 Contents
of this Page
Bodrum
(Halicarnassus)
. Herodotus
Marmaris
Dalyan
(Fish Weir) and Caunus
. History
of Caunus
. The
Site
Fethiye
(Telmessus)
. History
of Telmessus
. The
Site
Olu
Deniz (Dead Sea)
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Part 5
Bodrum-Marmaris-Dalyan-Fethiye |
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| BODRUM
(HALICARNASSUS) |
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| Founded possibly in the 11C BC,
Halicarnassus came under Persian domination c.540
BC. The Persians ruled through native tyrants,
one of whom, Artemisia, shared in the Persian
defeat at Salamis (480). Later in the Persian
Wars Halicarnassus joined the Delian League. The
city enjoyed its greatest prosperity under
Mausolus, a Persian satrap who achieved virtual
independence in the 4C BC. The temple
erected in his honor, the Mausoleum, became one
of the Seven Wonders of the World. Captured by
Alexander the Great in 334 BC, Halicarnassus
soon declined. Early in the 15C AD the Knights of
Rhodes built a picturesque castle dedicated to
St. Peter. Its walls were built largely of
material derived from the ruins of the classical
city. Remains of the Mausoleum, excavated in the
1850s, are in the British Museum in London. Halicarnassus was also the
hometown of the famous ancient historian
Herodotus.
Herodotus (c. 5C BC)
Little is known
with certainty about Herodotus’s life. He
was born in Halicarnassus in 484 BC. His
work proves that he traveled widely throughout
the Mediterranean.
Herodotus was a
writer who wrote the first historical work in the
conventional sense of the term history. He is
therefore known as the father of history. Writers
before him, such as Hecataeus (c.500 BC), wrote
purely geographical treatises.
Herodotus tended
to ignore the uncertain past. His theme, instead,
was the enmity that developed between East and
West from the time of Croesus of Lydia (c.550) to
the Persian War of 480-79 BC.
Herodotus’s
History contains valuable and lively discussions
of the customs, geography and history of
Mediterranean peoples, particularly the
Egyptians. In this respect he shows the influence
of his great predecessor Hecataeus, but his work
was written with wit and dramatic flair.
Herodotus possessed a philosophical mind.
Convinced that pride preceded a fall, he wrote
history in part to show that evil deeds would be
punished. He was also persuaded of the general
instability of fortune for innocent and guilty
alike: unchecked prosperity could not endure even
for such well-meaning men as Croesus of Lydia.
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| MARMARIS |
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| In winter it is a small fishing
town. But in summer Marmaris is an attractively
organized tourist resort. It is situated on the
Aegean coast at the center of a scenically
beautiful area of southern Turkey. The town lying
at the head of a sparkling fjord is surrounded by
pine covered hills with a backdrop of mountains. Old Marmaris is clustered
around an 11C AD Ottoman castle and many
houses which have been restored to their original
appearances.
The appeal of
Marmaris is not the works of man but those of
nature. Nature has endowed Marmaris with a
wonderful harbor. There are regular ferry boat
services to Rhodes from Marmaris. Marmaris is the
best place to charter a Blue Cruise heading east
along the Lycian coast.
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| Marmaris |
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| DALYAN (FISH WEIR)
AND CAUNUS |
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| The modern town
Dalyan is located on the east bank of the Dalyan
Cayi (River) and the ancient Carian city of
Caunus lies on the western bank. The Dalyan Cayi
is the stream that meanders down to the sea from
Koycegiz Lake a short distance inland. The beach
has been made a protected area as the
breeding-ground of Caretta Caretta, the
loggerhead turtle. History
of Caunus
The references
about the past of Caunus has always been
negative. According to Herodotus, people of
Caunus were the natives of Caria and resisted to
the Persians during their conquest of Caria in
the 6C BC. Later it was sold to Rhodes by
Egyptian generals in the 2C BC. In the
1C BC, they allied with Mithridates VI
in Pontic king’s wars and eventually lost.
Malaria was endemic and many people contracted
it. Silting of the harbor was another major
problem in the history of the city. As a result,
Caunus had a bad reputation.
The Site
Hellenistic
fortification remains with a tower and a
gateway on the acropolis hill, rock-cut Lycian
tombs, a Hellenistic stoa, a fountain
house, a palaestra, a theater,
a Byzantine church and the terrace
temple are among the ruins of the ancient
city of Caunus.
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| FETHIYE (TELMESSUS) |
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| Fethiye has
become popular for beach holidays and yacht
cruises. The modern town of Fethiye covers the
site of ancient Telmessus. History
of Telmessus
Although it was
not then a Lycian city, Telmessus was first
mentioned in the tribute lists of the Delian
League in the 5C BC. It became Lycian in the
4C BC only after the siege of the city by
Pericles, King of Limyra. Later, it was taken by
one of the governors of Alexander the Great with
a trick similar to the Trojan Horse. An orchestra
consisting of women passed the guards and
occupied the acropolis.
Telmessus became
part of the Roman province of Asia in
133 BC. During the Byzantine period
Telmessus was known as Anastasiopolis. Rum
population lived in the area until 1922.
The Site
The hill behind
Fethiye is encircled by a strong wall which is
the only remain of a medieval castle.
More than 20 Lycian
rock tombs in the steep rock wall above the
town are the rare surviving remains of the
ancient times. Among these tombs the most
prominent is the one which belongs to Amyntas.
It dates from the 4C BC and is in the form
of an Ionic temple with two Ionic columns. Most
of the tombs are of the house-types imitating the
Lycian wooden houses in their plans
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Olu Deniz (Dead Sea)
Dead is in the
sense of calm. It is a sheltered lagoon of great
beauty, almost totally cut off from the sea, at
the northern end of a long cove. Stretching from
the lagoon to the southern end of the cove is a
long, sandy public beach.
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| Oludeniz, Fethiye |
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| Copyright © 1997 Serif Yenen All rights reserved. NO
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