Description of the attraction
33 km southeast of Alanya, towards the ancient city of Selinus (now Gazipasa), there is a historical harbor, a port city, or as it was also called the Iotape estuary city. The old name of this ancient city, which is also common among the local population, is Aytap. The ruins are visible directly from the road - they are located on Cape Kemyurlyuk, in the gorge and on the slopes of the mountains.
The city was founded in the II century. BC e., and named, according to historians, based on documentary sources, somewhere in the 1st century. in honor of the wife of the commagene king Antiochus IV Lotape (38 - 72 AD). The area located between Mount Euphrates and Taurus, at the beginning of the Common Era. was called Commagene. Here, as a result of the civil war in the 1st century. AD, which became one of the reasons for the destruction of the Seleucid state, an independent state appeared, the first ruler of which was Mithridates I. In this post he was replaced by Antiochus I, whose successor was Mithridates II. So the royal dynasty continued to rule until 72 AD, until the country became part of the Roman province of Syria.
Looking closely, you can understand that the ruins of this ancient ancient city belong to the Byzantine and Roman periods. From historical sources that have come down to our times, it is known that for a fairly long period in the Roman era - from the reign of Emperor Trajan (38 - 72 AD) to Emperor Valerian (270 - 275 AD), in the city minted their own coins. On one side of it was depicted a bust of the emperor, and on the other - images of such gods as Apollo and Perseus, who were worshiped by the people of that time.
At the eastern end of the ancient city are the ruins of a temple that was built by Pompey in 111 - 114 AD, as evidenced by the inscription on its wall. The city has a harbor measuring 50x100 meters.
On the plain in front of the ravine that connects the acropolis to the land, there are two paved roads extending east and west from the center of the ensemble. On both sides of these streets, you can still see pedestals, which consist of 3 steps, and pedestals, on which statues once stood in ancient times. Scientists managed to decipher and read the inscriptions on these pedestals, thanks to which it became known that they were talking about strong athletes, patrons and noble citizens who donated funds for the city.
The acropolis was located on the high promontory of Kemyurlyuk in this ancient city. It served as the center of an ancient settlement and was an elongated structure that stretches towards the sea. The walls of the city, erected for defense purposes, give the local buildings the appearance of an impregnable fortress. But despite this, the buildings that were in those distant times inside the city walls have practically not survived to this day. All of them are so destroyed that even the layout of the ancient city cannot be determined today.
From west to east, along the isthmus connecting the cape with the mainland, passes the central street of the city, decorated with columns. Around the bay, to the east of the acropolis, were the city's religious buildings. One of the best preserved of these is the basilica. "Basilica" in translation from Greek means "royal house" and is a rectangular structure, which consists of three naves, with other rooms attached to it in later times. A small church, which has preserved the amazing beauty of antique frescoes, is located to the north-west of the basilica.
Drinking water was delivered to the city from four reservoirs connected to a drain, which was laid from the territory of the necropolis into the gorge. The necropolis in Aytap was located on the hills located in the eastern and northern parts of it. Today, most of the graves of the necropolis have been destroyed, but some of the gravestones and vaulted burial vaults can still be seen.
There was also a bathhouse. Only two vaulted rooms remained from it, but the most interesting is its sewer system, which has survived to our times. Archaeologists found that the dirty water coming from the bath was diverted not only through the central channel, which was laid from the gorge directly to the sea, but also through additional channels connected with the main one.
The view from the top of the high hill, on which the fortress was built, is so beautiful that you simply forget about the difficulties of climbing.
Today the ancient city of Aytap is the most easily accessible of all the ancient cities preserved in the vicinity of Alanya. It is a great place to relax due to the indescribable beauty of the local nature and the magnificent beaches that stretch along the seashore.
The descent to the sea is quite steep. The terrain here is very rocky and rather rugged, however, to the west and east of these ancient ruins, there are very fertile lands, where today local varieties of bananas are grown using the principles of terraced farming.
It is simply impossible to visit these picturesque places and not swim in an isolated deserted cove with a sandy beach. The water here is rich in turquoise color, because of the rocky bottom it is very clean, on the left is a pile of stones behind which you can hide from prying eyes, lie on a wide stone slab and listen to the sound of the surf to a trance state, catch the splashes from the waves breaking against massive stones.
Tourists are also offered excursions to picturesque stalactite caves, which are distinguished by their special beauty and charm.
The modern motorway along the Mediterranean coast runs right in the center of this city.
