One of the touristy things that has been on our “to do” list since coming to Finike was to visit Yanartaş and the ruins of Olympos. So when the topic came up with our friends Mike and Mandy of SY Kirrikie, we decided that the time was right, especially as our days in Finike are dwindling fast and its always lovely to share experiences with other folk. Note to readers – this is a long post, you might want to make a cuppa and a snack.
The hour drive North to Yanartaş was a thrill with Mike at the wheel and Ian navigating. Mandy and I tried not squeal as our rental car tore down the winding road, dodging trucks and cars hither and tither! Much to Mandy and my surprise we arrived safely at the base of Yanartaş. (We had to hurry. The flames had been burning for thousands of years so they must be due to run out of gas soon. You’d hate to be the person who dawdled and arrived just after they ran out.)
Yanartaş would be just like any other national park if it wasn’t for the natural fires that have been burning upon the mountain
(these are just a sampling of the flames with many more individual flames present on the mountain)
These fires are the largest venting of abiogenic methane on the Earth’s terrestrial surface. They have been burning for over 2500 years, with historical records of the eternal flames stretching back several millennia. The flames breach the surface of the Earth through cracks in the volcanic rock. The original fire was much more powerful however as earthquakes changed the landscape the fire diffused into the smaller flames that can be seen today. the original flame was said to be used a navigation beacon by sailors. (Wikipedia)
And am I the only one curious about the Foundation?
As you can imagine the site of a mighty flame spewing forth from the ground would have been awe inspiring. Unsurprisingly a temple was built at the site to honour the Greek God of Blacksmiths, Hephaestus. The legend goes that Hera cast Hephaestus, her own son, from Mount Olympos because he was an ugly cripple. Seems that ‘ his Mum didn’t think he was handsome’. Our hero took up blacksmithing to pass away his time on Earth, becoming the go to guy for the other Gods when they needed weapons or jewellery. Hephaestus apparently held something of a grudge against his mother and so made her a throne. This seems like a funny way to get back at someone until you discover the throne is actually a trap that catches Hera in its dastardly clutches. Eventually Zeus scolds his son for being a naughty boy and makes him release his Mother, and then rewards Hephaestus by honouring him with the position of God of Blacksmiths.
Hephaestus story is pretty cool however the local legends area is even more thrilling and steeped in controversy. The story goes that Prince Hippones of Ephyra killed his brother, Belleros, then changed his name to Bellerophontes (eater of Belleros) but for this post we’ll just call him Harry. When their father, the King, discovers Harry crime he exiles him. Harry takes refuge with the King of Argos, who is none too pleased to have the brother murdering lad in his realm. However, custom prevents him from killing someone who has taken refuge in his kingdom. Instead, the King of Argos decides to pass the young buck along to the King of Lycia. The King of Lycia, must have muttered some choice words about the other rulers inability to deal with their own problems. However he has his own issues to deal with so he hatched a cunning plan to punish Harry and solve one of his own nagging problems. You see there was a rather irritating monster, called the Chimera, who has been terrorising folk on mount Olympos. The King of Lycia decided that Harry is just the man to kill the Chimera. I guess the King thinks he’s on to a good thing here since at least one of his problems will be gone at the end of the day.
Harry flies to Mount Olympos on his horse, Pegassos, and a mighty battle between him and the Chimera ensues. Finally our anti-hero, Harry spears the monster and inters it within the mountain where it remains to this day bellowing flames through the cracks of its prison. It seems that Harry feat of heroism is sufficient for everyone to forgive (or forget) his act of fratricide and honour him by arranging a race from the mountain to the city of Olympos. The athletes carry flaming torches set alight using Chimera’s breath and this, according to Anatolian legend, is the first Olympic Games and the Olympic Torch is the symbol of the Chimera flame.
After our climb up to see the Chimera burping flames, we travelled down to the holiday town of Çirali for lunch. This little village is one of those places that lives for Summer and then dies away to become a peaceful ghost town the rest of the year. (The Ç in Çirali is pronounced Ch)
We were visited by a rather spirited tortoise who came by to pay homage to the O’ Mighty Tortoise God’. Unfortunately he was so excited that he moved too fast for me to get a photo. After lunch we headed on down to the end of the beach to see the ancient City of Olympus.
Unlike many of the ruins that we have visited the City of Olympos is managed and during our visit ongoing works were being done to take care of the site.
Habitation of the site dates back to about 800 BCE when a Doric colony (an ancient Greek ethnic group) made it their home, though it didn’t become a “city of import” until 200 BCE when it was recorded as having three votes in the Lycian League, as noted by the Greek geographer and historian Strabo (64 or 63 BCE – c. 24 CE). Coins from the Lycian League were also found at the site.
“The ship is anchored at its last harbour, never more to depart, for no aid is now forthcoming from either wind or sunlight
Captain Eudemos, taking leave on the light bearing dawn, was buried there and his ship with its lifespan short as a day, like a broken wave”
The mosaic is at the entrance to the two tombs, literally beneath our feet.
It seems the city was a thriving community with ties to the settlement on Yanartaş. And, around circa 100 BCE a Cicilian pirate called Zeniketes took over the city.
The Cicilian pirates are named after the region and were tolerated by the Romans for a long while as they supplied cheap slaves. When researching Zeniketes I came upon this interesting little side story. In 75 BCE another Cicilian pirate captured and held Julius Ceasar hostage on Farmakonisi (a Greek Island in the Agean Sea) for 38 days. According to Plutarch, Julius Caesar was incensed by the amount of his ransom insisting it be increased and then he negotiated on behalf of the pirates to have it paid. Once he was released, Caesar raised his own naval force (he didn’t hold a military office at the time) and returned to the island to apprehend the pirates. When it looked like the State wasn’t going to punish the pirates appropriately, Caesar had his men crucify the pirates. (Courtesy of http://www.britannica.com)
The historian Plutarch in his work, The Life of Pompey, explained the challenges faced by the Roman General, Pompey the Great when he decided to finally put an end to Cicilian pirates:
Their flutes and stringed instruments and drinking bouts along every coast, their seizures of persons in high command, and their ransoming of captured cities, were a disgrace to the Roman supremacy. For, you see, the ships of the pirates numbered more than a thousand, and the cities captured by them four hundred. (75 CE) (Courtesy of National Geographic UK)
Back to the City of Olympos and Zeniketes, the Cicilian pirate. He ruled over Olympos and the area that stretched from the Bay of Gelidonya to the western coast of Antalya (approx. 100 km of coast). There is evidence that Zeniketes was a worshipper of Hephaestus and would probably have made the journey up to see the eternal flames. His rule ended in 77 BCE when he set himself, his family and his crew alight rather than succumb to Roman rule. According to archaeologists the site thrived after his reign.
Christianity came to town around 300 CE when Methodius was named the first bishop of the Lycian region. Methodius was martyred in 312 CE for defending Christianity during one of the many persecutions. The only definitive text remaining that is attributed to Methodius is a treatise on the virtues of Christian virginity. So I’m guessing Olympos was not a fun place to be during his time. (Wikipedia)
The city of Olympos remained in one form or another throughout ancient history and into the middle ages with the Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians all having fortresses and settlements along this coastline. It was abandoned sometime before the arrival of the Ottomans in 1500 CE. The cities demise being attributed to war, earthquakes and plague. (https://www.allaboutturkey.com/olympos.html)
We capped off our day with a coffee at a beach side restaurant, before making the trip back up the hillside and then safely home. Thank you to Mandy and Mike for making this such a wonderful day and for sharing your photos.
Fair winds and a dearth of sea monsters for your week ahead.
Sailing Longo Maï 