Around Kalkan

PATARA (GELEMIS)
This small village, untouched by mass tourism is set in the foothills of the mountains, next to a wonderful 18km sandy beach, regularly featured as one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful and un spoilt beaches. Due to the strict conversation laws there is not a building to be seen, which is what makes this beach so special, endless golden sands, surrounded by nature. The beach is one of the few remaining beaches in the world, where the Loggerhead turtles still come to lay their eggs between May and October, so measures are in place to ensure that it can be enjoyed by holiday makers and still remain protected for the turtles   Patara is in the heart of the Lycian region, a region boasting thousands of years of history, breathtaking scenery and hundreds of kilometres of unspoiled coastline. 2000 years ago Patara was the largest and most important sea port of the Lycian civilization. According to Mythology Apollo was born here and it is also recorded as the birthplace of St. Nicholas.   The village is situated in Patara National Park, therefore building is severely restricted. It is a short but very pleasant walk to the beach, however most accommodations offer complimentary transport and there is a local mini bus service running from the centre of the village.
XANTHOS (KINIK)
Xanthos was the capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of Lycian history. It was made famous to the Western world in the 19th century by its British discoverer Charles Fellows. It is very old - finds date back to the 8th century BC, but it is possible that the site may have existed during the Bronze Age or during the first centuries of the Iron Age.   Xanthos is not far from Patara and a trip to Letoon or Xanthos from Kalkan, Kaş or Fethiye could easily be combined with a trip to the beach and/or ruins there. It is located near the village of Kınık on a hillside in a beautiful natural site overlooking the Eşen river. From this elevation one receives a supreme view of the Xanthos Valley surrounded by the spectacular Taurus Mountains. It is easy to find by car, just off the main highway and well-marked. Xanthos' landscape is quite beautiful, especially in spring.   Xanthos is the oldest and largest city of the mountainous province of Lycia, settled around 8th century BC in the valley of the Xanthos (today's Kinik) river in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Until the Persian invasion in the 4th century BC it was an independent state. When the people of Xanthos, who had bravely tried to defend their city against Persians, realized that they could not repulse the invasion, they first killed their woman and committed mass suicide by throwing themselves into the flames. About 80 surviving families and people who immigrated there rebuilt the city, but a fire which broke out about 100 years later razed it to the ground. In spite of this, the city was again rebuilt and, establishing good relations with its neighbors, was considered as an important center in Lycia.   However, Xanthos again met with an unfortunate end. As a result of resisting the taxes the Athenians wanted to impose on them in 429 BC, the city was largely destroyed and the inhabitants were drawn into a war. And thus Xanthos became "a city of disasters". The city itself consists of the Lycian acropolis and the parts remaining outside it, as well as the Roman acropolis. The most interesting building is the Roman theatre and the edifices of the theatre's western shoreline. Of these the most famous is the Harpy Monument, which is a family sarcophagus situated on a rock. The original of this relief - decorated sarcophagus is in the British Museum in London, and every good copy of this is in its place. Close by can be seen very interesting Lycian sarcophagi from the 6th and 1st centuries BC.
SAKLIKENT - TLOS (YAKAPARK)
Saklikent (Hidden City) Canyon, located in the continent of Asia, is the second largest canyon in Europe. It is located in Antalya province in Turkey, 50 km from the city of Fethiye. The Canyon is 300 meters deep and 18 km long, resulting from the abrasion of the rocks by flowing waters over thousands of years. It is a spectacular place, with sculpted walls soaring high above. As the level of water rises during winter months. Summer is the best time to visit as the canyon is deliciously cool and shady with cold water. So visitors can enter the canyon only in the summer. Four kilometers of the canyon are walkable after April, when most of the snow in the Taurus Mountains has melted and passed through on its way to the Xanthos River. Saklikent means "hidden city" in Turkish.
PINARA (MINARE)
Pinara was a large ancient city of Lycia at the foot of Mount Babadağ, and not far from the western bank of the River Xanthos, homonymous with the ancient city of Xanthos (now Esen Stream). The name Pinara has somewhat been assimilated to the name of the present-day village of Minare, half an hour below the ruins and depending Fethiye district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Pinara was settled around 5th century BC in the Xanthos valley. It was one of the important cities of the Lycian Federation and had a vote in the League. During the Byzantine period it became a bishop's center, but then abandoned in the 9th century AD after loosing its importance.   Probably Pinara is the least visited site in the Lycian region. The site is dominated by a vast, east facing cliff (worth getting there in the morning if you can) which is pockmarked with rectangular holes, probably burial chambers although alternate explanations have been offered at various times. The remains of several ancient temples can be seen in Pinara, as well as rock tombs including one "royal tomb", an upper and a lower acropolis, a theatre, an odeum, an agora and a church.
SIDYMA (DODURGA)
The ruins of Sidyma are near the village of Dodurga, which is reached from the Fethiye-Kas road by driving down the side road that turns off from Esen for a distance of about 17 kilometers. If you continue from here, you will reach the ruined remains of Sidyma in the Asar district of the village.   Short distance to the south-west is a conspicuous building that still stands nine meters high. It rests on a low substructure which originally formed the base of a large built tomb, but the building itself is of much later date and contains many re-used blocks, some inscribed. There are a number of tombs of various types scattered along the valley in groups.
LETOON
The ruins of Letoon are situated in the village of Bozoluk. They can be reached by a road 4 kms long, leading off the road from Kas to Fethiye before Kinik. The ruins are accessible by car. We will leave our car near this fascinating site and visit the three temples excavated on foot.   Letoon also had a stoa and a theater, and the existance of a stadium, although as yet untraced, is known, proving that it was not only a cult center, but also a living city.   The theater lies opposite the temples, resting on the slope behind, with an entrance visible to one side. This theater belongs to the Hellenistic period. The portals to the east and west were decorated with Doric friezes and the auditorium was in good condition when excavation began although the skene building was completely destroyed. Among the foundations of the temples at Letoon, many inscriptions were found during excavation. Of these, the most important is an inscription referring to a visit by Alexander to Letoon, and another inscription, near this, which is multi-lingual and contains texts in Aramaic, Greek and Lycian. This is very important in that it helped experts to decypher the Lycian script. It refers to a decree made by the satrap of Caria and Lycia, Pixodares.   Letoon was a center of cult activity and a living setdement until the 7th century, after which it was abandoned. After looking at the works of art in the museum there we will leave Letoon for Patara. Portico ruins, Letoon.
BEZIRGAN
Kalkan is located only 17 kilometers away from the beautiful yayla (high mountain valley) village of Bezirgan, elevation 700 metres. Historically, many locals of Kalkan have owned land both in Kalkan and in Bezirgan. Today many still follow the pattern of their ancestors, spending summers in the coolness of the mountains and winters near the warm coast. During the summer months about 650 people live here and this number drops to about 150 in the winter when the population moves back down to the coast. Bezirgan is a completely different environment from what you see on the coast. It is an authentic working Turkish village and the people living here live much as their ancestors did 100 years ago. The village is nestled on an ancient lake bed of rich soil which supports a luxurious coat of fertile fields yielding grains and chickpeas, lush orchards and grazing land for sheep and goats. There are also several Lycian ruins to be seen within the village itself.