Exploring the Town and Tombs in Fethiye, Turkey!
Leaving the frigid United Kingdom and arriving in a country like Turkey was such a welcome change. Sunlight. Oh the sunlight! No more dark clouds hanging a few inches over your head and the first couple days in Fethiye it was a blessing to just walk in and out of the sunshine.
The first day in Fethiye, Turkey, we spent at the beach. We left our little hostel, crossed the road and thumbed down the bus which took us past some sort of pirate ship graveyard, and right into the wilderness, along a beautiful road hugging the coastline. When a suitable spot to stake a claim for the afternoon came into view, we hopped off the bus, strolled under a canopy of trees and right to the water.
Looking back at the hills of Fethiye, Turkey
We arrived back to our hostel after the much needed day soaking up some Vitamin D, and started reading about Turkey, Fethiye and the surrounding area. One thing that I had read about before arriving, and kept seeing in this magazine was about the Tomb of Amyntas. Ancient history has always fascinated me and as I read up on the tombs dating back to the 4th century BC, I decided to visit them the following day. That afternoon, I strapped on my running shoes, put in my headphones, and explored the town at a jogging pace with some upbeat music in my ears. A productive way to get a sweat on and see your surroundings in a unique way when most people are playing games on their phones or having a nap.
Water of Fethiye, Turkey
I love this little city. I weaved my way through the city streets, paths and back roads until I saw a sign pointing the way up to the Tombs. I took a mental note of that, and a few good restaurants as I turned my way back to the hostel, but not before making my way to the pier. Here, I stopped at with the city behind me and the sun setting, I was so content to be so far from home in a country that I had wanted to visit for such a long period of time. I was here, and I was going to make the most of it.
The next morning I arose, packed my bag with granola bars and water, and retraced my steps from the evening before to the ascending road up to the Tombs. I took the scenic route where only people can walk, past the store fronts and under the shade of the connected roofs above, until I reached the road leaving the town up the gravel path to the Tomb of Amyntas.
One of the Tombs in Fethiye, Turkey
The entrance up to the Tomb of Amyntas, is located at the West part of Fethiye. Easiest way to locate it, is by simply looking up towards the hills overlooking the city, and essentially just walking in that direction. A lot of signs point towards where to go and everyone in the area will understand what you are talking about, and once the housing starts to end, you will be at the entrance. Walking up the gravel path, I had my head down thinking there would be another entrance or some form or notification that you are there, but as I looked up the tombs begin to appear in front of you. Some area absolutely stunning, huge and still in a relatively clean state which shows you how advanced they were to have built these thousands of years ago with basic tools and have them stand the test of time. Unfortunately, a few of the tombs closer that you can actually duck your head and walk in, are closer to the walking path, which has prompted some idiots to walk in and throw cigarette butts and chip packets. Either way, the view of these tombs and pillars carved into the landscape is incredible. At the top, when the path starts to flatten out, the tombs stand in your foreground, with the view of Fethiye town and the water in the background. There are stairs that lead up to the main Tomb of Amyntas which is probably the most grand of all the tombs and sits on a sharp slope as if it is keeping an eye on the whole city below.
This link shows a terrific view of the tomb with Fethiye underneath
Tomb of Amyntas, Turkey, Fethiye
Not many places these days have such amazing tourist attractions available for the public to enjoy at their own leisure free of charge. Tours, line ups, gift shops and all these other nuisances taint the history of many attractions, but these tombs are left to their own devices. You get the ability to really get up close and personal with them, and sometimes, even inside them to really stoke your fascination with this part of the history of Fethiye and Turkey. For a country I wanted to visit for so long and built up in my head, Turkey is living up.
