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!