Once among the Mediterranean's major port cities,
Phaselis has a beauty
that held even Alexander the Great in thrall...
Have you ever seen a city that was founded in
return for dried fish? If
your answer is "No" and you ask whether such a city exists on earth, it
is time for you to visit the ancient city of Phaselis, 45 km from
Antalya and 12 km from Kemer. Yes, legend has it that the land upon
which Phaselis was built by Rhodian colonists in the early 7th century
B.C. was purchased by the founder Lacios from a goatherd named Cylabros
for a small mess of fried fish. Before we start roaming through the
ruins of Phaselis, how about a brief look at the city's history.
CHOICE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Ancient sources tell us that from the time of its
founding Phaselis was
ruled by a number of states, with its first masters being the Persians
in the middle of the 6th century B.C. Indeed, such was the case for all
of Lycia.
Granted autonomy by the Athenian general Cimon in
469 B.C., the city
again came under the sway of the Persians when the latter defeated
Athens in the war of 411 B.C. About a century later, in 333 B.C.,
Phaselis hosted a very famous guest: Alexander the Great. Having first
entered Anatolia in 334 B.C., the Macedonian king received an
invitation from numerous cities but chose to winter in Phaselis, the
fame of which had reached him earlier. The sources recount that while
he was in the city, Alexander frequently visited the temples of Athena
and Heracles as well as the statue of the philosopher Theodectes which
stood in the heart of town. Considering that the broken spear of
Achilles was kept in the Temple of Athena, these particular visits may
be considered the homage of one great warrior to another. After the
death of Alexander, Phaselis, together with all of Lycia, came under
the dominion first of Egypt's Ptolemaic Kingdom, then of the Syrian
king Antiochus III, and finally of Rhodes. In 168 B.C. it achieved
independence and joined the Lycian League. Starting in the early 1st
century B.C., however, when Lycia lost its authority, the city was used
as a base for pirates.
Then in A.D. 43 it became part of a Roman province
embracing all of
Lycia and Pamphylia. Some 250 years later pirates again made their
appearance on the scene. But during that period pirates were not the
only problem Phaselis had to face. According to the Roman author
Aelian, wasps plagued it as well, in such numbers that many residents
had to flee the city. In the 7th century A.D. began the Arab raiding of
the Mediterranean port cities, and Phaselis, because of its strategic
situation, once again came into prominence. The population began to
increase, and there was much defensively oriented building. However,
this return to prominence was not long-lived, and in the 9th and 10th
centuries the title of leading port in the gulf shifted to Attaleia.
After maintaining its existence until the 12th
century, Phaselis, like
an actor who has completed his role, stepped down from the stage and
vanished.
THE SHREWD PAMPHYLIANS
Apart from its strategic situation, one reason
everyone wanted to
possess Phaselis was its economic power, with the chief exports being
ship-building lumber, rose oil and perfumes. Another reason that the
city changed hands frequently was that its denizens felt no tie to any
one power or state, and were on good terms with whomever came along.
Gifted in trade, the people of Phaselis were known
for centuries as the
shrewdest folk in Pamphylia. And the trade revenue garnered by these
people constituted the source for a budget that made Phaselis one of
the most beautiful and modern cities of its age.
Like many colonies, Phaselis was built on a
peninsula, the highest
point of which was on a promontory near the sea where the city's first
inhabited zone lay, the Acropolis or Upper City. Because this zone was
high up and surrounded by rugged terrain, it was protected from
possible danger. In line with the traditions of the age, the temples
(other than the Temple of Athena) were erected here,
along with the palaces and public buildings. Today one sees only a few
remains poking up through the vegetation, plus cisterns of various
size.
Having been for many centuries a major point for
Mediterranean trade,
Phaselis had three separate harbors. The North Harbor was obtained by
filling in the gap between two small rocks on the sea to form a long
mole. Today the North Harbor is a rocky, windy bay, and southward from
it along the shore one can make out the remains of a wharf. But the
main harbor is on the eastern part of the peninsula. An inlet that
looks like a pool, this harbor is entered through a mouth some 20
meters wide, on either side of which was constructed a tower that stood
as a continuation of the Acropolis fortifications and provided security
for the harbor. In honor of these two towers, the main harbor is
sometimes called the Military Harbor.Remains of the towers, fortified
walls and wharf may still be observed under water. Meanwhile, the
harbor on the south was planned for larger ships. Its mole is also
completely submerged today.
In addition to wooden piers, piers were also made
in the harbor using
stones quarried from buildings as well as pedestals bearing
inscriptions. The inscriptions which on your visit to Phaselis you will
see lining the main avenue on both sides were salvaged from this
harbor.
FROM THE BATH TO THE THEATER
The zone which we may call the city's center lies
below the Acropolis.
The main axis of this center is an avenue more than
200 meters long and
in some places 25 meters wide that links the Military Harbor to the
South Harbor. Signs of construction activity are evident on both sides
of the avenue, with the most interesting remains being those of a bath
and gymnasium complex unearthed in recent excavations.
There is a
courtyard where athletes worked out, porticoes surrounding it, and
farther back the Gymnasium, consisting of classrooms; and south of all
this two doorways that lead to the dressing area of the bath,otherwise
known as the Apodyterium. Beyond this section, with its marble-clad
walls and floor, there is the cold room (Frigidarium), then the warm
room (Tepidarium), and finally one reaches the hot room (Caldarium).
South of the bath, which has been dated to the 3rd century A.D., there
is a market place or Agora built in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian.
Inscription-bearing pedestals unearthed during various excavations
indicate that there were statues along the side of the Agora facing the
square.
And now we arrive at the theater, considered the most splendid
structure in all of Phaselis. Built according to ancient Greek
tradition in a spot where it would blend with the fine view provided by
the city and its surroundings, the theater at one time was packed with
two thousand spectators, a breathtaking thought.
With its unmatched natural beauty combined with an
ancient historical legacy, Phaselis should be at the top of your list
of places to visit. To view the underwater remains remember to take
along a servicable pair of goggles or a face mask.
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