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ALL TURKEY TOURS |
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INFORMATION |
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OLYMPOS;
Olympos is situated between the holiday resort of Kemer and
the village of Adrasan. We follow a sign leading from
Ulupýnar to the ruins of Olympos, where we find not only the
ruins of Olympos but volcanic terrain which has formed from
constantly fuming geisers of natural hot gas.
The foundation of Olympos is not thought to be extremely
ancient but even so, it did not manage to survive beyond the
Hellenistic period. Olympos was one of the foremost members
of the Lycian confederacy. Coins were struck there in the
2nd century. B.C. and in 78 B.C., it became the base of the
pirate Zeniketes.
This fearless pirate was finally defeated by the Roman governor of Lycia,
Publius Servilius Vatian, in a battle in the open sea before
Gelidonia, and forced to flee, whereupon "' Zeniketes
retired to his Fortress near Olyrnpos. But setting his house
alight With the torch in his hand, by mistake, he was burnt
to death, after which Olyrnpos and the surrounding area was
joined to the Roman province.
Under Roman rule, Olyrnpos grew extremely prosperous, as its
harbours were ideal for trade and in 129 AD. Hadrian visited
the city after which it took the name of Hadrianopolis for a
period, in honour of the emperor. One of the most renowned
men of the period, the rich doner Opramas added many fine
buildings to the city in the second century AD .
The finest period of the city lasted until the second
century AD., but in that century , it fell into the hands of
pirates once again, and was impoverished as a result. It was
used by Venetian and Genoese pirates for a period, during
which time the harbour was enclosed with a wall built by the
Genoese. When the pirates in the area were chased off by the
Ottoman fleets, the city was abandoned.
The ruins of the city are set along the banks of a small
stream, and although small, it is a very interesting site,
unforgettable in its striking position by the sea, and
curious for its everburning light.
The left bank of the stream is completely covered with
undergrowth and with great difficulty, one can make out the
remains of a wall and over it a door on certain ruins. This
is all that remains of a temple on that side of the stream.
What stands now is probably the wall separating the pronaos
and the cella of the temple. From the inscription of this
temple we understand that it was built during the reign of
the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. It had a plan of the in
antis type, and was of the ionic order. Beyond the temple,
other buildings still standing date from the Byzantine
period, and on the side facing the sea can be found the
remains of a bath.
To the south of the stream, opposite the foot of a bridge
crossing it can be seen the ruins of a large Byzantine
basilica, while the remains of the bath stretch down to the
shore behind it.
Between the basilica and the theatre of Olmypos lies a
building in ruins, with columns in the center. It is not
known what this may have been, although it is possible that
it represents the remains of a gymnasium.
Beyond this, below the necropolis is the theatre of Olympos.
Large pieces of rubble spread over the surrounding area and
piled up in the orchestra show this to have been a theatre
of the classical Roman type. Beyond the theatre can be seen
a ramp constructed of polygonal stone coursing which leads
into the city's necropolis. Buildings from the medieval
period can be seen on the hills overlooking the sea. |
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