DALYAN

Whilst the number of visitors to this area of Turkey has increased in recent years, Dalyan essentially has remained a small fishing town throughout. Strict planning regulations have been in place for some time that have restricted all buildings to no more than two storeys high, meaning that there are no high rise buildings or hotels anywhere to be seen.

Dalyan has lots of restaurants, shops and bars, together with a good selection of supermarkets, all within 10-15 minutes walking distance from Villa Kiydan Apartments. Everyone who visits remarks on how friendly and welcoming the local people are - which probably explains why so many holiday makers return there on a regular basis.

The town is set on a river that leads upstream to a beautiful freshwater lake (Lake Köyceğiz), where you can visit the local mudbaths and hot springs, and downstream via a reed-filled delta to the sea and the famous Turtle Beach conservation area - home of the loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) turtle.

Just up the river from Caunos mountain with its historic city ruins and amphitheatre are the ancient Lycian rock tombs carved into the mountain side, Dalyan's most famous feature.

Turtle Beach can be accessed either by boat downstream through the river delta or by taking a Dolmus public minibus from the town centre on a wonderfully scenic route that passes alongside a lake and through mountains on its way around the bay.

And if you want to visit Caunos, a small group of enterprising elderly ladies in the town centre offer river crossings by rowing boat for a fairly nominal fee!

   

There are some places that unfold all the magnificence of history. Such places are the living proofs of history, not the theory.

You will feel your soul squeeze with the greatness of history when you see the King Tombs in Dalyan: The eternal King Tombs have been standing there for1000 years against all the harshness of time and carrying the mysteries of the past to the future. As you look at the tombs, you get the feeling that the stones have something to say. The gigantic rocks had been caved in amazing forms. The tombs that are caved in the rocks, at some points with an angle of 80 C to the sea, force the limits of your mind.

According to the archeologists, these tombs are the symbol of wealth and power in the antique city of Kanuos. Most of the city, even today, is still protected with borders that are 7-8 m high. 
In the rock tombs, which were caved as in the form of Ionia sanctuary, there are three lines of stones for the dead to be buried. The Ionian columns that decorate the front side of the monuments have been destroyed. Only in one of the pediments, the glyph of two lions facing each other is interesting sight.

It is prohibited to walk through the rock tombs because they are high and/can be dangerous and prohibition is the only way to avoid man-made destruction.

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