Datça: A paradise facing the Aegean and the Mediterranean
Located at the westernmost extremity of Anatolia, the lovely resort town of Datça is located near the end of a narrow peninsula some 90 kilometers from Marmaris. According to legend the peninsula is so narrow (800 meters at one point), that fish were able to jump over it. (The inhabitants of ancient Knidos, the city located nearby, called this place "Fish-Leap".) The Reşadiye peninsula, enclosed by the gulfs of Gökova and Hisarönü, provides many opportunities to stroll between the two shores in an hour or two. The invigorating climate of the area has given rise to the local saying "If God wants one of his servants to have a long life, he puts him on the Datça peninsula." There's even another story said to prove this. About five hundred years ago a Spanish corsair ship was sailing along the peninsula when the crew decided to get rid of some lepers who were aboard. These unfortunates were put ashore and stranded in what is now Sarıliman Cove. Instead of their dying however, the climate of Datça restored them to health.
Though nature tried mightily to sever this peninsula from the mainland it never quite succeeded. In ancient times a plan was conceived to cut a canal through the peninsula (the traces of the digging can still be seen) but this was abandoned when an oracle was consulted pronounced that if the gods wanted the peninsula to be an island, they would have made it one. A similar project in more recent times was also abandoned in the face of stiff local opposition. In fact, the locals also opposed the building of the highway linking their town to Marmaris, though eventually that did get built.
It's almost as if the sea has preserved and protected this fertile area famous for its honey, almonds, and wild thyme from the depredations of man. Today, the sea is aided in its efforts to defend this magnificent landscape by a group of people who are environmentally aware.
Wild beauty
Generously endowed by nature with eucalyptus trees, the fragrance of sandalwood trees whose orange-colored trunks are captivatingly beautiful, pine forests that seem to meld with the sea, and breezes blowing now gently now madly, it is impossible not to be entranced by Datça. Take a walk among the pine, olive, and almond groves surrounding Datça and see how the wind has painted the seaside yellow with the pollen it has gathered up from tree and flower and strewn along the shore. Every breath you take into your lungs seems to be restoring your health anew.
Before bidding goodbye to this fertile land for now, don't forget to pick up some of the many varieties of honey (pine, flower, and even thyme) that are produced by the local villagers as well as dried daisy and sage for making teas and their exquisite mastic jam.
An ancient harbor town:
Knidos
Around 360 BC a settlement grew up at the very tip of the Datça peninsula at the site of ancient Knidos, which was naturally situated so as to afford shelter for ships against the sometimes fierce northwesterlies that blow through here. Knidos is regarded one of the oldest known Dorian cities second only to Halikarnassos in antiquity. Archaeological excavations at the site have revealed much information about the town and its people.
Ancient Knidos was the birthplace of Sostratos (fl c 280 BC), the architect of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and also of the philosopher, astronomer. and mathematician Eudoxos (c 395-337 BC), who, among other things, contributed to the identification of constellations. Knidos is also the town that commissioned the famous statue of Aphrodite by the Athenian sculptor Praxiteles (fl 370-330 BC). The statue, which is lost, is known from its many Roman-period copies. Archaeologists have however discovered the plinth on which it once stood.
Recent excavations at Knidos have revealed the main street of the Roman period, water-spouts in the shape of a lion's head, and numerous amphoras. If you're interested in history, a trip to see the remains of ancient Knidos is not to be missed.
Don't miss these!
As you travel around this peninsula whose shores are embellished like lace with coves and promontories of various sizes, you can be forgiven if you start believing that you're some sort of mythological hero. Be sure to visit the ruins of ancient Knidos and make a climb up to one of the many hills overlooking the sea to watch the waves breaking on the rocks below.
If you're one of those who can't wait to plunge into a sapphire-blue sea after a long drive along a winding road in summer, there's a diving club in downtown Datça where you can learn to dive.
Lose yourself wandering among the stone houses of old Datça and be sure not to return before reciting a poem at the graveside of one of the local holy-man known as Can Baba. Boats departing from the new town's harbor offer day-long excursions to the many nearby coves and beaches such as Mesudiye, Domuz Çukuru, and Bağlarözü where there are many opportunities to swim and relax in the crystal-blue waters. At Reşadiye you can see charming Turkish houses and the handicrafts of made by the peninsula's villagers. Don't miss out on the seaside windmill at Karaköy and experience the pleasure of the breezes enveloping the mill on your face.
ARCHIVES: ISSUE 1 | ISSUE 2 | ISSUE 3 | ISSUE 4 | ISSUE 5
|
|
