| | | Dalyan - Kaunos
Caunos - Caunus
Dalyan (Turkey)
| | | | Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town is an independent municipality, within the administrative district of Ortaca. | | Dalyan - Kaunos : Virtual tour |  | 7 sections and 14 items |
 Dalyan - Kaunos : Guide (2)
Dalyan - Kaunos : Place(s) (5)
|  | City of Dalyan (1)
Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town is an independent municipality, within the administrative district of Ortaca.
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| Kaunos (6)
Kaunos (Carian : Kbid - Lycian : Khbide - Ancient Greek : Καῦνος - Latin : Caunus) was a city of ancient Caria and in Anatolia, a few km west of the modern town of Dalyan, Muğla Province, Turkey.
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|  | Rockcut Lycian tombs
IVth century B.C.
One of the most beautiful features of the site are the rock tombs sculpted in the form of the porticoes of small Ionic temples. These are among the most splendid examples of Lycian type funerary architecture in Turkey, although the builders were Carians.
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| | Dalyan - Kaunos : Visit Guide | |
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Get in
The closest airport is at Dalaman (1 hour).
A ferry boat trip can be booked from Marmaris which will take you to just outside of Dalyan, Will then need to transfer onto small ferry boats to continue onwards into the estuary river into the fresh water. A regular dolmuş service that runs to neighbouring resorts such as Fethiye and Marmaris as well as surrounding villages.
See
The ancient city of Kaunos lies here with its ruins dating back to the 3rd Century. The Dalyan channel through which water circulates between the Mediterranean and Koycegiz Lake winds its way down past the ancient Rock Tombs to the sea, via a small network of lakes and waterways. Through the rustling reed beds rising between 3 and 5 metres in height. With its mixture of fresh and salt water, these wetlands are now home to a vast number of fish and other water life, as well as the birds of many species which feed on them, species such as the Sparrow hawk, Crane, Kingfisher and Jay.
The Stork is also native to this area migrating here at the end of March to nest until the end of August. Dividing the delta is the Iztuzu sandbar stretching for 5 km east from the south of the channel. With fine crystal sand, shallow turquoise sea Iztuzu beach is the ideal seaside spot. Which can be reached by regular dolmus or boat service from Dalyan. This is also the beach where the endangered Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) have returned to lay their eggs since the beginning of time. The nesting time being from May till October.
Eat
There are many restaurants in which to try local Turkish cuisine, music bars and shops. Lamb meat is a famous Turkish food and also another one is Kebap. A traditional spirit called raki which is a classic Turkish beverage made from grapes and aniseed that has been distilled for centuries.
Drink
There are a couple of discos on the outskirts of the village so as not to disturb those of you that wish to retire early.
Sleep
There are several small hotels or pansiyons in Dalyan, or big hotels in the nearby Marmaris (1hr 15m). | | Dalyan - Kaunos : Description | |
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Dalyan achieved international fame in 1986 when developers wanted to build a luxury hotel on the nearby İztuzu Beach, a breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle species. The incident created major international storm when David Bellamy championed the cause of the conservationists. The development project was stopped and the beach is now a protected area.
Life in Dalyan revolves around the Dalyan Çayı River which flows past the town. The boats that ply up and down the river, navigating the maze of reeds, are the preferred means of transport to all the local sites.
Etymology
Dalyan means "fishing weir" in Turkish. Bass, Mullet and Sea Bream swim upstream from the sea to Köyceğiz Lake where another large town of the region, Köyceğiz, is located. The fish spawn there, and when returning to the sea they are caught in the "dalyans".
Economy
In addition to its attraction as a tourist destination, the region around Dalyan is a highly fertile and productive agricultural zone. Cotton is grown intensively as well as many varieties of fruits and vegetables which are all on display in the market on Saturdays, the day when villagers come from miles around to sell their products.
Tourism
Above the river's sheer cliffs are the weathered façades of Lycian tombs cut from rock, circa 400 BC. The ruins of the ancient trading city of Kaunos are a short boat trip across the river.
The south of Dalyan on the Mediterranean coast, lies İztuzu Beach, near the village of the same name is a popular area for sunbathing and swimming. There are regular boat and minibus (dolmuş) services to the beach. Visitors should be aware of the wooden stakes in the beach to mark nesting sites. The road route is particularly scenic, offering views of Sülüngür Lake. Iztuzu, Dalyan's turtle beach, was voted the best beach in the world in 1995.
Conservation
The beach is well known for the Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtles) which have existed for 95 million years. International animal protection organizations monitor and protect the turtles' nesting grounds in Turkey. The beach is closed during the period of time that the Turtles lay their eggs. On the other side of the beach, lesser known and lesser protected turtles which are illegally fed and coaxed into the river, which has a small salt content (dalyan), and therefore these turtles have to adapt. Fortunately few turtle deaths have ever occurred.
From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalyan
Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License | | Dalyan - Kaunos : History | |
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Founded around the 9th century BC, Caunos became an important Carian city in 400 BC Right on the border with the Kingdom of Lycia, its culture reflected aspects of both Kingdoms. The tombs, for instance, are in Lycian style. When Maussolos of Halicarnassus was ruler of Caria, his Hellenistic influence reached the Caunians, who eagerly adopted the culture. This mixture of cultures in Caunos may be seen amongst the ruins of its various archaeological remains : the Carian city wall built by Maussolos, the Lycian and Carian tombs, the medieval walls on the acropolis, a Roman fountain dedicated to Vespasianus, a theater from the 2nd century BC, remains of 4 temples, massive Roman baths and a Byzantine basilica of 5th/8th centuries.
One of the most beautiful features of the site are the rock tombs sculpted in the form of the porticoes of small Ionic temples. These are among the most splendid examples of Lycian type funerary architecture in Turkey, although the builders were Carians. The original occupants of the tombs are obscure but are assumed to have been Caunian noblemen and rulers; in most cases they were vacanted and reused in Roman times. The largest one is unfinished, providing a curious glimpse of the method of construction.
The prosperity of Caunos was threatened by the silting of the harbor after which the city was eventually abandoned. The Mediterranean, which once surrounded the hill on which the archaeological site stands, has now retreated 5 km. to the south, pushed back by silt from the Dalyan Cayi. The marsh which formed appears to have already been a problem for the harbor activities in the period of Strabo. | | Dalyan - Kaunos : More pictures | |
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