2020-02-06 Day 451 Thu


The signs we missed yesterday in the middle of the road were just arrows for the trucks coming from the quarry.

We drove the back road then entered the road to the Termessos Ancient site, paying our fee at the bottom . A great road, up and up. Finishing with half a dozen switchbacks.


The site is quite undeveloped in that there are no formal walking tracks just a main dirt track up and down then it is free for all. 


Our best site so far, and a beautiful sunny day with great views. It felt a bit like we were discovering it. Bits and pieces lying higgledy piggledy and partially hidden in the undergrowth.






























A small track through the trees led to one of the Necropolis, Sarcophagi strewn about the place.
































The main street which had been lined with pillars were mostly still lying where they had fallen with trees now shading the street. Narrow paths threaded their way through broken piles of once proud stone. 




On up the hill to another Necropolis. Wow so many stone coffins looked like a giant had been playing Jenga with them. Some where carved from the rock and still attached to mother earth. Some where huge and must have taken a families bodies over many years.








The five interconnected water cisterns were still all intact. Just amazing to see the structures still sound after a few thousand of years!







 

















The theatre had a great back drop.

We walked down another track and this is where the quarry was as well as some grave sites built into the rock face.

Finishing off with a temple of Artemis at the car park.

It was a very large city and in about 360AD their bravery, and probably the site, led Alexander the great to leave them unmolested and go on to easier pickings…..












 The route we walked back down was past the quarry and also had these tombs carved into the rocks.

The entrance to Diana's temple

A quick lunch on a park bench in the sunshine then on the move again. Back to the coast and along to the township of Kemer. We drove up a dirt road hoping to get to the towers but there was a gate but a lovely view from the saddle so we perched there overlooking Kris and the Med. Quite a few people use the track for cycling and running.

109km  Camp site  172m alt.