Warmer temperatures and exciting discoveries on the Lycian coast are what we expect from a return to the sea. From Pamukkale, we travel through a freshly snow-covered mountain landscape, where we make a stopover. Here, during the night, the temperatures actually drop noticeably to -5 degrees. It is only mid-March, but we could hardly imagine this for the sunny country of Turkey at this time of year.
Unfortunately, the swimming trunks will have to wait a while 😉
Between the towns of Fethiye and Kemer lies a stretch of coastline steeped in history, which for a long time was known as “Lycia”. We will travel through this area from the west, which will impress us especially with its many fascinating tombs.
In the town of Fethiye, today more of a seaside resort, there is little antiquity left to discover. Click on the gallery to open it:
After a sunny afternoon there, we move on the very next day. We drive over narrow mountain roads to Pinara. This Lycian site is therefore off the beaten track.
Even from a distance we can make out a striking hill with countless holes, almost looking like a beehive. These are burial holes that lie at a dizzying height. The Lycians believed in a kingdom of light. The souls of the deceased were supposed to be carried into the realm from these graves by bird demons. Therefore, these so-called “letterbox graves” were built as high as possible.
When we arrive,the small car park is completely empty and so tranquilly situated that we first have an extended snack on one of the picnic benches in still beautiful but cool weather. 🙂 Well fortified, we start the first of what will eventually be three days, each of which we discover a different corner of the extensive area.
What makes our tours through this place so special is the fact that it has hardly been developed for tourism. So we feel like explorers on every foray and are all the more amazed by our “finds”.
We have compiled some of them and many historical facts for you in the following gallery. Click on the picture to learn more about Pinara:
There are not only ancient places worth seeing to discover in this part of the coast. After our time in Pinara, the beach of Patara invites us to spend the night next. Several kilometres long and several hundred metres wide, this sandy beach, in combination with its sand dunes, is almost a small desert landscape. It is also an important nesting site for sea turtles. Here, the pandemic had provided something good! Due to the lack of tourists, twice as many turtles hatched in 2020 than usually in the years before.
Take a look at this natural jewel by clicking on the following gallery:
While browsing for interesting places to stay overnight, we happened to come across Kyaneai. We hadnot heard of this place before, nor was it mentioned in the travel guide. Nevertheless, it seems to be relatively easy to reach. That sounds just like our taste. So off to new adventures! 🙂
The last few kilometres lead us along a gravel road, uphill with a good gradient and washouts. Despite everything, our motorhome Silvio swings us safely to our destination and we end up standing in the middle of the ancient site between the amphitheatre and sarcophagi. While the last Lycian site,Pinara, had a small paved car park, this place has been completely spared any “new buildings” so far. Apparently, the whole area lies untouched in front of us. What also makes this place special is the sheer number of sarcophagi. More than 300 of these extraordinary tombs can be found here, the oldest of which are over 2,400 years old. You can approach these tombs over hill and dale, which have survived the test of time in a wide variety of conditions. Thus, a special magic lies over the enchanted area.
The following gallery contains a few impressions of this special place:
After a few quiet nights, we set off again, further along the Lycian coast. Look forward to the next post, where we may tell you about more exciting discoveries, such as the eternal fires of Chimaera.
Adventurous travel greetings!
Chris & Sophia