Description of the attraction
The ruins of the ancient city of Olympus are located 25 km from Kemer. The city received its name in honor of the ancient Mount Olympus, which is now called Tahtali. This is one of the most interesting places on the Antalya coast. The city was founded in the 3rd century. BC, was a member of the Lycian League. The city minted its own coins, the oldest of the coins dates back to the 2nd century BC, this date appears in the ancient manuscripts of Olympus. The city served as a refuge for the Cilician pirates. They surrounded the city with fortress walls and held out here until the 15th century.
Around 42 BC. the city was taken over by the Romans. It was during this time of Roman rule that the city flourished quickly. But already in the following centuries, when the Byzantine Empire ruled, the city fell into decay and its inhabitants left it. In the 7th century, the city was raided by the Arabs.
The remains of the ancient city are hidden in dense vegetation. Only one wall and a door remained from the acropolis. The walls of the Byzantine basilica, the pillar of the bridge and the ruins of the Roman theater have been preserved. In the necropolis you can see ancient tombs and sarcophagi.
The main attraction of Olympus is Mount Chimera. A fire constantly breaks out on the mountain due to the fact that gas seeps out of the ground. Here you can admire the ruins of an ancient ancient temple. This place is described in the famous Iliad. According to the story, Bellerophon killed the Chimera (a monster with a lion's head, a snake's tail and the body of a goat) with an arrow and then threw the monster into the mountain. After that, mysterious tongues of flame began to appear on the mountain.
Currently, Olympos is part of the National Park and is protected by the law, according to which mass tourism is prohibited in the area. The ruins of the city, surrounded by dense greenery of laurel trees, blooming oleanders, wild figs and pines, are enchanting. Monument to Olympos is the doors of an ancient temple, which is located to the west of the river. The ancient theater reminds of ancient times, and the Middle Ages left its mark here in the form of city walls and towers in the bay.
Olympos beach is incredibly beautiful, it is the ideal place for a relaxing holiday. It is on this beach that on warm summer nights in the moonlight, sea turtles lay their eggs and return to the mysterious underwater world …
Reviews
| All reviews 3 Jan 08.02.2014 22:16:20
trip to Olympus. in 2012, while vacationing in Belek, we decided to visit Olympus. We rented a car and hit the road. The road to the destination turned out to be quite long, but this is not the biggest disadvantage of this trip. Further more. The main part of the route ran along an ideally flat highway, from which, at …
