HISTORICAL TURKEY- SUGGESTED ITINERARY - 14 DAYS

on 49' Sloop Alcofrolic, 2-6 guests.

ITINERARY 14 DAYS -

Two weeks going east from Marmaris - Specialised charter.

If the rich heritage of archaeological sites attracts your interest, this itinerary could be for you.

Starting the voyage from Marmaris, our first stop will be at Ekincik. No land tourists here. A beautiful large bay heavily wooded with pine trees right down to the store line. Excellent swimming and snorkelling. There is a first class restaurant ashore which has fabulous views and fresh fish. This is an overnight stop to enable us to take the fascinating riverboat trip to the ancient Lycian city of Caunos. Some parts of the film "African Queen", were filmed on this river which leads us to the ancient city. You can wander through a 20.000 seat theatre (6th cent. B.C.), several temples, roman baths and a Byzantine church. Recent excavations have revealed potsherds dating from the 9th cent. B.C. There are magnificent rock tombs which you will first see from the river as you approach the city. Most are from the 4th cent. B.C. and several are of the temple type of construction. The Acropolis stands on a hill east of the city. The remains are mostly from the middle ages. The city wall dates from the 3rd and 4th cent. B.C. , and is 8m high in places. The theatre is Roman and has a diameter of some 76.metres. North of the harbour are the remains of the Stoa , 94 metres long and 7. metres wide. Nearby stands the fountain house and two temples. This is an excellent site to wander around, being almost unexcavated.

The rock tombs at Caunos

There are licensed riverboats which collect you from where Alcofrolic is anchored. This boat is just for you and when you have finished looking at the ancient city it will return you to the yacht. In 1996 a riverboat for the day cost around $100 exclusively to Alcofrolic.

Alcofrolic will make an early start next morning to sail to our next destination: Gemilar Island. Gemilar Island is uninhabited but covered with ruined buildings of the Byzantine period and is completely unexcavated. We anchor and take stern lines ashore. There are many ruined buildings under water so snorkelling and swimming in the very clear water is excellent. Ashore we find an island covered in ruined buildings,churches,mosaics, a fascinating covered walk way and a citadel at the top.

The views from here are wonderful. Gemilar was the home of pirates until the end of the nineteenth century. In the evening we will take you to a beach barbecue restaurant which is always good fun.

An early start next morning brings us to the small port of Kalkan. Kalkan is a small, pretty town: old Greek architecture, quayside restaurants and shops. We stay here to enable us to take an excursion to the cities of the Xanthous valley.

There are six cities here and to see them all would take several days. We only have time to look at the most spectacular remains. The oldest city, Ilos to Tlawa, mentioned in Hittite records in the 14th cent. B.C., contains many Lycian and Roman buildings including the Necropolis, rock tombs, stadium, temple, Roman bath complex and a Byzantine church. Xanthos is 8km inland. Archaeological finds here date from the 8th cent. B.C. but the site dates back to the Iron Age. Remains include a Roman theatre, an agora, and the famous "Harpy Tomb" dated at 470.B.C. At the corner of the Agora stands the Obelisk, a funeral chamber, famous for it's long inscription in Lycian of 250 lines, dating back to the 5th cent. B.C.

Four km. away is Letoum. This was the sanctuary of the Moon Goddess Leto, Zeus' lover and mother of Apollo and Artemis. There are three temples here, side by side, dedicated to Apollo and Artemis.

Coins found in the foundations date from the 2nd cent. B.C. South of the temples we find the remains of a church and cloister, Nymphaeum and a Hellenistic theatre.

Patara was the port serving these cities and is known as the birthplace of Apollo. The harbour, long silted up by the river Xanthos, now has a sand bar across it's entrance stretching for seven kilometres.The ruins here are mostly Roman. The lighthouse remains and the triumphal arch to the city with it's three gates, are still in excellent condition, as well as the Roman baths which were erected in honour of the Emperor Vespian. The theatre here is considered the most beautiful in the whole of Lycia. There is also a large granary (67m x 19m) built by Hadrian, which is the principle surviving Roman building in this area.

Leaving Kalkan, our next port east is the tiny harbour of Kas, (ancient Antiphellus) - a pretty town, with good restaurants ringing the harbour walls. This was an important Lycian port from which local wood was exported. Kas was one of the oldest cities in the Lucian region, but little remains of the ancient city today. The theatre (1st cent. B.C.) on the outskirts of the town overlooking the sea, is well-preserved and worth visiting. Several Lycian sarcophagi can be seen east of Kas in the sea and along the beach. Kas is a pretty town, good restaurants ring the harbour walls.

Sailing on the next morning brings us to Aperlae, a Lycian city partly submerged in the ocean. Although coins have been found here dating back to the 5th cent. B.C., no excavations have yet been made. There are numerous buildings on the shore and under water, which make for good snorkelling and swimming in clear water. We will have lunch here, anchored in the ancient harbour.

Our evening destination is Kekova. This region consists of two cities: Teimiussa and Simena. This is a region of great natural beauty, and different to anything else we have seen. There are hundreds of house-type tombs, dating from the 4th. cent. B.C. Lycian, Roman and Hellenistic examples are found here. The remains of the ancient harbour wall is to be seen stretching under the water together with other harbour buildings. Ancient Simena is dominated by a well-preserved medieval castle. Inside the castle we find a theatre (the only one of its kind) which seats 300. At the head of a small bay there is a well preserved apse.

While we are here it is possible to hire a vehicle to visit Cyaneae, about 6km inland, which was a prosperous city in Roman times. Among the ruined buildings is a granary, library, fountains and a bath complex. There is a pre-Roman theatre from which runs an avenue to the Acropolis. Numerous sarcophagi litter the road - the largest number to be found in any of the Lycian cities. There are numerous simple fish restaurants along the shore in Kekova.

Our next sail takes us to the modern port and town of Finike. From here an excursion will enable us to visit Myra, Demre, Andraice and Arycanda. Too much to describe here as there is so much to see, such as: the famous church of St. Nicholas, who was the bishop of Myra and was born at the port of Patara in 300 A.D; the sea necropolis at Myra; a Greco-Roman theatre; a temple to Apollo; to name but a few.

Kemer is a modern resort town and has an excellent marina with all facilities. There is nothing historical to see here but it is a good place to take a break , relax and take on provisions.

Antalya is our last port of call.

The port is part of the ancient citadel and most of the Ottoman buildings around it have been restored to their original condition. The town stands on a much older site: finds date the first settlement here at 5,000 B.C. The best way to start here is with the excellent museum. The whole history of Antalya and the sites of Termessus, Perge and Aspendos can be seen here. This museum is a must! If you have time, a visit to the mountain site of Termessus will be well worth it and can be arranged. It is a well-preserved Lycian fortress high in the mountains behind Antalya and has not yet been excavated.

Perge is a magnificent site 18km outside Antalya. Famous as the birthplace of Apollonius who produced much of the early work on conic sections, it was over a thousand years ahead of it's time.

Aspendos, another 30km past Perge, was another vast and prosperous city. The very large theatre, Agora and Aqueduct are in an excellent state of preservation. Well worth a visit.

The last site near Antalya is beside ancient Selimiye. There is a large theatre in excellent condition and a restored temple dedicated to Apollo and Athena. The Roman baths are now part of the museum, and are worth taking the time to explore.

Alcofrolic's crew, Peter and Val, will organise the necessary transport to these excellent sites and to the museum, if your agent has not already done so. There is an airport at Antalya , serving Europe and Istanbul.

We have listed most of the sites along the Lycian coast and this itinerary can be varied to suit each group. Please treat it as a guide and we will alter the route to suit you.

After breakfast we are going to sail to ancient Olympus. We can't stay the night here but we will anchor in a beautiful desolate bay called Cinevis, from where we can see the mountain of Olympus. Cliffs drop straight into the sea, pines grow everywhere and there is a small beach at the head. The water is crystal clear, and excellent for swimming. After breakfast the next morning we will anchor off the site of Olympus. We visit this site directly from the beach. The city has not been excavated. The city was divided into two parts by a small river with a bridge linking the two sides. On the right side on a small hill lies the Acropolis, opposite was the main town. We can find the remains of the theatre and several other buildings, somewhat overgrown.

The Necropolis, south of the river, is a little unusual. It has vaulted chambers covered in white stucco, arranged in straight lines. About an hours walk N.W. of the city one can find the eternal flame associated with the chimaera (the fire spewing monster of the netherworld, re-presented as part lion , part goat and part snake. Lycia was known as it's home.).

We sail on from here to have lunch in the ancient harbour of Phaselis. This is a somewhat compact and very attractive city. We sail into the harbour which was protected by walls, now submerged. Here we drop anchor and we can then explore the ancient city direct from the beach. The city was an important port with three harbours, now only one can be used but the other two can be explored with the use of a snorkel. Phaselis was a commercial centre in the 6th cent. B.C. Alexander the Great stayed here for some time as did Hadrian. The city is divided into four parts: the acropolis, inner city, west and north city. The inner city is on a main thoroughfare which is the central axis. The remaining buildings border this street. They comprise of a basilica, agora, a long building complex which were shops and baths, a courtyard and a theatre with seating for 1,500. At the southern end is Hadrian's gate. One of the longest Roman aqueducts carried the city's water supply to the centre. It is possible to stay the night here in settled weather. In unsettled weather we will sail on to the modern town of Kemer.

Peter and Val are happy to welcome you aboard for that special cruise.

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