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07:30 (Kundu)
08:15 Departure
· Climbing to Termessus antique city and visiting the
site in detail; gymnasium, theater, bouleuterion/odium,
temples, cisterns and rock tombs
· Lunch
· Karain cave &Kırkgoz Han Caravanserai
· Shopping Stop
· 17:00 Return and
transfer to the Hotel(s)
(Add.Person+35
€
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TERMESSOS
The location of Termessos is the first thing that
catches one off guard. Especially now that the greater
majority of the world is living on flat land or at most
on the skirts of the mountains. Termessos is on top of
the mountain that is more than a 1,000 m. high. Yet it
was an extensive city for its time. Tough people!!!
Indeed they were. They are mostly known for confronting
Alexander the Great: They took thirty Lycian cities on
at once before Alexander’s time. They are also said to
have kept their freedom from Rome as well. They made
treaties on their own terms! When visiting the site, one
can not help thinking how a city existed here. First we
are met with the ‘Royal Road’; constructed either by
carving the rock or with heavy boulders. Then we meet
their watch towers/outposts, which they had many around
the city. Then we see the outer walls and inner walls
and finally we reach the city – after having climbed for
forty five minutes! The gymnasium bath complex greets
you in full existence. Unfortunately, nature has taken
its turn and is slowly but surely covering the ruins.
Sadly, there has not been any excavations other than
surface surveys so you go through the ruins not knowing
what is below but you can’t help but be amazed at the
fine workmanship of these buildings and standing walls.
After more climbing you come to the theater. The theater
location is breathe-taking, being right on the cliff,
overlooking the mountains and down on the plain. Despite
man and natures torment’, the theater is in fairly good
condition. The cavea is almost complete but the stage
building is not so lucky however it is still in good
condition. Then one walks through a palaestra (one of
the very few flat areas in the city) to the Bouleterion;
the city hall, standing to full height with fine and
strong walls that has survive till now. It is dated to
1st century BC. For those who are willing to climb up
and down through the bushes and trees and the big pile
of stones of the temple of Artemis, there is a reward. A
full view, looking down on the city of Antalya and the
bay of Antalya. It is an unbelievably beautiful sight
indeed!!! Walking to the Agora through the only paved
street one walks by ‘The Founders House’ so called
because of an inscription found with the big pile of
stones clearly telling the visitor how big the house
must have been. The Agora was surrounded by the Stoa of
King Attalus the 2nd of Pergamum and the Stoa of Osbaras,
most likely a rich citizen of Termessos. In the middle
there is a heroon and five vast cisterns. The city must
have had extreme water problems and they did everything
possible to collect every drop of water. The tomb of
Alcetas (hero of the youth of the city) is on the other
side of the valley but worth going to see it. Plus you
get to walk through the beauty of the rich fauna which
one tends to overlook. You can miss much of Termessos
because you are watching to see where you are stepping
and often miss the ruins that takes one away in to past.
There is much more to see, time permitting, in
Termessos. The vast necropolis will take hours to
thoroughly explore this wondrous place.
KARAİN CAVE
The cave is found inside the borders of Yağca Village
which is at 5 - 6 km. distance to the old Antalya -
Burdur highway, 30 km northwest of Antalya.
The Karain cave which is one of the greatest natural
caves of Turkey, is 150 m high from the travertine
valley in front, ve430-450 m. high from the sea.
The cave stands in the period of the beginning of the
history of the mankind, as the cavern was continuously
accommodated by early humans during the prehistoric and
classic periods starting from lower Paleolithic, medium
and high Paleolithic, Neolithic, Calcolithic and Ancient
Bronze stages. As a natural result of this, the cavern
contains a thick cultural layer which can be 11 meters.
But the longest and most important accommodation period
of the cave is relevant with the Paleolithic period.
The usage at the classical period is more likely as an
Offering Cave(Temple) and there are Greek inscriptions
and niches at the cave exterior walls and ceiling. The
archeological findings discovered from the archeological
excavations done inside Karain Cave are displayed at the
Antalya Museum and at the Karain Museum which is just
near the cave.
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