Facts about Turkey

Earthquakes, the most recent in 1957, have laid waste to most remnants of this past. Even so, a few Lycianstyle tombs are scattered about the dusty streets and cut into the cliffs that frame the southern edge of town; the fragments of an ancient theatre have recently been excavated; a crusader castle tops a hill; and the town museum is richly endowed with local archaeological finds. Most likely to capture your attention are the produce stands, bazaar, and general air of an ordinary, workaday Turkish town. Boats depart from here for the hid den coves and isolated beaches of the Twelve Islands and Gemile Island, where Lycian and Byzantine ruins are scat tered across the mountainsides.

Turkey's most famous beach, Ollideniz, 15km (9 miles) south of Fethiye, is much touted on travel posters, the turquoise waters of the lagoon backed by white beaches and hillsides scented with pines. The immediate area is a national park; the drawback is that the whole of the valley and hill behind is a solid mass of holiday hotels and homes, and the area is heaving with bodies throughout the season, most of them having arrived on cheap mass market package tours that cater to families and young singles. Expect a lot of noise and drunken revelry. To enjoy this lovely coast in quieter sur roundings, seek out the beach at Kidrak, 3km (2 miles) east, or make the short crossing to St Nicholas Island.

Kaya Koyu, halfway between Fethiye and Oludeniz, is a strange ghost town. The town's 400 or so small houses and its two basilicas have been abandoned since their Greek inhabitants were ousted during the population exchange in 1923. It is now slowly being restored as a holiday village.The Ruins of the Lycian Heartland The tall coastal mountains and fertile valleys east and south of Fethiye and Oludeniz cradled the Lycian civilisa tion. Establishing themselves here in the 7th century BC, the Lycians formed a democratic federation that contin ued to function even as they lost their independence to suc cessive conquerors, including the Persians, Greeks, Alexander, the Rhodians and eventually imperial Rome. The Lycians left behind bountiful traces of their presence, from their coinage to their rock tombs, and a collection of ruined cities that can be reached ruins from the city's lengthy past are its 7thcentury BC rock tombs and the Roman theatre and baths. The carv ings are unusually rich; the most elaborate of many tombs bears depictions of the mythical Bellerophon riding the winged horse Pegasus, while the theatre was decorated with actors' masks.

Dramatically perched above the town, with the peaks of the Akdag range in the background, the 18thcentury fortress, the lair of the 19thcentury pirate Kanli Ali Aga, affords a tantalising glimpse of the nearby Saklikent Gorge. A nar row road leads to the mouth of this chasm, some 300m (l,000ft) high and 12km (8 miles) long, accessible only by a path that follows the base of a sheer, towering rock face past rushing rapids and cas cades slashed deep into the silent mountains.

Pinara (across the valley and 20km/12 miles south of Tlos; daily 8.30am6pm; charge) is less accessible than its neighbour. After a halfhour climb from the vil lage of Minare, you may well find yourself alone among the ruins, which are sea ttered among olive trees at the base of a massive cliff honeycombed with tombs. Richly carved tombs are also among the bestpre served structures in the town below; the so-called Royal Tomb is especially decorative, covered with depictions of cityscapes and scenes of what appears to be a religious festival. The Greek theatre is exquisite small and perfectly proportioned, its stage house still intact.


Adrian Vultur writes for cheap airport car hire spain