LYCIAN ROAD ROUTE
Cultural routes are the routes where the routes used by the civilizations in the past for different purposes such as transportation, trade, migration and faith are arranged so that nature lovers and travelers can walk again today. One of these routes is the 535 km long “Lycian Way” stretching from Ölüdeniz to Antalya.
Lycia, which means the land of light where natural beauty and history, mountains and sea, green and water meet , is a magnificent route opened in 1999 by Kate Clow for those who want to spend more time with nature and experience the Mediterranean to the fullest. The walking route passing through 25 ancient cities is one of the main cultural treasures of our country.
If you wish, let's take a look at the Lycian Civilization first.
The peninsula stretching to the Mediterranean between Antalya and Fethiye gulfs, which is now called the Teke Peninsula, was called Lycia in ancient geography.
Lycia from Rome BC. He got his freedom in 167. In this period, it is known from the inscriptions and coins that 23 cities, including the capital Xanthos, formed the "Lycian League" and coins were minted in the name of the union. Strabo states that the 6 big cities of the Lycian League are Xanthos, Patara, Pınara, Olympos, Myra and Tlos.
The union did not lose its function during the Roman Empire Period and reached the highest level of abundance and prosperity in this period. The city population is around 5,000 and the regional population is around 200,000. The borders expanded to include Kaunos (Dalyan) in the northeast. 5th century In the middle of the Lycian Province, 34 cities affiliated to the Consul Governor were counted. The region between Demre and Kaş is the most densely populated part of Lycia. There are almost 30 residential areas per km2.
The maritime trade seen in the region since the Bronze Age diversified in the following periods and continued until the Roman and Byzantine Periods. Purple paint, cedar wood, olive oil, wine, sponge are among the important local production goods of the Lycian region. According to ancient sources, very high quality and soft sponges are extracted from Antiphellos and its surroundings. In addition, the quality of the Lycian region cedars used in shipbuilding is very high.
Some of the inscriptions belonging to the Lycians, who are known for their own language and alphabet, have been translated into today's languages in recent years, most of which belong to the tomb inscriptions.
In addition, the year 2020 was the year of Patara, the capital city of the Lycian League.
Patara, which became a city 5000 years ago, is one of the most important cities of the Lycian Civilization, which created a unique culture on the Mediterranean coast. The oldest written information about the Lycians is found in Egyptian and Hittite sources. In these sources dating back to 2000 BC, communities called “Luka” or “Lukka” are mentioned and it is mentioned that the Hittite King Suppliluluma conquered the “Lycian State” in the 14th century BC. In addition, in the Treaty of Kadesh, the first written treaty in history signed between the Egyptians and the Hittites in 1280 BC, the communities living in this region are defined as the “seaman Lukka people”.
In addition to its archaeological and historical values, the ancient city of Patara has a special importance as it has one of the rare beaches where sea turtles called caretta caretta have laid their eggs and hatched for millions of years.
Patara Ancient City, located near the Lycian Way route, is one of the frequent destinations of nature lovers with this feature.
Completing the entire route can be tiring. However, I know that this journey will open a great way of discovery for you at every step, and I strongly recommend this route.
You can find many guidebooks with details of the route.
I recommend Kate Clow's LYCIAN ROAD guide.
You can see the entire 25-day walking route on google at the link below.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1AvU7GNqfLcq8Y-NJlagol8HyrGHKV4ud&usp=sharing
