim in the sea.
This ancient city stretches down
to the sea on the slopes of a narrow valley.
On both banks of the stream, where reeds and
laurel trees grow, the following ruins can
be encountered: the necropolis located on
a hill, the agora
and gymnasium,
the Byzantine basilica, the theatre,
the baths,
a bridge, a temple in Ionic order erected
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the bishop’
s house, tombs, a burial chamber with two
sarcophagi and the acropolis above, on the
hill.
Olympos was founded in the 3C BC and became
one of the six major cities of the Lycian
League . During the 1C BC the place was
often frequented by the pirates. When the
latter were defeated in 78 BC by the Roman
Governor of Lycia, Olympos and the surrounding
area were merged to become a Roman
province. During the 2C AD, Olympos grew
extremely prosperous. The pirates, attracted
once again by its richness, provoked its decline.
Later used by the Venitian and the Genoese
pirates, the city was finally abandoned when
the Ottoman fleets
chased out the pirates.
During the Roman period,
Olympos became quite famous with the cult
of Hephaistos which was whorshipped at Çıralı,
higher in the mountain. At this place, there
is a natural phenomenon of sulphurous
fumes which has been recorded for
at least 4000 years. One can extinguish the
small fires, but the natural gas inside the
mountain will light them again in minutes.
The flames gave birth to the legend of 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.
Because of an uncertain love affair in which
he was involved and as a punition, gallant
Bellerophon was sent, by the king of Lycia,
to kill the Chimaera that spat fire and terrorized
the region. Helped by Athena, Bellerophon
captured Pegasus, mounted the winged horse
and attacked the Chimaera 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 Bellorophon drove her back
into the earth where she still spits fire,
and this is why you can see small fires coming
out of the holes at Çıralı in the upper reaches
of Olympos!
PHASELIS
Near Tekirova, a forest road leads to the
ruins of Phaselis, scattered on a peninsula
surrounded by three natural harbors and sandy
beaches.
This ancient city, located at the border of
Lycia
and Pamphilya, was founded by colonists
from Rhodes Island in 690 BC. Overrun by the
Persians, in the
5C BC Phaselis freed and later even became
independent from Lycia, forming an alliance
with Mausolus,
the satrap of Caria,
in the 4C BC. Phaselis was the most important
port city in the region until the foundation
of Attalaia (Antalya) in the 2C BC. The inhabitants
minted coins showing the bow of a ship on
one side and the stern on the other. In the
winter of 333-334 BC, during his campain against
the Persians, Alexander
the Great spent some time in Phaselis,
whose population had submited at once to his
authority, before he advanced to Central Anatolia.
After Alexander's death, the city remained
in the Ptolemies'
hands from 209 till 197 BC, then in the Seleucids'
hands before it was handed over in 190 BC
to the Kingdom of Rhodes together with the
other cities of Lycia.
From 167 BC, Phaselis became part of the
Lycian League under Roman rule. But in
the 1C BC, like Olympos,
Phaselis was under the constant threat of
the Cilician pirates who even took the place
for a period and set it on fire when they
were defeated by Rome
to which the city was linked in 42 BC. In
the 2C AD, for the purpose of Emperor Hadrian's
visit, Phaselis was adorned with new statues,
monuments and buildings, and most of the remains
which can be seen today, date back from this
period. In the Byzantine
times, the city became a bishopric. Suffering
again from pirates and Arab raids, the harbours
began to lose importance and the city fell
in complete decay. In the 12th century, when
the Seljuks settled
in the region, they prefered to concentrate
in Alanya
and Antalya,
and Phaselis fell into oblivion.
Phaselis was home to the tragic author and
poet Theodectes who was the pupil of Socrates
and Aristotles.
On
the west side of the main street are:
The Bath which was part of the
bath-gymnasium complex.
Hadrian's Agora, almost square-shaped,
lies south of the bath and was lined by porticoes
and shops. The side of the agora
looking onto the main street was decorated
with statues and a fountain.
Domitian's Agora lies along the second
section of the main street. An inscription
written in honor of the emperor was found
above one of the two gates that faced the
street. At the far end is a late period agora
connected with the south harbour.
The Monumental Gate of Hadrian bears
an inscription in honor of this emperor. Located
at the end of the main street, the gate opens
onto a beautiful sea and mountain scenery.
One
the east side of the main street are:
The Bath (late period 3-4th century)
whose brick foundations which provided heat,
can still be seen. A little further, lining
the main street, are the Public Toilet
which were covered with mosaics.
The Roman Theatre, located above the
bath, replaced an earlier Hellenistic
theatre and had a seating capacity of
1,500 - 2,000 spectators. It overlooks the
city and the sea.
The Acropolis, covered with a thick
vegetation, is located above the theatre.
According to ancient writers, here stood the
Temple of Athena where Achilles'
broken spear was exhibited, and which is said
to be the first place Alexander the Great
visited upon his arrival in the city. However
the temple has not been yet localized. Other
temples, a palace and official buildings were
also built on this site.
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