I was lucky enough to drive across the entire coast in ancient Cilicia, and perhaps this area of Turkey made the most vivid impression. This is a completely different Turkey. There are no crowds, no signs in Russian, and no one will address you in Russian. People and infrastructure are not adapted to foreign tourists, but this is rather a plus.
I will tell you about those places on the territory of ancient Cilicia, which are definitely worth visiting, and give some practical advice: how to get here, where to stay and what to try.
Anemurium.
The ruins of the ancient city are located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea on the cape of the same name — the southernmost point of the Asia Minor peninsula. Here you can both touch history and swim on the wild pebble beach — very clean and beautiful. We didn’t meet any other tourists here, so we were able to walk around the entire Anemurium alone. In the evening it made a little oppressive impression: everything is gray, dull. But this is also history as it is, not embellished by the hands of skillful restorers.
There were settlements here before, but most of the ruins date back to the 3rd century AD. — when the city was at its height. It was finally abandoned in the 7th century. — It was not able to recover from the great earthquake of 580 AD. The area of the ruins is quite vast and not very landscaped, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and watch your step.
A significant part of Anemurium is the necropolis — the city of the dead in the city of the living. It accounts for about a third of all the ruins — more than 350 objects. Some of them even preserved frescoes with stories from myths. There are two aqueducts, the ruins of three Byzantine churches, the remains of two bath complexes, palestra — a circular area for sports competitions, the ruins of the theater, odeon and many other buildings and structures.
There is no public transportation to Anemurium, but since it is located near the D400 highway, it is easy to get here. You can take a bus from Antalya on one of the following routes: Mersin, Adana, Antakya, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır.
Anemurium is open to the public from 8:00 to 19:30 daily. Entrance to the territory is 8 TL.
Silifke
This quiet, unremarkable town, which used to be the ancient city of Seleucia, could have been left out of the list. It attracts tourists more as a stopping point to Uzuncaburc, but it has its own interesting peculiarities. The locals, for example, still wear traditional baggy pants.
If you decide to make a stopover in Silifke, don’t miss it:
- Silifke kalesi, a Byzantine fortress 20 minutes walk from the city center.
- The day cistern, which in Byzantine times held the city’s water supply.
- The Temple of Jupiter is now just a pile of stones, but ancient.
- And if you are by car, it makes sense to drive to the place where the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa died. He died crossing the Göksu River on his way to Palestine during the Third Crusade. Now there is a large stone with a memorial inscription in German and Turkish.
Uzuncaburc (Uzuncaburc)
It is unlikely that you have ever heard this hard-to-pronounce name of a small village on a high plateau about 30 kilometers from Silifke. There was once a Hittite settlement here, then the Greek city of Olbia and later the Roman Diocesarea. Most of the ruins remain from the Greeks.
There are always few tourists in Uzunjaburcha, so you can count on photos without too many backs and heads.
You will find a number of interesting sites within the village:
- The large city gate with three arches (5th century AD) is now a nesting place for owls, which can be seen.
- The Temple of Zeus of Olbia (3rd century BC) is the main local religious site. The site was once a Hittite sanctuary, and in the 5th century the pagan temple was converted into a church. Now 30 of the 36 columns, fragments of mosaics on the floor and a sarcophagus with the heads of three jellyfish depicted on it remain.
- The temple of Tyche (1st century AD), the goddess of chance. Five of its six columns remain, and an inscription in the upper part of the temple states that it was donated to the city by Oppius and his wife Kyria.
- Roman theater (2nd century AD) on the hillside — was designed for 2,500 spectators.
- Parade gate with 5 columns — behind it stretches the former main street of the city.
- Nymphaeum (3rd century BC) — served as part of the city’s water supply system. Water was supplied here by a 36 km long aqueduct.
- The 22-meter high tower that gave the city its name: Uzunjaburch translates as «high bastion».
- Necropolis — is located away from the main ruins and stretches for hundreds of meters along the road. The tombs are abandoned and the locals have even adapted some of them for their household needs.
Getting to Uzunjaburch by public transportation is not easy, but it is possible. Several times a day there are dolmushi — Turkish shuttle buses — from Silifke, with a travel time of about an hour. It is free to visit the ruins.
Kizkalesi (Kizkalesi)
Kyzkalesi is a resort town, the oldest on this stretch of coast. It is mainly inhabited by Turks, and is popular with families with children due to its excellent beaches with a gentle entrance to the water. Numerous hotels and gest-houses — for every taste and purse. If you want to stay in this region for a while, it is best to choose Kyzkalesi as a base. It has excellent transport accessibility and all the necessary infrastructure for a good rest.
The city is famous for a legend about the daughter of the local king, who was prophesied to die from a snake bite. To save her life, her father had a castle built right in the sea and put her there, but it did not save the girl, and the snake caught up with her even there.
The sea fortress of Kyzkalesi, or Maiden Castle, which gave the town its name, is the main attraction. It is built on an island 200 meters from the shore, right in front of the city beach. Tourists are taken there by boat for a symbolic fee: about 10 TL for round trip and 5 TL for the entrance to the fortress.
On the shore at the eastern end of the beach are the ruins of another fortress, Korikos (the ancient name of the town). This is a great place to admire the sunset and see the sea fortress from the land. It is not very well preserved, but in recent years it has been more or less restored, and it is no longer an overgrown pile of stones. Formally, the entrance here is paid (about 5 TL), but if there is no guard at the place, you can go in this way.
Across the road from the coastal fortress — right in the citrus orchards — is another important attraction of Kyzkalesi — the necropolis of the 4th century AD with hundreds of tombs and sarcophagi. The place is very atmospheric.
Cennet ve Cehennem.
A very interesting place 5 km from Kizkalesi, literally translates as «caves of hell and heaven». These are some of the grandest limestone caves in this part of Turkey. The largest and deepest is Cennet Deresi, or Paradise Cave. It is 70 meters deep and was formed by the collapse of the vault of an underground gorge.
You can go down the steps to the cave and there you will find another one, Tayfun Magrasi, or Typhon’s Cave. If you decide to go down into it, be sure to take a flashlight and watch your step, as there may be scorpions here.
If you go back and follow the signs for about 100 meters from Paradise Cave, you will find Cehennem Deresi, or Hell Cave. There is no way down, as its walls go vertically downwards. According to ancient legend, this is where the entrance to hell is located.
It is possible to get to the caves by public transportation, but it will not be an easy journey. To get there, take a bus from Silifke to Mersin. Get off near the village of Narlikuyu — look for the turn and the sign «Cennet ve Cehennem mağarası». From the sign you have to walk 2 km uphill. The ticket price to the caves is 5 TL.
A few useful lifehacks for seekers of Ancient Cilicia
- The territory of Ancient Cilicia is located along or near the D400 highway. If you plan to travel by bus, you can find out their schedule and buy tickets here.
- A visit to Ancient Cilicia can be conveniently combined with a tour of Cappadocia.
- For local sightseeing it is most convenient to base yourself in Kyzkalesi, as it is a small but well-developed local resort. If you want to stay near the beach and overlooking the fortress, I recommend staying at the Delfin Hotel. The cost of accommodation here is 50—60 € per night. A simpler option is Gamze Pansiyon gest-house, where I stayed: it’s clean and minimalistic, very budget, and the location is not bad.
- In the village of Uzunjaburch, I recommend trying the local coffee made from the acanthus bean plant (kenger kahvesi). You can also bring back some excellent spices and floor mats made by local craftswomen!
