Patara Turkey

Is Patara a Must-see?

Sand Dune "City"

Patara is a popular stop on the Lycian Way hiking trail. More like a village than a town, it is not the spot for night clubbing. It is also off the main highway and remote from other towns if you do not have a car. So is it a must-see? That would be a resounding yes.

The Patara Beach has wide open spaces with 15 km of soft sand dune beach. As described in Turquoise Coast Gems, Patara Beach is probably the best beach in Turkey. You can only reach the beach by walking through the Patara Archaeological Park, which prevents any commercial development. The park offers a weekly pass if you are staying here to enjoy the world-class beach, which was voted top beach of the world in 2005. 

 

Patara Archaeological Park

Patara Park

Most of the time we keep leftovers from breakfast for lunch but alas there were no takeaways today. Unfortunately, sometimes we get hungry! And here we were going to the Patara ruins around noon. There were no open restaurants to be seen - it is low season: places open in April.

In March it was sunny with temperatures around the low 20's °C, so it's very comfortable. But in the summer it will be very hot and there's very little shade. During the high season it is best to go to the ruins in early morning or late afternoon. Patara ruins are well worth visiting. In fact, these ruins were until recently covered with sand from the beach. 

 

The Arch of Modestus

Arch de Triomphe Patara Style

The Arch of Modestus is a typical Roman triumphal arch but sorry, you no longer march through it on your way to conquer the beach. It was built during the reign of the Emperor Trajan around 100 CE to honour the first Roman governor of Lycia. Lycia was fiercely independent and was the last region on the entire Mediterranean coast to be incorporated as a province of Rome and even then the Lycian Union continued to function independently. 

By the way, the Arch of Modestus was not the entrance to the city nor was there a road through the arch. So it is not a gate but actually was part of an aqueduct that carried water to the second largest city of Asia Minor after Ephesus.  


Patara's Main Avenue



Road to the Sea

At 12.6 m wide, the Main Avenue was not only one of the largest in ancient Anatolia (see description of Anatolia in the Dalyan post), it was decorated with a colonnade. The feeling of grandeur has been resurrected with the restoration of the columns on each side of the ancient Roman paving stones.

 

Bouleuterion

Assembly of the Lycian League

Previously hidden by sand dunes, the pièce de résistance is the Bouleuterion. It looks like a brand new theatre but it dates from first century BC! Because of its importance, it has been restored and you can go inside. It was the meeting place for the Assembly of the Lycian League. Like the Ancient Greeks, the Lycians lived in a series of city-states in the area of the Lycian Way. Unlike the Ancient Greeks, the Lycians cooperated through a federated government.   

Patara's Impact on the World

The "Brand New" 2500 Year Old Parliament

However, the Bouleuterion is not just a pretty building. Patara has had a major impact on the whole world. By the "world", I don't mean that the chambers of the American Congress place rows in a semicircle just like the stone seats in the Bouleuterion. 
 

Montesquieu (1689 – 1755) was a philosopher famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He was also highly regarded in the British colonies in North America. Montesquieu had a powerful influence on many of the American founders, especially Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, who discussed ancient Lycia as a model for the United States in their letters called The Federalist Papers. Some of the influences used by the USA and other countries are government by elected representatives, representation in proportion to size (population) of each member state, and strong national government. 
 

The Lycian League had 23 city-states as members. Large city-states like Patara had three representatives, mid-sized cities had two and small cities had one. Montesquieu described it as the best As well as first example of European democracy. In other words, the Bouleuterion is the parliament building where the elected representatives of the Lycian League met. 

 

We discussed the Lycians in the Dalyan and the Lycian Tombs post.  Their influence is now even more significant as not only one of the founding fathers of the European peoples but also democracy. 

 

Last  Post: Turquoise Coast Gems
Next Post: The Festival of Saturnalia - Patara's Other Major Impact 

Turquoise Coast

Is the Turquoise Coast a Real Gem?

Is the Turquoise Coast a real gem? Yes, as long as Turkey prevents over-development and over-commercialization. The Turquoise Coast has golden beaches, turquoise waters, ancient ruins, and hospitable guest houses. Even if you have other priorities, travelling along at least part of the coast should be included in your Recommended Turkey Itinerary.

 

Encounter Turkey with Terra Encounters

 



Island-studded Bays

 

 It is day 14 of our big trip and we finally make it to the southern Turquoise Coast but only parts of the road are right along the sea with glorious views – there is something special about island-studded bays. But there are very few pullovers and even when there are, there are no advance warnings. So this makes photography challenging.

The word Turquoise sounds like French, which it is, but it actually means Turkish.   Although the gem came from Central Asia, the Silk trade routes ended in Turkey.  As described under the Ottomans and the Topkapi Palace, the Turks were not from Turkey!  They were a horse riding tribe from Central Asia so they were familiar with the widespread belief that turquoise had the power to protect riders from injury due to falls. 

So it is fascinating that the colour of this coast and the gem turquoise are a major influence of Turkey not only on the west but also on the east.  We saw many priceless Turquoise necklaces worn by women in Ladakh on our trip to India and the Annapurna Circuit Trek in Nepal.  It served not only as a symbol of wealth but as an actual bank account in ancient times.

 

Ölüdeniz

Turquoise Treasure

Ölüdeniz is a beach resort close to the even bigger tourist trap of Fethiye. Is Ölüdeniz worth going to? The water is not as turquoise as the over-saturated pictures on the over-saturated web. In person the turquoise colour of the sea is a faint and narrow band. But this still is a scenic spot. Drive past the town on the road to Babadağ Mountain to get some nice photos but unfortunately that road also takes you further away.  But the view from above brings out the gorgeous true colour of the Turquoise Coast. 

Yes there is not a single soul in my photos. I did not wait five hours to take each photo. It was off season but also the sea is too cold to swim in the spring. For off-season swimming come in the fall. The Mediterranean has warmed up all summer.

Distant View of Ölüdeniz Peninsula

The famous turquoise peninsula in the distance below is a national park and the entry fee costs as much as the major archaeological sites – I didn't know it costs so much to maintain a beach. There also is a public beach all along the town with easy access to bars and restaurants.  There were no tourists today but it would be unbearable in the hot summer.

The other reason to come to Ölüdeniz is to use it as a base for the surrounding area. We personally chose to use the more laid back Kaş as our base. Others may prefer an even less commercialized place like Patara. If you want bars and night life or to vacation in cities, then stay in Fethiye or Ölüdeniz.  Chaque à son gout – it all depends on your preferences.

Lycian Way

Snow-capped Coastal Mountains

Ölüdeniz is also the starting point for the Lycian Way, a long distance hiking trail that skirts the mountains along the Turquoise Coast.  Or you could just do parts of the trail as day trips. The first segment of the Lycian Trail leads to a view above the Ölüdeniz beach and Kayaköy, an abandoned Greek village. There are Lycian Tombs all over the region of the Lycian Way, including right in Ölüdeniz. There is a mystical aura around the Lycian Way.

 

We know so little about the Lycians other than they lived here around 400 BC. But where did the Lycians come from? We actually do know that! The full story is revealed in Dalyan and the Lycian Tombs.

Patara

Patara Beach

The Ölüdeniz beach has lots of pebbles and lots of tourists, so what are the alternatives? We have already seen an equally scenic and sandy Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan (Day 13). One of the best beaches along the Turquoise Coast is at Patara with its wide stretch of soft golden sand. This is a world-class beach.  It is protected from development from the ruins of a an important Lycian city, an archaeological park. So if you do not have a car you have to walk to the beach but it is a beautiful and peaceful stroll.  The Lycians also did something quite remarkable that we still do today. But that story must wait for the next post on Patara.

Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan

Dalyan felt like another country – less people, less cars, less tourists and more laid back. Iztuzu Beach is a very beautiful, long stretch of white sand with views of verdant coastal mountains with no sign of urban development.    

 

Dalyan

 

Day 13 AM: We had a large breakfast at the Melrose Hotel (Pamukkale), including very tasty homemade hot dishes washed down with sour cherry juice – yummy. We saved the best tasting halvah for a snack while we were driving.

This morning it was not just cloudy, it started snowing as we crossed mountain passes at about 1010m above sea level. Then we began to descend on a small mountain road (D550) to Mugla and  reached the birding area of Lake Köyceğiz.

At a short distance afterwards, we turned south and arrived in Dalyan at 13:00 hrs. Suddenly the sky was clear – our first sunny and warm day since we started the trip. Did we just change countries? It was around 20+ °C (70+ °F) – not bad for March! Well time to hit the beach!  

Even the Boats are Turquoise

Iztuzu Beach

The best part of Iztuzu Beach is the absence of resorts, hotels and other commercial development. There are two ways to get to two different beaches – by dolmuş or car to the east side of the river mouth, or by boat to the west side , which is much busier in-season. Probably most tourists take the river boats since that makes for part of the experience. There are boats run by the local municipality for TRY 10. Beware of sharks (the people kind) as you run the gamut of private individuals with boats.  

Dalyan River View

However, we had a car so we drove and stopped along the way for photographs since the road is perched above the beach and the Dalyan River valley.  The river makes a huge elbow and comes close to the road viewpoint.  In fact, the Iztuzu Caddesi (road) as it approaches the beach is also very natural.   

  

Iztuzu Beach View

We had the beach to ourselves because it was off-season. But as the beach is 4.5 km long, there should be adequate space for lots of people though the parking lot seemed small. There was no charge for parking in the off-season.  If you would prefer off-season but would still like to swim then go in the fall.  High season ends around mid-September. 

Iztuzu Beach Up Close

Right from the lot you can see the beach, the turquoise sea, and the mountains across the water. There were only four other people to share the white sand beach. This is one of the top three beaches that we saw on our trip – it would be hard to rate which position but the Patara Beach (coming soon to a post near you) was the best.  

The beach is also well known for the Caretta caretta (Loggerhead sea turtle). It is sad that a species that is 45 million years old is now endangered. An organization sets up seasonal barriers to protect the turtle nesting grounds and the beach is closed between 20:00 and 08:00 hours from May to October. There were lots of interpretive signs but turtles not included (off-season). However, this conservation effort stopped the building a major resort on the beach.  

Iztuzu Caddesi View

The adventure did not stop there. This was the 13th day of our trip (fortunately it was not a Friday the 13th). When we arrived, the owner of our pre-booked hotel said his solar panels were knocked off the roof by a wind storm the previous night and he had to turn off the water. So he brought us to his friend’s hotel nearby. Otherwise it certainly was a lucky day - glorious weather, inspiring rock-cut Lycian Tombs and turquoise sea views. In fact, this was one of the places where we wished we had booked more than one night.  

Last  Post: Pamukkale & Hierapolis (Day 12)
Next Post: Dalyan Lycian Tombs (Day 13 PM)