Beçin Castle

 I have saved the best of my Türkiye trip for last. This was a long haul inland to the city and castle of Beçin, near Milas in the Mugla province. It was around two hours driving from Marmaris, up good if steep roads. It is only 30 minutes from Bodrum if you are staying there. The first photo is from the village below, and the second is from the city above, indicating how the site dominates the surrounding plain. It reminded me of Stirling, although at 35C, it was a bit warmer!

The site was occupied since the Hellenistic period, and a modest Byzantine church indicates the settlement continued into the medieval period, probably named Pezona. At the end of the 13th century, it was captured by the Menteşe Beylik, becoming the capital of the Beylik, and it expanded rapidly. This frontier state was established by the Oghuz Turks after the decline of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. The majority of the surviving buildings originate from the 14th century. In the 15th century, the beylik of Menteşe was annexed by the Ottoman Empire, and its importance started to decline.

A decent road brings you up to the plateau and the car park. You can wander around the city ruins, but the castle is being restored. The last photo shows the work so far, which looks very impressive.

The city itself has the ruins of mosques, hamans, inns and the outer walls. 

The Ahmet Gazi Madrasa (religious school), has been reconstructed. It was named after the Bey who commissioned it and dates from 1375. There are informative displays in Turkish and English, which explain how the madrasa operated and fitted in with other schools in the region. 

 When the castle repairs are completed this will be an excellent example of early Turkish fortification. Even in its current condition it was worth the trip.

Amos and Stratonikeia

 Two trips to finish the holiday. On Saturday, we travelled down the coast from Marmaris to the ancient city of Amos. It was an hour's drive over decent, if winding, roads through the hills. You can understand why communication was by ship in ancient times! This was an outpost of Rhodes, and the inhabitants of the Rhodian Peraia, and thus Amos as well, were full Rhodian citizens.

The city was built on a hill overlooking the bay and harbour. The walls are relatively well preserved, if overgrown, at around four metres high by two metres deep. There is a good path and steps up to the top, from which you get a great view over the bay and back into Marmaris Bay. 

Excavation work is currently focussing on the small amphitheatre and parts of the walls. 

We drove down to the bay, which would have included a harbour. On the way back, you get a decent view of the site, including the harbour fortress on the bottom right of this photo.

On Sunday, I drove inland to Beçin Castle (more later), and on the way back, I stopped off at Stratonikeia, another ancient city being excavated. It is near Yatagan in Mugla province, just off the main road. The Seleucids changed the name (after Antiochos' stepmother), but there had been a settlement here before then, as far back as the Carian period. What's interesting about this site is the wide range of owners who all left their mark, and people still live amongst the ruins. This was a large city, as the amphitheatre could accommodate 12,000 people.

 The buildings from the Emirates period (14th and 15thC) are also visible and, in some cases, refurbished. These include the mosque and the Seljuk bathhouse.

Five families still live in the village. This is the main street.

If you stay on the coast, as most tourists do, it is a bit of a hike and climb up to this part of Tūrkiye, although the roads are very good. The administrative capital is Mugla, which has a museum with some of the findings from Stratonikeia. Sadly, it was temporarily closed when I arrived, but this is an attractive modern city with a fine Ataturk statue. I also found a good bookshop with a history section, a toyshop selling jigsaws for my wife and, crucially, a traditional cake shop!