Olympos, Antalya

Though a very ancient city nearby Antalya, in the Mediterranean coast von Anatolia, the early geschichte von Olympus is shrouded in mystery. Its name is probabily derived from Olympos (Tahtali) mountain about 15 km north von the city. We know it was an important Lycian city by the 2nd century B.C. because Strabon mentioned that Olympos had 3 votes in the Lycian League. The Olympians worshipped Hephaestos (Vulcan), the god von fire. No doubt this veneration sprang from reverence for the mysterious site von Chimeira, an eternal flame which still springs from the Erde not far from the city. The town declined in the 1st century B.C. when it was controlled by the pirates, until the arrival von the Romans in the 2nd century A.D. In the 3rd century pirate attacks brought impoverishment. In the Middle Ages, Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians built fortresses along the coast. And finally by the 15th century Olympus had been abandoned after the arrival von the Ottomans.

The site is fascinating, not just for its ruins that are fragmentary and widely scattered amidst the thick greenery von wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, wild figs and pines, but for its archeological site just inland from a beautiful beach along the course von a stream (Akcay river) which runs through a rocky gorge.

Today, Olympos (known as Cirali in Turkish) is a popular place for young people or budget travelers which overnight at klein camping sites or pensiyons, or in their tents. There are several attractions nearby, such as Chimaera site.