Daytrip visit to the ancient city of Knidos, Turkey

We tried to get an early start, and managed to get on the road by 8:40am. It was supposed to be a non stop drive of just over two hours to get to the tip of the Datça Peninsula where the ancient city of Knidos is located.

Some cities in Turkey are among the oldest in the world. They say the capital city of Ankara has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years. But some very vibrant cities did not last despite being inhabited for very long periods themselves. Knidos is a perfect example.

Depending on what you read, the city of Knidos had at various times a population between 25,000 to 75,000 people. It was occupied for about 1,000 years from 300 BC until 700 AD.

The location of Knidos in Turkey.

We drove 119 kms (74 miles) one way out the Datça Peninsula.

Beautiful start to the day.

It was a fun drive on twisty curvy roads!

Scenery along the way.

This is the main road leading through one little village.

Example of why we want the smallest motorhome possible for our needs!

Arriving at the end of the peninsula.

Can you see the lighthouse?

(Just a reminder that you can click on any photo and it will become full screen. Click on it again, and you will zoom in! Then use your browser's "Left" arrow button to return to the blog post.)

When we arrived at the small parking area at about 10:45am, there were only 4 other cars and two small passenger vans. We walked to the entrance booth where we paid the 14 lira ($2.30 CAD, $1.75 USD) fee per adult.

We decided to do the hike to the lighthouse prior to exploring the ruins. It was forecast to be 29C (84F) and there is very little opportunity for shade so we wanted to do the hike before it got too hot. 

It's only 1.2 kms (3/4 mile) to the lighthouse, but it's on an uneven, sometimes overgrown trail.

That's where we're headed!

Lots of remains of old walls.

They were good at carving stone.

Looking back at the site of the city of Knidos.

Looking ahead to the lighthouse.

It only took about 25 minutes to get to the lighthouse, but it seemed like longer than that and we were sweating like crazy. We sat and rested in the shade of the lighthouse and enjoyed the views.

Greek island of Nisiros.

Greek island of Kos.

We had actually thought about visiting some of the Greek islands, but the long standing feud between Greece and Turkey has escalated again over the last couple of months and basic research showed that most (if not all) of the ferries between the two countries aren't running.

Us, with the view looking back at Knidos.

After a short rest, we hiked back to the ruins.

For anybody who wants to learn more, here are two of the information board signs from the ruins site...

It's a huge site, and it would take hours to wander the whole thing. And despite several major archeological excavations, most of it remains in a natural state of ruins. As you're wandering around, you don't have to look very hard to spot broken pottery lying on the ground.

Lots of detail in some of the ruins.

The theater.

It's such a large site and there was hardly anybody around.

It felt like we had it pretty much to ourselves!

Amazing how they cut and placed the huge blocks of stone.

The main central area of the city.

Much of it is just rubble.

The city sundial.

How long would it have taken to carve this?

Rubble.

The square blocks on top are about 4' x 4' x 1'. 

I wonder how much one weighs?

Scenery along the way.

This fellow was enjoying the hot sun.

They are doing some work to "the fountain".

What remains of the top of the fountain.

You can still read some of the inscriptions.

No idea what it said.

Really interesting history and if it had not been so hot we would have stayed and explored longer. But it was really hot. And, we hadn't brought a lunch. There was a cafe place there but it would likely have been expensive. We decided to drive 45 minutes back to the city of Datça (pop 25,000) and find somewhere to eat there.

And we did. We found a little hole in the wall shish kebab place where our meals cost 25 lira ($4.10 CAD, $3.10 USD) each with a salad and a small soft drink included.

After that, we wandered around town a bit.

In the small city of Datça.

They have a pretty waterfront area.

Our friends Volkan and Heather are staying in Datça right now, so we met them at a waterfront cafe for a drink. It was a bit on the pricey side, but the ambiance was nice so we sat and talked for an hour and a half or so. I had a milkshake. Kind of hard to justify because the price was as much as I paid for my lunch! 25 lira ($4.10 CAD, $3.10 USD)...

Looks fancy, but it really wasn't that great!

Nice views of the waterfront in Datça.

We said our goodbyes, but we will see them again at some point on this trip.

Then we did the hour and fifteen minute drive back to our cottage. It was getting dark when we arrived back at 6:30pm. It was a long day, but a good day!

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Nice price drop on the Elite Gourmet Bread Maker.

And in Canada...

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