Epic Travel → Europe → Turkey → Termessos

♦ Intrepid Top Pick!

Location: Güllük Dağı (Termessos) National Park, Antalya

Time Required: 3 – 6 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Entrance to the national park is 5 Turkish Lira (around $2 US); the park is generally open from 8:30am – 4:30pm year round, and 5:30pm in the summer (this is the last entry time; you don’t have to leave the park for an additional couple of hours); in the winter, the hours are dependent on the weather, and the park may close due to heavy rain, fog, etc). It takes about 1 hour to reach the parking lot driving from Antalya. It’s difficult to find official information on the park (unless you can read Turkish), but this website has a lot of nice historical information on Termessos and the park if you’re interested in more details.

What’s Nearby?: Phaselis, Chimaera

Sometimes known as Turkey’s Machu Picchu, Termessos is a wonderfully preserved ancient fortified city located high in the Taurus Mountains. Perhaps because of its more remote location (its 30 km northwest of Antalya and there is no public transport directly to the site), or the fact that you have to hike up some distance to visit the the ruins (20 to 30 minutes), this amazing place sees relatively few visitors. Termessos has a long and colorful history, ranging from being founded by the Solims (mentioned in the Iliad in association with the legend of Bellerophon) to their battles with neighboring Lycian cities and Alexander the Great, who famously never captured the city (reports vary as to whether he couldn’t, or just couldn’t be bothered because of the extensive effort required…either way, props to them). They did adapt many elements of Greek culture during the Hellenistic period (between 300 and 30 BCE), during which the large theatre was constructed, and later passed into friendship with the Romans and joined the Roman Empire, though they maintained a heavy degree of autonomy, including never featuring the emperor on their coins. The city was abandoned sometime between the 5th and 7th centuries CE, and has never been occupied since. This, in combination with their success in battles with smaller city states and assimilation with larger ruling empires, likely accounts for the high state of preservation of the city. Whatever the reason, this place is chocker box full of awesome ruins, including the King’s Road, Hadrian’s Gate, tombs at the necropolis, cisterns, the Corinth Temple, and of course the fabulous theatre which could seat 5,000 spectators. I could go on, but do you really need to hear more?

Epic Travel → Europe → Turkey → Termessos