Sunday, November 24, 2013

#748 Fethiye, Turkey

Livable and yet still traditional, Fethiye is a pretty town on a beautiful bay on Turkey's southern coast, flooded with history and heritage, mixed with modern, tourist-oriented Turkey. Named for an early Turkish pilot, ironically it doesn't even have its own airport (most traffic uses Dalaman, and hour to the west), but it was previously known as Makri ('long one' from the shape of its harbor).  
As ancient Lycia's most important city Telmessos ('the land of lights') from the 5th Century B.C., historical relics abound such as the tombs seen on the hills (including the Tomb of Amyntas) , the Hellenistic theatre near the marina and the sarcophagi in the middle of the street! Either as Telmessos or Anastasioupolis, as it was also known it has variably been part of the Persian empire, the Attic-Delos Union, Alexander the Great's empire, the Roman then Byzantine empire, until it became Ottoman after the late 12th century. It has been known for its perfume production, and for having a sizeable Greek population before the population exchange.
Now a major tourist hub, with several stunning beaches (such as Oludeniz, supposedly the most photographed in the Mediterranean, and Chalish), pretty harbors and bays, ancient Lycian cities and the famous Lycian Way walking path, sailing opportunities, market stalls, small villages (including the ghost village a Karakoy) and resorts. With the Taurus Mountains rising up as a backdrop to the calm turquoise waters, and an ideal temperature and climate, its popularity is not surprising.
 


1 comment:

  1. Fethiye Güney Ege'nin en muhteşem yeri. Tarih, doğa, kültür kısaca tatilden beklediğiniz tüm gereksinimleri sunuyor. Güzel anlatım için teşekkür ederim. Fikir olsun diye bende burada Fethiye'nin gezilecek yerleri hakkında bir şeyler karalamıştım.

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