Turkey's Turquoise Coast
On June 11, 2011 we began our road trip from Antalya, driving west along the southern border on what's known as The Turquiose Coast: the southwestern part of Turkey that juts out from the continent near the intersection with Syria into the Mediterranean Sea.
Where Turkey meets Syria
As I write this blog, the terrible situation remains unresolved. "Syrian security personnel have been carrying out a fierce crackdown against anti-government demonstrators over the past three months. In its draft joint statement about Syria, the U.N. Human Rights Council noted that more than 1,000 people "peacefully protesting for democracy" have been killed." So incredibly sad. Seems some people haven't advanced much beyond what other rulers long ago did. I felt I was witnessing a modern reenactment of what often happened at many old ruins I'd just visited. See: Syrians flee to Turkey.
We drive onward to Kas
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Tour guide mastermind at work. Hoyt L. Edge in Antalya hotel gearing up for our private road trip in Turkey. My red journal, lower right. |
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The city of Kas, Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
My personal preference is to plan a day off after a tour like the previous weeks' busy itinerary with Pasha Tours, so before leaving the U.S., we had booked a room at The Hideaway Hotel in Kas, a Mediterranean seaside town that provided a nice haven. We did some laundry, hung it in the sun on our balcony's clothesline and stared out at the glorious blue sea. I wrote and rested, and we regrouped for the coming days.
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| Charlene L. Edge at Hideaway Hotel in Kas, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Fethiye
After Kas, we drove north up the west coast, arriving at Fethiye in time for lunch. It is a harbor town sparkling with blue water, enthusiastic restaurant servers, and bobbing sailboats. We stayed in an old pension, which had a nice view of the landscape with the bobbing sailboats. We got to the Fethiye museum in time before it closed to see an especially interesting item to me: the trilingual stele (Lycian-Greek-Aramaic) from Letoon (described below). It was used to decipher the language of the Lycians. "It describes how King Kaunos gave money to do some good work in honour of the gods." (Lonely Planet). From my little bit of experience with Biblical languages (in a former life) I recognized some characters in Aramaic!
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Similar terrace as Kas, but in Fethiye at the Duygu Pension overlooking harbor [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Charlene L. Edge with trilingual stele in Fethiye Museum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Charlene L. Edge pointing to Aramaic characters on stele in Fethiye Museum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Statue of Cybele a.k.a. Artemis a.k.a. Diana (of the Ephesians) Fethiye Museum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Lycian cities worth seeing
Phaselis
Founded in 334 B.C. by Greeks, it was a wealthy town, shipping lumber from its port and exporting rose oil and perfume. Today, it's a quiet picnic beach for weekenders.
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| Main street ruins of Phaeselis, Turkey Charlene L. Edge strolls - nowhere to shop! [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Bath ruins in Phaeselis [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Beach in Phaselis, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Further north, Demre has great ruins of an outdoor theatre and some amazing rock tombs carved into the hillsides. In town, we noticed lots of Russian tourists visiting the famous church of St. Nicholas. Didn't see old Santa, though, except cast in bronze (I think).
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| [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Old St. Nick [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| St. Nicholas church in Demre, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Myra
Lycian rock tombs and a Greco-Roman theatre are the outstanding remnants here. St. Nicholas was one of Myra's early bishops.
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Rock tombs of Myra, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Hoyt L. Edge in Myra's ancient theatre [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Letoon and Xantos
"The Unesco-designated World Heritage site of Letoon is home to some of the finest ruins on the Lycian Way...[and] is considered a double-site with the all-conquering nearby Xanthos." (Lonely Planet). These cities date from the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.
Letoon
In Letoon, a shrine to Leto was built. Leto in mythology was loved by Zeus and was the mother of Artemis and Apollo. The site has three temples for this mother and her two kids. There's a pond and a theatre there, too. Also, is a lovely fake mosaic floor with a lyre and bow and arrow; we saw the original in the Fethiye museum. Here it is: |
| Mosaic floor from Letoon in Fethiye Museum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Xantos (Xanthos)
This city has a dark and bloody history. http://www.turkeytourism.com/yachting/galericity/xantos.html
"The ancient Lycian city is located near the village of Kinik on a hillside in a gorgious natural site overlooking the Esen river. Xanthos long remained independent until it was taken by the Persians: according to Herodotus, the warriors of Xanthos showed an extreme bravery killing their wives, children and slaves entrenched in the burning citadel. They themselves fought to death . Only a few families that were away, survived. The city was completly burnt down between 475 and 450 BC. During excavations this was confirmed by a thick layer of ash covering the site. Rebuilt and repopulated, Xanthos, along with Pinara, Patara and other cities, surrendered to Alexander the Great. The city, which came to the hands of Antigonus, was claimed by Ptolemy I who took it from him by force in 309 BC..."
This was the capital of Lycia. Many of its sculptures are now in the British Mueseum. The French excavated the place in the 1950s so it's worth the time to see it (if ruins and ancient history provoke contemplation for you and climbing around kicking weeds on a hot day feeds your curiosity. Doing so we found a little treasure in the dirt).
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| Xanthos theatre, Turkey |
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A little treasure in the weeds at Xanthos, Turkey. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Surprises at Milas
To break up the driving episodes into manageable bites, we made an extra stop and spent the night in Milas on our way up the west coast to Ephesus and beyond. We called ahead and booked a room in the Yazar Otel, which the Lonely Planet said included a buffet breakfast and was, "conveniently located for the Tuesday bazaar" and it starts at its steps. Sounded great.
Sometimes I take things figuratively when I should take them literally and vice versa. This is a perfect example. We arrived in Milas about noon on TUESDAY, me thinking figuratively. Wow. The bazaar was LITERALLY on the steps of the hotel and all the way up and down the street. This was not a metaphorical experience. We could not get near the otel (Turkish leaves off the "h"). We had to parked about 6 blocks away and weave our way through jostling shoppers to where we thought the street was (based on our GPS), asking for help to find it. A nice young mother pushing a stroller said she knew where it was. We trailed behind her like two lost kids, ourselves. Turned out she had to ask someone else for directions, and so finally we reached it led by another guy who delivered us politely to the front door.
The main drag in front of the Yazar, plus a few side streets, was converted into an outdoor bazaar with tarps strung from buildings above to create a temporary roof from which hung all sorts of goods like dresses, purses, toys, tableclothes, you name it. The innkeeper, who barely spoke English, said we would be able to bring the car close to the hotel when the market closed and drag our suitcases up the stairs (no elevator). When might that be? About 9:30 p.m.! So what do you do? Take a shower, eat, shop at the bazaar! We ate at a local kebap place around the corner. In the market, I bought a tableclothe. Walking around, we checked out an old mosque and some ruins of a tomb.
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Shopping from your front door! Milas, Turkey Pictured: Charlene L. Edge [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Tuesday bazaar on Kadiaga Caddesi (street) in front of Yazar Otel, Milas, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Shopping alert: Charlene L. Edge buys tableclothe in Milas' Tuesday bazaar, Turkey. {Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Tomb ruins in Milas, Turkey. Maybe 3rd cent. B.C. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Didyma (Didim) - Where the oracles lived
In its time, about 23 centuries ago, Didyma had the second largest temple of Apollo in the world (largest was in Ephesus). An oracle(s) lived there, second only in importance to the one in Delphi, Greece, they say. We've seen the ruins of Delphi and they are impressive, covering a hillside on the Pellopenese Peninsula. I understand that Didyma was not a town, it was a site just for priests and those seeking their guidance. The ruins are fabulous and spread over a wide area.
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| On the road... |
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Didyma (ancient name) map, showing layout of Temple of Apollo and surrounding town Didim, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Charlene L. and Hoyt L. Edge at Temple of Apollo Didyma, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Steps to temple courtyard, Didmya, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Griffin carving in Apollo Temple courtyard, Didyma, Turkey. This mythological creature is my favorite: head and wings of an eagle with body of a lion. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Herakleia (Latmos) - The lake, the lake!
Highlights of this site are Lake Bafa ringed by a five-fingered mountain, the ancient Mount Latmos of Greek myths, is in the distance; and ruins of a temple to Athena. The village today, called Kapikiri, stank of cow and donkey doo-doo since the village is built in the middle of a big farm. Too bad. The women worked alongside the road selling tableclothes and needlework. Poor, very poor.
Bafa, the Lonely Planet tell us, "is an area where Christian hermits took refuge during the 8th century Arab invasions." Parts of ancient ruins are scattered around, like those of Athena's temple.
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Ruins of Temple to Athena. Herakleia, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Herakleia. Fortress across Lake Bafa. Kapikiri,Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Getting a fresh coat by Lake Bafa, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Desperate times require desperate advertising. Herakleia, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Get along little donkey. Herakleia, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Women trying to sell textiles, Herakleia, Turkey. We did bargain for a small tableclothe to help support locals. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Seen its better days. Kapirkari, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
More info at Herakleia (Latmos), Lake Bafa
Miletus - Philosophy's roots
Continuing north on the west coast, we headed that same day to Miletus, a site most important to my husband, who is a Professor of Philosophy. Just walking around the place was sheer joy to him. Why? It's one of several birthplaces of philosophy. "Miletus was destroyed (along with Didyma) by the Persians in 499 BC, and Ephesus surpassed Miletus as the the most important city in the region. But Miletus was rebuilt, and its streets were laid out according to the plan of Miletus native Hippodamus, inventor of the "Hippodamian grid." His plan was first applied in Piraeus and Rhodes, and later in the northern part of his native city. Other famous citizens of ancient Miletus included Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes, all philosophers of nature and the universe; the historian and geographer Hekataios, who first used the word "history" in its modern sense; and Isidorus, one of the designers of the Hagia Sophia." (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/miletus)
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Arriving at theatre at Miletus (Milet), Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Great theatre. Miletus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Miletus, Turkey theatre steps. Lion feet carvings at end of seats. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Under the theatre. Miletus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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In Museum of Miletus, Turkey Part of statues lining the sacred road from Miletus to Didyma [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
There was a sacred road connecting Didyma with Miletus. For good background on Didyma and this road to Miletus, visit Didyma.
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Miletus, Turkey. Ancient sacred road to Didyma [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Charlene Lamy Edge at Miletus, Turkey Market area[Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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From market gate over to the sacred way, Miletas, Turkey Pictured: Charlene L. Edge [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Priene
More isolated than Miletus or Didyma, this site sits high on a hill overlooking the plain of the Meander River, with tall pines whispering around the columns and ruins including that of a theatre and a temple of Apollo. It's believed to have been built in 350 B.C. We had the place to ourselves except for about three other people that day. I enjoyed the isolation.
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Site designation. Priene, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Priene, Turkey. Entrance road. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Charlene and Hoyt Edge. Temple of Athena Priene, Turkey[Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Selcuk and Ephesus
Selcuk is the modern town next to the ancient ruins of Ephesus, a few miles away. In Selcuk, we stayed two nights at the Hotel & Pension Nazar, paying extra for air conditioning. The breakfast was abundant.
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Hotel Nazar in Selcuk. Typical breakfast in Turkey. Enough for two. (bowls contain fresh yogurt) [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] Ephesus's ruins are surprisingly more intact than most their age. It's the "best preserved classical city in the western Mediterranean...[and] a major trading city in Roman times, also serving as a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess." (Lonely Planet). Paul from Tarsus lived there a few years imprisoned but preaching nonetheless, so this town is familiar to most Bible-reading Christians, since he wrote a letter to the Ephesians and it wound up in the N.T. |
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| Entrance road to ancient Ephesus site, Turkey. [Property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Hoyt and I drove the Fiat the few miles from Selcuk to Ephesus, parked in the lot, and entered at the bottom of the hill, which meant we toured Ephesus twice - on the way up and on the way back down to fetch our car, encountering two very different views of the old place (and different sets of tour groups).
Ephesus was a famous Roman port city from 1200 B.C. , a crossroad of trade and capital of Asia Minor. Today, cruise ships show up and unload tourists at the top of the hill so they take a "downhill" tour of the ancient city and get picked up by buses at the bottom of the hill that return them to the ship.
For our tour, Hoyt and I rented the audio tape version and ran around on our own.
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| Ephesus, Turkey - arcade and theatre in distance. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Charlene L. Edge. Ephesus, Turkey. Theatre. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
It's really hot in Ephesus because the sun's heat reflects off all the marble, even the main road consists of marble blocks laid in the ground. If you go, bring water and wear a good sun hat and walking shoes. Try not to slip on the marble.
The library is fabulous, with its elegant front columns and a statue to Sophia the goddess of wisdom. I overheard a tour guide tell his group there was an underground tunnel from the library to the "house of pleasure" across the street (we went in those ruins as well). The library, he said, was only open to men, so the tunnel provided an easy, hidden escape when they tired of reading...:-)
The library is fabulous, with its elegant front columns and a statue to Sophia the goddess of wisdom. I overheard a tour guide tell his group there was an underground tunnel from the library to the "house of pleasure" across the street (we went in those ruins as well). The library, he said, was only open to men, so the tunnel provided an easy, hidden escape when they tired of reading...:-)
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| Ephesus, Turkey. Libary (on the left) and Western Gate [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
We also spent the extra dollars for tickets to the Terrace Houses, residential units which are now open for touring, although still under excavation. They were buried under the hill opposite the Hadrian Temple on the street leading up to the library.
"There are six residential units on three terraces at the lower end of the slope of the Bulbul Mountain. The oldest building dates back into the 1C BC and continued in use as residence until the 7C AD. Ephesus terrace houses are covered with protective roofing which resembles Roman houses. The mosaics on the floor and the frescos have been consolidated and two houses have been opened to the public as a museum."
Many walls and floors hold preserved mosaics and frescos, revealing rooms that made me feel more in contact with what daily life was like for those homeowners, although they were rich and not reflective of the general population.
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| Terrace house. Ephesus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Terrace House, Ephesus, Turkey. Female face in fresco. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Terrace House. Ephesus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Hoyt L. Edge pictured in Terrace House, Ephesus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Mary's House
Legend has it that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a house in Ephesus, the city where St. John took her after Jesus died. It is a site of pilgrimage for many, including two Popes. We drove up the hill - it's VERY steep - swerving to avoid tour buses coming and going. At the top was a lovely, peaceful spot, with an outdoor church and alter where mass is said near the old stone house said to be Mary's.
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| Mary's House information. Ephesus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Mary's House. Ephesus, Turkey. No photos allowed inside. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Charlene L. Edge. Mary's House. Ephesus, Turkey The Madonna was a symbol of compassion to me during my Catholic childhood. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Healing waters at Mary's House. Ephesus, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Prayer wall at Mary's House, Ephesus, Turkey Pilgrims write prayers on "rags" and tie them to wire hung on the wall. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Not much is left standing of the Temple of Artemis (between Selcuk and Ephesus). Built during the Bronze Age, it later became one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Today, a few geese live in the swampy site and one column has been reconstructed. On the road to the lane leading to the site is only a small sign. We had to drive around the area a few times before we found this treasure!
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| Temple of Artemis. Between Ephesus and Selcuk, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Pergamom, Pergamum or Pergamon: Akropolis (hilltop city) and Asclepion (pre-eminant medical center of Ancient Rome)
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Two sites of ancient Pergamum near the modern day Bergama, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Today these sites of Pergamum are near the modern city of Bergama where we stayed in a very quaint pension, Akropolis Guest House.
Acropolis
During the reign of Eumenes II (197-159 B.C.) Pergamum reached its heyday. Eumenes founded a library that later rivaled the one in Alexandria, Egypt.
Pergamum is noted for having the steepest theatre in the world, too, as well as many other ruins including: the king's palaces, the Temple to Athena, a market place (agora) and the Altar of Zeus (which is in the Berlin Museum), a military arsenal, the Traian Temple (built for Emperor Traian 98-117 A.D.) , a gymnasium, a food house for oil and wine, Dionysos cult hall, Sacred Place of Demeter, Hera Holy Place, a lower market place, and other structures such as the Serapeion (the temple of Egyptian gods).
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Pergamum theatre, seats 10,000. Below the stage is is the ruined Temple of Dionysus. Above the theatre is the Altar of Zues which19th Century German excavators removed most of to Berlin. |
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| Okay, when does the play begin? Hoyt and Charlene Edge pictured in Pergamum theatre, Turkey. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Charlene L. Edge on steps of ancient Pergamum, Turkey library [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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A Pergamum, Turkey critter [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Asclepion (Asklepion) - medical center
This healing center was founded in the 4th century B.C. by Archias, a local citizen who had been cured at the Asclepion of Epidaurus (Greece). BTW Hoyt and I visited the one in Greece ten years ago on our first trip together. It had similar structures and pine needles carpeting the grounds.
The ruins today are from the reconstructions done by Emperor Hadrianus (177-138 B. C.). What I liked most about the place was the idea that patients could dream their own diagnosis and treatment.
The sacred way leading into the site was originally covered, protecting patients from the weather. All except pregnant women and the dying were allowed to be treated here.
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Asclepion. Description of sacred way. Pergamum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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The sacred way into the Asclepion. Pergamum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Charlene L. Edge at the Asclepion (ancient medical center). Pergamum, Turkey Snake design is still used today in logo for medicine. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Sleeping room description at Asclepion. Pergamum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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Sacred passage way to sleeping rooms at Asclepion. Holes in the top allowed light and air, and were covered in bad weather. Pergamum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
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| Sleeping/healing room area. Asclepion. Pergamum, Turkey [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
Carpet buying in Bergama
After climbing around the acropolis and asclepion, even though it had been a full day, we decided that Bergama was our last chance to buy a carpet. In Bergama, after checking out the Red Bascilica (originally a temple to the Egyptian god, Serapis) we saw a carpet hanging outside a shop across the street and fell instantly in love with it. Good thing, because we only had two more days in Turkey and they were too packed with touring to buy carpets. It is a leisurely encounter in Turkey and needs a few hours, at least.
If you buy a carpet in an old shop like we did, you begin by sipping tea or a cold drink with the carpet seller and talking about your families and the state of the world's politics. Then you chat about the tourist industry, the local restaurants, and you may find out something like the neice of the owner of your pension works in the carpet shop. We finally negotiated a price about 9:30 pm, had our tree-of-life design carpet/prayer rug packaged to carry on the plane, and left town the next morning bound for Troy.
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Bergama, Turkey carpet shop where we bargained (tediously) for our carpet. [Photo property of Hoyt L. Edge] |
On June 18th, with our Turkish carpet in the trunk, we left charming Bergama and drove our Fiat northward to the ancient city of Troy. Yes, Troy is a real place, not a made-up Trojan city in an old poem. It would be our next to last stop. The last stop would be the WWI fields of Gallipoli before heading to Istanbul's airport to fly home.
On the top right side of page, click Part IV of IV: Troy, Gallipoli, Homeward Bound
On the top right side of page, click Part IV of IV: Troy, Gallipoli, Homeward Bound
It was a pleasure reading about your travel experience, thank you for the photo material.
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