Turkey 🇹🇷 ~Fethiye “The Ancient City of Telmessos”
Currently, we have arrived on the Western side of Turkey, all the way from the East. We felt like celebrating, so we stopped for a delicious dinner, for a job well done; before leaving Fethiye. We put in some serious miles, days and hours to get this far.
We had run in to some bad weather, which came and went; with some sunshine, rain, dark clouds and a rainbow. By the time we arrived at Fethiye, we had some rain to contend with, but we were able to get a few photos of what we came to see. After we were done in Fethiye, we headed towards the next destination we are very excited about, but by dark, we left the main road, around Burdur, in search of a hotel, again. We found a brand new one, way out in the middle of nowhere, so that was a surprise. In the morning, we will continue our drive to reach Pammukale.
When we had chosen the coast route for part of of drive, west, we were counting on more landscape photos with the beauty of the coastline and mountains. What we knew nothing about were the number of greenhouses which are all over this region. From a photographers perspective, the presence of hundreds and hundreds of greenhouses, is a mar on the landscape. This is why we have very few photos. It just wasnt pretty. Had we gone inland, the same may have been true, with the discovery of getting a longer growing season. Good on them.
Only a few more days in Turkey, and we will be making our exit to the next country.
ANCIENT CITY OF TELMESSOS
We looked forward to seeing this antiquity for our whole trip. I would say this town has been affected by COVID, more than other places. I don’t think they have many visitors at this time, If one googles this area, you will read how beautiful it is and how its a number one destination for holidays, etc. We did not see anything that resembled that. Fethiye was run down and a bit ghetto. We loved seeing the sites, but looked forward to leaving, at the same time. The weather can sometimes have this down-turn affect too, as without sunshine, it is hard to see as much beauty making everything pop, where it involves water
The origin of the name of Telmessos is said to derive from a Greek myth, where the god Apollo transformed himself into a dog, to win over the love of the King’s daughter. Once he accomplished this, he returned to his former self, and their son was named Telmessos, translating to the “land of lights.”
Historically, the city has been manifested by culturally rich Hellenistic and Roman periods, with their survived remains still visible in Fethiye, today. Throughout their different reigns, from the Ottoman Empire to the apparent invasion from Alexander the Great, the residents of Telmessos were actually Greek. It wasn’t until the 19th century that a population exchange occurred, replacing the Greek citizens with the Turkish, who remain there today.
Today, the Lycian Rock Tombs are one of the most famous landmarks in the region. They are carved into a cliff face, and are combined with a breathtaking panoramic view of contemporary Fethiye town.
Fethiye, Mugla is an uphill climb required to get here, but the reward is only a small hole to see anything, inside. The highest and largest of the Tombs was built in 350 BC when Fethiye was known as Telmessos, one of the city-states that formed Lycia. An inscription on the side of the tomb reads “Amyntou tou Ermagiou;” The Tomb of Amyntas.
Little is known about the Lycian period, it can be assumed that Amyntas was an important figure due to the height of his temple.
The Castle is located up on the hill and built on the site where once stood the town itself. Over time, the city expanded and descended to the base, while Fethiye Castle remained alone in its beauty and grandeur. It was originally built in the 11th century and during the 15th century, the Knights of Rhodes again rebuilt and renovated the ruins. During this period the Castle was used as a naval base.
Once you climb up the hill to the walls, you will see that not much is left of the Castle, but you will not be disappointed. Besides, you will be able to look around the ruins and enjoy the view of the whole city that stretches in front of you. Just nearby is the Roman Theatre, very close to the city center, and is exactly opposite the commercial harbor. Before the construction of the Roman theater, in the same place, there was a theater that was built in the Greek style.
Excavation is ongoing.
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
Enjoyed the read. Is that a chilly or a capsicum on the platter?
thank you. It was pretty amazing to see! I think its a chilly