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ADRASAN
The climate
How to get there
Places to See
TOWARDS ANTALYA
Olympos
Chimera
Phaselis
Termessos
Aspendos and Aqueduct
TOWARDS KAS
Limyra
Arykanda
Myra
The Church of St.Nicholas
Myra Rock Tombs
Kekova Sunken City |

PHOTO ALBUM |


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THE CLIMATE
The climate is typical of the Mediterranean. Winters are mild.
March and April count as spring and May is easily warm enough
to swim. Also an ideal time to walk within the beautiful orange
flower aroma in the air. In summer, the temperature can reach
40° celsius. July and August are warm, September and October
are relatively less warm and the weather remains pleasant until
the end of the year.
HOW TO GET THERE
We meet most of our customers at the Antalya Airport. It is
about a 100 km drive back to Sazlik, which has a spectacular
view for about an hour and a half.
Our customers who prefer to drive on their own will have to
take the Antalya-Kas road. After passing "Ulupinar",
make a left by the "Adrasan" sign into the village
road. Then after a 20 km drive along a forest you will reach
Sazlik.
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| The ones who will arrive by bus, will have to
take "Adrasan" minibus which takes off near the "Kas-Kalkan"
minibus at Antalya. This minibus will bring you all the way
down to Adrasan. Another possibility is to hop on the "Finike-Kas-Kalkan"
minibuses and get off at the intersection of Adrasan-Olympos
road. And we will come an pick you up from there. |
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OLYMPOS
Olympos combines an Indiana Jones site with a good beach and great
scenery. Located in the middle of a national park area the site is
set on both sides of a stream which is fed from the surrounding hills.
Never really excavated, much of the area is covered in fairly dense
woodland |
which gives it the air of an unexplored, secret place. It's
nice to be able to combine exploring with swimming and sunbathing.
The city was dedicated to Hephaestus, god of the forge, to whose presence
was attributed the ever burning flames of the Chimera, located the
other side of Cirali.
CHIMERA (YANARTAS)
Riding the winged horse Pegasus, Bellerophon shot a hail of arrows
and killed the monster Chimera after it destroyed Lycia with its fiery
breath. The young warrior then built an altar for his patron goddess
Athena. Today, a natural phenomenon marks the spot where gases escaping
from the earth create an inextinguishable flame that still blazes
at the site. |
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The cracks were caused by an earthquake. The fire which
was more powerful has turned into large quantities of little flames
with less power. It is much more interesting to watch the flames in
the evening.
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PHASELIS
Phaselis was established in 693 B.C as a harbour city and has three
ports. The antique harbour that you will face with at the entrance
is named as the North Harbour. Just to the right of it is the Middle
Harbour. And at the end of the Harbour street you will find the South
Harbour. The whole city is covered with pine trees. |
Therefore, even
under the hot sun in the summer it is very comfortable to walk. Thing
to see are, the walls that protected the city from pirate attacks,
the water arcs, the Harbour street that connects the Middle and the
South Harbour, the Hadrian door at the entrance of the South Harbour,
a theatre that sits on a hill towards the sea, the acropol on the
top and the agora besides the South Harbour.
ASPENDOS ve AQUEDUCT
It dates back to the 5th century B.C. The theater which was built
in the 2nd century A.D. was periodically repaired by the Seljuks who
used it as a caravansaray. It is one of the best preserved theaters
to be found today. Allowing 0.50 m. per seat, the theater holds 7000
spectators, with an additional 500 in the orchestra. Today it is used
for concerts, festivals and grease wrestling events. |
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In addition to the theater, the agora, basilica, nymphaeum and 15
km. of aqueducts are to be seen. |
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TERMESSOS
Termessos is perhaps the most interesting ancient city in Antalya
region. It is a Psidian city built at a height of 1050 meters in the
Taurus Mountains. Termessos constitutes an unusual synthesis of a
large number of rare plants and animal species, which are under protection
in the Termessos National Park. |
The inhabitants of Termessos were
known as the Solyms but unlike those of other cities of the time they
did not come from the sea and were entirely of Anatolian origin. What
is known of their history commences principally at the time that Alexander
the Great surrounded the city in 333 B.C., which he likened to an
eagle's nest and failed to conquer. Termessos, after a gradual decline,
was finally abandoned in the 5th century A.D.
LIMYRA
It is known to have existed in the 5th century B.C. While suffering
extensive damage from an earthquake in 141 A.D. Limyra rose again,
but unable to withstand the Arab invasions. In the 7th and 9th centruies
A.D. the inhabitants abandoned the city. It consists of three main
parts, the acropolis, the settlement and the necropolis. The interesting
rock tombs seen on the right of the road from Turuncova to Elmali
do not belong to Limyra. |
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ARYKANDA
It is not known exactly when Arykanda, which dominated the Akarcay
valley and its surroundings, was established. Based on finds from
explorations, it is thought to have existed in the 5th century B.C.
Although largely destroyed by an earthquake in 240 A.D., it continued
to survive until the 11th century A.D. Known as Akalanda in Byzantine
times, it was built on terraces; many of the buildings are in a good
state of preservation. |
MYRA
It was one of the most important cities among the other six Lycian
cities. It was settled in the 5th century B.C. Although it was originally
a coastal town, it has retreated from the sea because of the alluvium
from the Demre stream. It was abandoned in the 9th century A.D. after
the Arab invasion. The rock tombs, the theatre and St. Nicholas Church
have survived to make it a place worth visiting. |
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THE CHURCH OF ST.NICHOLAS
St. Nicholas, born in 245 A.D. in Patara near Fethiye died in 363
A.D., having spent his life in Anatolia. Son of a wealthy family and
of good education, he devoted himself to mankind. He was known as
the protector of children and sailors, and to this day the legend
of Father Christmas has continued to live as vividly as ever. |
After
he died he was buried in Demre and a church was built there for his
memory. In 108 Italian pirates stole some of his bones and took them
to Bari. In their haste they left a few behind and these are today
on display in the Antalya Museum. In a number of countries the death
of St. Nicholas is commemorated by special ceremonies and by giving
presents to children, and in fact it takes on the significance of
a new year.
MYRA ROCK TOMBS
MYRA features some of the most impressive and well preserved Lycian monuments in the country. These include an excellent collection of rock tombs and an imposing 2nd century theater.
Many of the tombs have log cabin features carved into the rock, presumably reflecting the domestic architecture of the period. A few easily accessible ones have inscriptions in the Lycian language. Carvings above are mostly in poor repair but the overall effect of this jumble of the architecture of death is dramatic. |
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KEKOVA SUNKEN CITY
As trade between the Lycians and the other Hellenistic Greeks increased
so did piracy and many harbours and ports were fortified in the same
way that Kekova is. Again you'll see the remains of buildings and
walls beneath your boat. You'll stop a couple of times for swimming
and snorkelling, a couple of caveats for you here. |
You should watch
out for the spiny sea urchins that hang out in the ruins and you should
be aware that skin diving near the submerged buidlings is prohibited,
as is the removal of any old looking stuff that you might find. You
will regret it if you don't tyake a snorkel and mask with you but
exercise a little restraint, your captain should know where its OK
for you to dive.
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