On the subject of language, I will say that my book is perhaps easier to appreciate, whilst still retaining the overall character of my language and being a rollicking good read - a little like drinking a 1955 Petrus from a paper cup!
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To India and Beyond....
- Thread starter Lancelot
- Start date
You are sounding like my Norwegian brother in law..
Won't have his malts out of anything other than crystal glasses..
Says it tastes better...
Hmmmm really.. In yer head maybe
That's interesting...I have Norwegian and Danish antecedents...er...speak Danish and Norwegian...have a Scandinavian first name (you can't call it ChristianYou are sounding like my Norwegian brother in law..
Won't have his malts out of anything other than crystal glasses..
Says it tastes better...
Hmmmm really.. In yer head maybe
).
At this market in Fethiye the prices are fair - the honey and tahini particularly good. In Kas I was warned by a market stall holder that the prices were plus fifty percent for foreigners at some stalls!
I suppose you could stick a fez on when you go out and see how that went
and those photos remind me of features I saw in the rocks during a hike up some mountain in Norway, who's name escapes me at the minute....but I was informed they were the structure of an ancient sea bed from millions of years ago...or at least thats what the notices said
That’s nice
Ingenting er som en norsk fjelltopp for å røre blodet! Strålende. (Andy63, there's something for Google for you!)
I hope you are all battened down for the coming storm? Keep your tiles on.
We are packing up and preparing to move east wards, with five days either side of Antalya and then 2, 200 km to Yerevan Armenia via Trabzon Turkey and Georgia. We arrive just in time to celebrate St George's Day and the 25th April is the anniversary of the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians. Not a celebration but for many a moment to remember.
More to follow on Lycia in a few moments.
I hope you are all battened down for the coming storm? Keep your tiles on.
We are packing up and preparing to move east wards, with five days either side of Antalya and then 2, 200 km to Yerevan Armenia via Trabzon Turkey and Georgia. We arrive just in time to celebrate St George's Day and the 25th April is the anniversary of the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians. Not a celebration but for many a moment to remember.
More to follow on Lycia in a few moments.
The roads from Pammukale towards Kas had a good surface quality but lacked any camber and when rain was encountered the surface was treacherous to say the least; cornering on an almost rain-dry surface slick with Diesel Lancelot slid across the carriageway and headed across five lanes (such a steep cliff road that both sides had crawler lanes) with the grace of a goose landing on a lake. As we reached the edge, within inches of the 300 m sheer drop and just before the passengers began to scream Lancelot responded to my steering wheel requests and headed back to his side of the road as a vehicle headed towards us from the opposite direction. Phew.
As you can see from the pictures below if you survive the drive you can experience the local cuisine at sunset.
As you can see from the pictures below if you survive the drive you can experience the local cuisine at sunset.
Attachments
So having made it to the Mediterranean shores of Turkey let me tell you about ancient Lycia as we follow Alexander the Great's path of destruction (more accurate than trotting along in his footsteps, or rather hoof prints, he was walking nowhere).
It's always good to enhance your scribblings with the observations of others;
‘There are not so many places left where magic reigns without interruption,’ wrote Freya Stark in The Lycian Shore, ‘and of all those I know, the coast of Lycia was the most magical.’ Freya Stark (good Nordic name eh?) was a British-Italian travel writer who was on of the first western women to travel with Arabs across southern Arabia. Some of that magic may have gone for ever, replaced by gaudy restaurants selling some hideous amalgam of western fast food and Turkish traditional grub, or bars selling beer at prices which would make a Londoner's eyes water but the ancient Lycian Kingdom lives on. Its temples are now piles of rubble and its market places are no longer thriving with toga-clad shoppers yet the sites of the ancient Lycian cities are mostly wonderfully situated and serene places of contemplation. We have visited about fifteen different sites, some of which are UNESCO world heritage places while others are almost inaccessible and free to visit. I am going to take you where Lancelot took us.
As Dylan Thomas wrote "to begin at the beginning". Who were the Lycians?
The most westerly part of Turkey’s southern coast is backed by towering mountains that tumble headlong right to the shore of the beckoning Mediterranean. Although many of the rivers are dry today it was once incredibly fertile and supported tens of thousands of ancient people.
It is one of the most dramatic of coastlines, alternating between sandy beaches and hostile cliffs that have long been the terror of sailors. (As an aside when I was on a NATO exercise here in the early 90s an RAF officer ran his hired yacht aground mistaking a headland for its twin a mile eastwards,) Inland, two fertile valleys that have traditionally supported their inhabitants are honeycombed with the ruins of a unique civilisation.
No traveller can escape the spell woven by the constellations of tombs which look down upon the land from cliffs and hilltops. Little is known of the culture of the ancient Lycians, the architects of these temples, tombs and sarcophagi, but there are a few encouraging facts to help the visitor. Isolated by their dramatic landscape (the coast road only completed its tortuous and beautiful route some thirty years ago), the Lycians lived as a peaceful confederacy of city states, governed by the deliberations of a proportionally representative body, a feat the civilised Greeks never managed and used as a model by the founding fathers of the USA.
The heartland of the Lycian state was the Xanthos River, now known as the Esen Çayı. The land is still worked, although much is under the plastic of countless thousands of poly tunnels, which cover much of the flat plains between the undulating hills and mountains.
A lazy cat and some of those honeycombed tombs as a taster for you.
It's always good to enhance your scribblings with the observations of others;
‘There are not so many places left where magic reigns without interruption,’ wrote Freya Stark in The Lycian Shore, ‘and of all those I know, the coast of Lycia was the most magical.’ Freya Stark (good Nordic name eh?) was a British-Italian travel writer who was on of the first western women to travel with Arabs across southern Arabia. Some of that magic may have gone for ever, replaced by gaudy restaurants selling some hideous amalgam of western fast food and Turkish traditional grub, or bars selling beer at prices which would make a Londoner's eyes water but the ancient Lycian Kingdom lives on. Its temples are now piles of rubble and its market places are no longer thriving with toga-clad shoppers yet the sites of the ancient Lycian cities are mostly wonderfully situated and serene places of contemplation. We have visited about fifteen different sites, some of which are UNESCO world heritage places while others are almost inaccessible and free to visit. I am going to take you where Lancelot took us.
As Dylan Thomas wrote "to begin at the beginning". Who were the Lycians?
The most westerly part of Turkey’s southern coast is backed by towering mountains that tumble headlong right to the shore of the beckoning Mediterranean. Although many of the rivers are dry today it was once incredibly fertile and supported tens of thousands of ancient people.
It is one of the most dramatic of coastlines, alternating between sandy beaches and hostile cliffs that have long been the terror of sailors. (As an aside when I was on a NATO exercise here in the early 90s an RAF officer ran his hired yacht aground mistaking a headland for its twin a mile eastwards,) Inland, two fertile valleys that have traditionally supported their inhabitants are honeycombed with the ruins of a unique civilisation.
No traveller can escape the spell woven by the constellations of tombs which look down upon the land from cliffs and hilltops. Little is known of the culture of the ancient Lycians, the architects of these temples, tombs and sarcophagi, but there are a few encouraging facts to help the visitor. Isolated by their dramatic landscape (the coast road only completed its tortuous and beautiful route some thirty years ago), the Lycians lived as a peaceful confederacy of city states, governed by the deliberations of a proportionally representative body, a feat the civilised Greeks never managed and used as a model by the founding fathers of the USA.
The heartland of the Lycian state was the Xanthos River, now known as the Esen Çayı. The land is still worked, although much is under the plastic of countless thousands of poly tunnels, which cover much of the flat plains between the undulating hills and mountains.
A lazy cat and some of those honeycombed tombs as a taster for you.
Attachments
So, what's so special about Lycia?
Lycia can be roughly defined as the large, not quite semicircular peninsula that protrudes southwards from the shore of ancient Asia Minor between the cities of Fethiye where that black Defender starts brooding,(ancient Telmessos, on the border of the ancient region of Caria) and Antalya (ancient Attaleia, already in Pamphylia, Lycia's Eastern neighbour). Its landscape is defined by a rugged shoreline with a series of mountain chains rising directly behind most of it, traversed here and there by a number of river valleys.
The term Lycia appears to be an exonym, (One for you Andy 63), that is a name not used by the Lycians themselves, but by outsiders, such as Greeks and Romans. Its origins go back to the 2nd millennium BC, when the great Hittite empire occasionally referred to a grouping called the Lukka. The Lycians called themselves Trmmis or Termyloi and had their own (Indo-European) language. For a few centuries, they also had their own alphabet, derived from the Greek one.
In spite of Lycia's wealth in archaeological sites, much of the region's history remains quite enigmatic. One of the reasons for the relative lack of specific sources is the fact that for most of its early history Lycia was not a defined political entity or state, another is simply that it was rarely at the centre of historical developments.
Little is known of the region's prehistory and early history. Although Homer already mentions it repeatedly, Lycia only really becomes visible around the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when the Greeks' eastward expansion led to occasional contact between Lycia and parts of the Greek World, especially nearby Rhodes. By the mid-6th century BC, along with the rest of Asia Minor, Lycia was conquered by the Persians. In the middle of the 5th century, when Athens was at the height of her power, actively pushing against the Persians in Anatolia, Lycia briefly joined the Delian League (or Athenian empire), perhaps not voluntarily.
This did not last long: by the late 5th century, Lycia had repelled Athenian attempts at regaining control. For a few generations, Lycian communities thrived under the dynastic rule of local aristocrats, but under Persian sovereignty. In the 4th century, the region was incorporated into the Persian satrapy of Caria and governed alongside its western neighbour by the Hecatomnids, the same dynasty that produced Mausollos, whose monumental grave at Halikarnassos was counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. With Alexander's conquest of Asia Minor in 334/3 BC (he wintered in Phaselis on Lycia's eastern coast), Lycia became part of the wider Hellenistic World, later to be Romanised, Christianised and so on.
The key cultural expression of this complex and unusual history is Lycia's archaeology, especially its unique funerary architecture. In fact, the earlier history of many Lycian sites is much more visible in the form of monumental cemeteries than in that of settlements, fortifications and so on. Especially during the "dynastic" period around the turn of the 5th/4th centuries BC, regional centres such as Xanthos, Tlos, Lymira or Pinara were embellished with large and elaborate built or more often rock-cut tombs that are unique to the region, incorporating a local Anatolian background while freely adopting both Greek and Oriental elements.
The impression is that the Lycians were well aware of their interesting and somewhat unusual position at the interface of the Greek/Western and the Persian/Eastern cultural spheres, and that they quite deliberately made use of both influences, uniting them with the local tradition to create architecture that was and remains unmistakably "Lycian" in character.
Lycian tombs are supremely strange at first sight, many of which resemble the upturned and beached boats on the beaches of my Devonian childhood. Archaeologists divide them into various separate types, including rock-cut "house tombs", free-standing "house tombs", and so-called "pillar tombs". "Temple tombs" also occur, but may be a little more international in character. The details of these monuments, often cut from the sheer rock, include imitations of wooden architecture, perhaps suggesting Lycian houses or shrines, but also carved motifs inspired by Greek sculpture and even Greek myth, and likewise Eastern motifs. Since Lycia was not politically unified at the time, the tombs are an important expression of regional identity and of local individualism at the same time.
Lycia can be roughly defined as the large, not quite semicircular peninsula that protrudes southwards from the shore of ancient Asia Minor between the cities of Fethiye where that black Defender starts brooding,(ancient Telmessos, on the border of the ancient region of Caria) and Antalya (ancient Attaleia, already in Pamphylia, Lycia's Eastern neighbour). Its landscape is defined by a rugged shoreline with a series of mountain chains rising directly behind most of it, traversed here and there by a number of river valleys.
The term Lycia appears to be an exonym, (One for you Andy 63), that is a name not used by the Lycians themselves, but by outsiders, such as Greeks and Romans. Its origins go back to the 2nd millennium BC, when the great Hittite empire occasionally referred to a grouping called the Lukka. The Lycians called themselves Trmmis or Termyloi and had their own (Indo-European) language. For a few centuries, they also had their own alphabet, derived from the Greek one.
In spite of Lycia's wealth in archaeological sites, much of the region's history remains quite enigmatic. One of the reasons for the relative lack of specific sources is the fact that for most of its early history Lycia was not a defined political entity or state, another is simply that it was rarely at the centre of historical developments.
Little is known of the region's prehistory and early history. Although Homer already mentions it repeatedly, Lycia only really becomes visible around the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when the Greeks' eastward expansion led to occasional contact between Lycia and parts of the Greek World, especially nearby Rhodes. By the mid-6th century BC, along with the rest of Asia Minor, Lycia was conquered by the Persians. In the middle of the 5th century, when Athens was at the height of her power, actively pushing against the Persians in Anatolia, Lycia briefly joined the Delian League (or Athenian empire), perhaps not voluntarily.
This did not last long: by the late 5th century, Lycia had repelled Athenian attempts at regaining control. For a few generations, Lycian communities thrived under the dynastic rule of local aristocrats, but under Persian sovereignty. In the 4th century, the region was incorporated into the Persian satrapy of Caria and governed alongside its western neighbour by the Hecatomnids, the same dynasty that produced Mausollos, whose monumental grave at Halikarnassos was counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. With Alexander's conquest of Asia Minor in 334/3 BC (he wintered in Phaselis on Lycia's eastern coast), Lycia became part of the wider Hellenistic World, later to be Romanised, Christianised and so on.
The key cultural expression of this complex and unusual history is Lycia's archaeology, especially its unique funerary architecture. In fact, the earlier history of many Lycian sites is much more visible in the form of monumental cemeteries than in that of settlements, fortifications and so on. Especially during the "dynastic" period around the turn of the 5th/4th centuries BC, regional centres such as Xanthos, Tlos, Lymira or Pinara were embellished with large and elaborate built or more often rock-cut tombs that are unique to the region, incorporating a local Anatolian background while freely adopting both Greek and Oriental elements.
The impression is that the Lycians were well aware of their interesting and somewhat unusual position at the interface of the Greek/Western and the Persian/Eastern cultural spheres, and that they quite deliberately made use of both influences, uniting them with the local tradition to create architecture that was and remains unmistakably "Lycian" in character.
Lycian tombs are supremely strange at first sight, many of which resemble the upturned and beached boats on the beaches of my Devonian childhood. Archaeologists divide them into various separate types, including rock-cut "house tombs", free-standing "house tombs", and so-called "pillar tombs". "Temple tombs" also occur, but may be a little more international in character. The details of these monuments, often cut from the sheer rock, include imitations of wooden architecture, perhaps suggesting Lycian houses or shrines, but also carved motifs inspired by Greek sculpture and even Greek myth, and likewise Eastern motifs. Since Lycia was not politically unified at the time, the tombs are an important expression of regional identity and of local individualism at the same time.
After Alexander's conquests, Lycia became a more mainstream part of the Hellenistic World. Now substantially Hellenised and politically associated with Hellenistic states (mostly the Ptolemaic Kingdom and later the Rhodian state), the Lycians appear to have fast replaced their own language with Greek, now the lingua franca of the Eastern Mediterranean. Likewise, their society was now based on Greek-style cities, which appear to have reached considerable affluence in some cases, judging from their architectural embellishments.
Even now, the Lycians had not quite finished being original. At some point around 200 BC, they formed a more or less unprecedented political organisation, the Lycian League. This was a confederation of over twenty still largely independent cities and communities. According to its size, each member was represented in a common Council or parliament by one, two or three deputies. The League maintained federal offices and institutions and had its own army. Unlike earlier such organisations, it does not appear to have been dominated by one especially strong member.
Remarkably, even after Rome incorporated Lycia into its domains around the middle of the 1st century BC, it permitted the League to continue in existence - minus its army. Lycian cities continued to thrive. Strikingly, they still maintained the very local tradition of tomb architecture, variously modified, that had developed centuries before.
Eventually, Lycia was Christianised and became part of the Byzantine Empire. Most of Lycia's ancient cities were abandoned in the second half of the first millennium AD, when growing unrest and upheaval, especially Arab pirate raids, ended a long phase of relative stability. That did not stop the Lycians from minting the first coins in the world with portraits on them! Innovation was definitely a Lycian thing!
Even now, the Lycians had not quite finished being original. At some point around 200 BC, they formed a more or less unprecedented political organisation, the Lycian League. This was a confederation of over twenty still largely independent cities and communities. According to its size, each member was represented in a common Council or parliament by one, two or three deputies. The League maintained federal offices and institutions and had its own army. Unlike earlier such organisations, it does not appear to have been dominated by one especially strong member.
Remarkably, even after Rome incorporated Lycia into its domains around the middle of the 1st century BC, it permitted the League to continue in existence - minus its army. Lycian cities continued to thrive. Strikingly, they still maintained the very local tradition of tomb architecture, variously modified, that had developed centuries before.
Eventually, Lycia was Christianised and became part of the Byzantine Empire. Most of Lycia's ancient cities were abandoned in the second half of the first millennium AD, when growing unrest and upheaval, especially Arab pirate raids, ended a long phase of relative stability. That did not stop the Lycians from minting the first coins in the world with portraits on them! Innovation was definitely a Lycian thing!
There are also places of legendary sacredness. At Letoon a mere five minutes from where I am typing this , a series of temples and altars mark one of the sites contending for the honour of being the god Apollo's birthplace. Near Olympos, a natural "eternal" flame was the spot where the mythical Pegasus-riding hero Bellerophon was said to have slain that legendary monster. how many members of the Parachute Regiment know that about the figure adorning one of the patches? At Xanthos, only ten minutes from here the beleaguered iLycian warriors, besieged in their fortress by the Persians and Medes killed their own wives, children and slaves before rushing the enemy in one last suicidal attack which left no survivors. This because no Lycian city had ever surrendered or been subjugated.
One of the pleasures of exploring the more remote areas of the places we travel is to utilise Lancelot's rough road capability and veer off the proverbial “beaten track”, to scramble through rocky landscapes, ramshackle traditional villages or dense undergrowth for those very special discoveries. What we seek on those occasions are the ruins of ancient cities, sanctuaries, forts and cemeteries, not yet (if ever) developed for conventional tourism, still standing proud in their landscape, seemingly untouched, oblivious to the millennia of change that have been going on around them since they were created, used, damaged by war and earthquake and eventually abandoned. In many ways, such sites are a far better impression of the vast gulf of time that separates us from antiquity than are their no less impressive and often more accessible and informative “must-see” contemporaries.
In short, Lycia is unusually beautiful, mysterious and fascinating, even with the predations of modern 21st Century man upon the surrounding landscape.
Pictures to follow...pixels need reducing to load!
One of the pleasures of exploring the more remote areas of the places we travel is to utilise Lancelot's rough road capability and veer off the proverbial “beaten track”, to scramble through rocky landscapes, ramshackle traditional villages or dense undergrowth for those very special discoveries. What we seek on those occasions are the ruins of ancient cities, sanctuaries, forts and cemeteries, not yet (if ever) developed for conventional tourism, still standing proud in their landscape, seemingly untouched, oblivious to the millennia of change that have been going on around them since they were created, used, damaged by war and earthquake and eventually abandoned. In many ways, such sites are a far better impression of the vast gulf of time that separates us from antiquity than are their no less impressive and often more accessible and informative “must-see” contemporaries.
In short, Lycia is unusually beautiful, mysterious and fascinating, even with the predations of modern 21st Century man upon the surrounding landscape.
Pictures to follow...pixels need reducing to load!
