Turkey 2009 - Part 2

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Part of the aqueduct carrying water to the port of Phaselis.  It is purported to be one of the longest aqueducts in Turkey Phaselis was founded from the island of Rhodes in about 690 BC and became an important port, with three separate harbours Phaselis welcomed Alexander the Great and prospered also under the Romans In the 1st Century BC it was occupied by pirates who terrorised the Mediterranean coast Pompey cleared the seas of pirates, but Phaselis was slow to recover its former wealth
Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis
         
Cyclamen amongst the ruins and the pine trees Demir tells us the history of Phaselis Part of the main street which linked the Central Harbour and the South Harbour.  The main Baths of Phaselis are on the right This is a room in the smaller Baths which also served the port The Theatre of Phaselis dates from the 2nd Century AD and is cut into the hillside
Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis
         
The Theatre could seat approximately 1500 people The Theatre has a splendid view of the mountains The Theatre of Phaselis Looking down from the Theatre to the smaller Baths and the main street of the port The main street looking back towards the Central Harbour
Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis
         
Juliette has a paddle in the Central Harbour.  The North Harbour lies beyond the small promontory The main street looking towards the South Harbour, with the entrance to Domitian's Agora on the right The main street of Phaselis The South Harbour - this was used by the larger ships and was protected by a breakwater which is now submerged There were lots of cats on the site
Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis
         
A mosaic floor in the main Baths Mosaic floor with bead and reel design The Central Harbour looking towards the main street of the port The Northern Harbour was more exposed than the other two.  Because of this it was not used commercially as much as the others The Necropolis of the port lies around the North Harbour, with some tombs tumbling into the sea.
Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis Phaselis
         
Lunch in a treetop restaurant It was a very pleasant sitting high up amongst the autumn leaves Wendy tucks into a chicken kebab with enthusiasm We arrived at Olympos from the beach.  The road signs had been washed away in recent storms and we missed the turning These ruins in the cliffs are probably from the Byzantine period
Lunch Lunch Lunch Olympos Olympos
         
They look very precarious Part of the Necropolis of Olympos which was founded in the Hellenistic period There are several vaulted chambers and other stone tombs on the hillside A few of us decided to cross the river to view the ruins on the other side.  We were waved off by those who remained behind Tombs with sliding doors such as these are characteristic of this area of Turkey
Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos
         
There were many examples at Olympos This is the entrance to the Theatre of Olympos.  It is very overgrown with vegetation Looking back towards the entrance to the Theatre.  Little remains of the seating on the left Most of the seats have disappeared and the Theatre is in very poor condition It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like
Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos
         
This building was part of the Baths of Olympos The rooms are very overgrown It was very atmospheric The Baths of Olympos Running out of time, the breakaway group hastens back to the others
Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos
         
Part of a polygonal wall buried in the undergrowth.  This was probably part of the city walls A fine sarcophagus in the undergrowth The beach at Olympos Refreshments at the beach cafe are very welcome Barbara and Wendy
Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos
         
During the recent storms, many cars were washed into the sea.  A diver has located one... ...which the tractor starts to pull up on to the beach It gradually emerges.... ...a bit sorry for itself Finike - our hotel was a holiday resort on a grand scale
Olympos Olympos Olympos Olympos Finike
         
It was a bit like Butlins in Turkey Wendy and I A Finike Myra - these rock tombs are typical of the Lycian culture of burial and would have looked out over the sea in ancient times
Finike Finike Finike Finike Myra
         
Myra was founded in the 5th Century BC and was an important city and port.  St Paul changed ships here on his way to Rome These house-style rock tombs date from the 5th to the 3rd Century BC The Lycians often buried their dead high on cliff faces.  They believed that the souls of the dead were thus nearer to heaven The Theatre of Myra was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1st Century AD, but was rebuilt soon afterwards The cavea is built against the cliff in the centre, but is supported on masonary on each side
Myra Myra Myra Myra Myra
         
The entrances were via stairs on either side of the cavea Holes at the top of the cavea were probably for the velarium, erected to shelter the spectators from the hot sun The Theatre of Myra Some of the seats for the important people were ornately carved The tombs and the Theatre are the only remains to be seen.  The Agora has not yet been excavated
Myra Myra Myra Myra Myra
         
Ornate carving from the stage building of the Theatre of Myra Myra - more rock tombs in the cliffs beyond the Theatre Autumn flowers in the Theatre Lunch in the nearby town of Demre The Church of St Nicholas who was Bishop of Myra in the 4th Century AD and was buried here.  It became a place of pilgrimage
Myra Myra Myra Lunch The Church of St Nicholas
         
The Church of St Nicholas has been restored many times over the centuries so little of the original structure remains These frescoes have been recently restored A boat trip around Kekova island where the remains of ancient ruins can be seen in the water and on the shoreline Kekova Island The weather was a bit threatening, but it was a very pleasant trip
The Church of St Nicholas The Church of St Nicholas Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova
         
Ruins on the shoreline of Kekova Island Ruins on the shoreline of Kekova Island Kekova Island The village of Simena with its ruined castle of the Knights of St John Lycian pillar tombs on the hills near Simena
Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova
         
A lovely sunset on our return journey A lovely sunset on our return journey A lovely sunset on our return journey The crew's imaginative way of asking for tips.  Hopefully they did well We disembark
Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova Boat trip - Kekova
         
Breakfast in the sunshine at the hotel in Finike.  We were too early for the crowds and it was very pleasant
Breakfast We approached Limyra along a winding country road.  By the time we reached the site, the gates were being opened for us This site is not often visited by tourists.  Demir had never visited before, despite his years as a travel guide The course of the river has changed over the years and now runs along the main street of Limyra
Finike Finike Limyra Limyra Limyra
         
Limyra was founded in the 5th Century AD.  Most of the remains are lost in the marshland surrounding it The Theatre of Limyra The pillar tomb of Xatabura on the hillside Limyra's main claim to fame is that Gaius Caesar, the grandson and heir of Augustus, died here in 4AD. The remains of the tomb and Cenotaph of Gaius Caesar
Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra
         
This Turkish lady arrived on the site with her cow and her goats The local guide - and his mother perhaps? Another family member The Turkish lady and her cow in front of one of the monuments of Limyra The Theatre of Limyra which dates from the 2nd Century AD
Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra
         
It was destroyed by the same earthquake which destroyed the Theatre at Myra in 141 AD It too was restored soon afterwards, suggesting that at this time the region was prosperous The Theatre had an unusually large Orchestra The diazoma or horizontal corridor giving access to the seats Gill checks out one of the vaulted entrances to the Theatre
Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra
         
The vaulted entrance on the other side. In the centre background, the tomb of Xatabura can be seen The Tomb of Xatabura This Lycian pillar tomb dates from the 4th Century BC The Tomb of Xatabura The Tomb of Xatabura
Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra Limyra
         
Shopping at last!   At the entrance to Arykanda there was a local market on the roadside Carob pods.  Flour made from these beans is nutritious and low in calories and is regarded as a survival food.  It can be used
as an alternative to chocolate in baking Fruit for sale Lemons, limes and pomegranates, amongst other fruit This man is selling honeycomb
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
I'm not quite sure what was for sale here! These people had a variety of things for sale... ...including dried figs, which I tried and then bought.  The green plant is for making a tea or tisane Edna hitches a ride to the site with the local guide Edna gives us a regal wave
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
The rest of us plod up the hill to the site of Arykanda, which is sometimes described as the Delphi of Turkey A superb doorway with a wonderful view.  It's a shame I don't know what the building was used for Arykanda is built on a series of terraces on the hillside Looking across the site to the Baths on the lower part of the slope and the Necropolis on the left The main street of Arykanda with the Necropolis on the left
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
This is a temple style grave and dates from the 2nd Century AD or possibly later There are also vaulted graves and sarcophagi in the Necropolis Another temple-style burial chamber The Baths of Arykanda, which were built in the 4th Century AD The Baths of Arykanda face south and have spectacular views across the valley
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
The western entrance to the Baths, with the Gymnasium in the foreground Climbing up to the next terrace The Agora of Arykanda.  The arches lead to the Odeum.  There would have been a colonnaded walk and shops The Theatre is located on the next terrace with lovely views of the valley and hills beyond The Theatre dates from the 2nd Century AD and is in good condition.
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
The wall at the back supports the next terrace, which holds the Stadium of Arykanda Looking down on the Theatre from the terrace above Arykanda's origins date back to 2000 BC when other settlements ending with Arnold sings The highest terrace and the Stadium of Arykanda
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
These niches line part of the Stadium, but are thought to be from an earlier structure Due to the constraints of the hillside, the Stadium is much shorter than a standard one A cistern on one of the higher terraces A fine mosaic floor in a building on one of the upper terraces This mosaic flloor is found in one of the buildings in the lower part of the city
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda
         
Mosaic floor Mosaic floor This area is called the Traianeum.  The niched walls surround a temple which was presumably dedicated to Trajan An exotic plant at Arykanda - Biarum, a relative of the Cuckoo Pint Lunch was a little late and very welcome.  Barbara and Di get stuck in
Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Arykanda Lunch
         
A balcony in the restaurant was used to house some sort of squash An interesting way of carrying pieces of wood We decided that we would like to have a swim in the pool upon our return to the hotel at Antalya Sadly, they hadn't anticipated our return and had drained the pool for the winter.  Still, it was a good laugh The last evening meal of our holiday
Lunch Antalya Antalya Antalya
         
Ruth has a few presents for Gill Early morning in Antalya Antalya airport - time to go home    
Antalya Antalya Antalya    
         
         
         
         
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