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– International Time Zone Differences With Turkey – local time: 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+2 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed March – October. – (example: london 8 am = bodrum 10 am – local time – all over the country is equal to gmt + 2 hours. – time compared to turkey ( winter time ) |
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Nearby, in the quiet of the olive trees, are the ruins of ancient Nysa, famous in the second century A.D. as an educational centre, Nysa is one of Karia cities within the borders of the Sultanhisar District of Aydin. We obtain the most important information about the city from Strabon who lived in Nysa most of his life. Strabon told that the city consisted of two parts. At the western side of a flood bed dividing the city into two, lays a gymnasium.
At the northern side lay the Byzantine ruins and a library. To the north of the library, there is a theatre that carries an importance with its embossments in the stage building. An odeon and bouleuterion are at the eastern side of the flood bed. The necropolis of the city lies on the way to Akharaka, which is a small village in the west.
Pinara, 49 km south of Fethiye, is another ancient mountain city; it is ideal for trekking and visitors can see the remains of a theatre, agora, rock tomb, baths and ancient brothels.
The Ancient Zeugma City is located in Belkıs Village 10 km east from Nizip / Gaziantep, by the River Euphrates. Importance of this settlement which demonstrates an uninterrupted in presence since the prehistorical ages is that it is one of the two points allowing the easiest passage across the River Euphrates. “Zeugma” already stands for a term like “bridge head” or “passage location”. The city is an important trade centre of the Hellenistic Era. After the region started to be ruled by Rome, importance of the city increased upon the settlement of a military garrison called IVth Legion. Artistic activities increased and a cultural development is achieved in Zeugma parallel to progress in trade volume.
The first scientific study which proved that Zeugma is the same place as modern Belkıs, was published in 1917. The excavation studies in the Ancient City were started in 1992 under the management of the Gaziantep Museum Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums. French archaeology team joined the studies from 1996. Number of villas found since 1992 reached 7. Over 1000 m² base mosaic have been found during the excavations performed up to now. During the studies in the region which will fall within the lake area, a Mars statue which is 1.55 m tall was found on May 03, 2000. Many frescos (wall picture), mosaics, small objects [seals belonging to the Roman administrative system, bronze coins, oil-lamps, marble statues] and ruins of architectural structures have been found during 1999 and 2000. Portable ones of those were moved to the Gaziantep
Museum Directorate.
During the excavations in 1992, an important base mosaic was found in a Roman villa, belonging to Dionysus, however 2/3 of it which was demonstrated in-situ was stolen in 1998. During the excavations in 1993, the terrace mosaics of Roman villas disappeared. The 2- figure panel of the mosaic found was cut and extracted as a result of illegal excavations and smuggled abroad 25-30 years ago. It was determined in 1994 that the works are in the Houston Menil Collection, and agreement was reached as a result of mutual negotiations, and the mosaics were returned to our country in the second half of June.
Either the Gaziantep Governorship Province Private Administration or the Birecik Dam Consortium provided financial contribution to the studies performed, in addition to the resources of the Ministry of Culture.
The archaeological rescue and documentation studies in 2000, will be carried out under the management of the Ministry of Culture and coordination of SAP, with participation of the Prime Ministry, the South Anatolian Project Regional Development Administration (SAP-RDA), the Packard Humanities Institute (PHI), the Birecik Dam and Hep Installation and Operation Co. Inc, an agreement record was signed between SAP Administration and PHI on June 07, 2000 to carry out urgent archaeological rescue studies in the Ancient Zeugma City and SAP region. According to this agreement record, PHI has undertaken to finance the studies up to USD 5 millions.
The points having archaeological importance in Zeugma are handled in three sections:
Area A:
A lower terrace which will fall under water in June 2000,
Area B:
Other sections which will fall under water in October 2000.
The archaeological rescue and the documentation studies in the areas A and B which are to fall under water and less than 1/3 part of Ancient Zeugma City will remain, are being carried out by an extensive team formed by Turkish, French, American, Australian, Austrian and English (the Oxford Archaeological Unit) archaeologists, managed by the Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums, the Gaziantep Museum Directorate.
Area C:
As regards the studies to be carried out in this section which is larger than the sum of the areas A and B, and will not fall under water, the Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Monuments and Museum, the SAP Administration and the PHI have reached a principal agreement, and a detailed program is being studied. In this area, a long term excavations, restoration and conservation of movable and immovable works, development of an open archaeological stand, as well as construction of a museum are contemplated, and expropriation operations are foreseen to be included to realize them. Mr. M. İstemihan TALAY, the Minister of Culture attempted for expropriation of the site at the highest level. On the other hand, it was stated that the PHI is also ready to assign funds for expropriation, upon agreement.
As can be seen, various self-sacrificing studies were carried out in different fields in Ancient Zeugma City for a long time. However, a wrong impression was established among the public that the studies in Zeugma were first started in 2000. Our Ministry endeavours to keep the public informed correctly on this subject.
On the Izmir Antalya road, Aphrodisias (Geyre) was an important centre for culture and art famous for its training in sculpture. This remarkable, ancient Roman city was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Located near the village of Geyre, the ruins merit at least half a day of exploration. See the old walls, theater and stadium (it once held upward of 30,000 people) and be sure to visit the museum, which contains several interesting sculptures found at the site.
The public buildings are handsomely adorned with marble that was carved with astonishing skill, producing remarkable temples, monuments, baths, a theatre and a magnificent stadium. The reputation of the city’s craftsmen for the exquisite finesse of their statuary and marble sculpting spread through the civilised world, and Aphrodisias became the center of the greatest sculpting school of antiquity. Many of its marvellous works of art are now housed in the local museum. The theatre and bouleuterion are among the city’s best-preserved ruins.
Around the time of 1200 BC, the Phrygians came to the Anatolian Plateau from Europe and established their capital, Gordion, near Polatli west of Ankara. Alexander the Great was supposed to have become the ruler of Asia by virtue of ‘undoing’ Gordion’sknot with his sword. The tomb of the Phrygian king Midas, who according to legend turned everything he touched into gold, is located near Gordion. Near Eskisehir and Afyon there are a number of Phrygian cities and places of worship.
A recent notion have been spread out all around the world to stop the hazards that the natural life faces due to the destructive effects let by the unconscious employement of developing technologies. Acording to the data of The World Conservation Union(IUCN),while %5 of the total surface area of the world seperated as preserved area,this reaches to %10 among considerate countries.
In Turkey a policy of protection and conservation of the stunning natural and cultural assets and the fields symbolizing our victorious battles has already been established on national and international bases; and preserved areas of different statues have been designated in order to be bequeathed to the future generations. With in the frames of the law that has been come into force in 1883, 4 types of definition of preserved areas come to the ground as; National Parks, Preserved Areas, Nature Parks and Nature Monuments.
• National Parks
• Nature Parks
• Nature Monuments
• Natural Protection Areas
Blue voyagers are the title for exceptional sculling occasions through the profound blue waters of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, but in this issue we chosen to require our perusers on a distinctive kind of blue voyage. The blue cruise is like a dream, they say, and so, since dreams have no limits, we are going on a blue voyage through the skies. As in the event that we were a bird, a seagull maybe, we are going take wing and fly from the Oludeniz Tidal pond to Alanya. From the sky we’ll see that ponder of nature, Oludeniz Tidal pond, the city of Patara, the ancient city of Side, and an antiquated city that’s still living nowadays, Alanya. Since usually a dream, we are able fly wherever the fancy takes us; white clouds by our side and blue ocean underneath us. Turquoise may be a colour difficult to depict; not very blue and not very green; an puzzling mix of the two colours. That’s the colour of oludeniz Blue Tidal pond, which at each hour of the day could be a diverse shade of turquoise.
This tidal pond has been the subject of legends from relic to the display day, but who cares around legend? Blue Tidal pond could be a legend in itself. Taking off Oludeniz to its legends, we set out from Xanthos to Kalkan, and arrive at Patara, established by Patarus, the child of the god Apollo and the sprite Lycia. Patara could be a fabulous Lycian city, half buried in sand and half within the ocean, lying on a shoreline which is the longest within the Mediterranean and has the finest sand.
In case the ocean were not unmistakable, you might imagine yourself to be in one of Africa’s extraordinary deserts. At Kaputas the blue ocean extends its green head into a cave within the rocks. Its sand is golden yellow. Interior the cave the ocean is fluorescent, the light reflecting underneath the surface of the water making a heap colours. The depressed city submerged within the water off Kekova Island has for centuries been domestic to angle. Adjacent are the remains of the antiquated shipyard, and extending towards the terrain past is the Inlet of Kekova.
Liquefied snow from the crests of the Toros mountains and water from springs and streams are carried down to the ocean over rapids and waterfalls by the Manavgat Waterway. The new water surges endlessly to meet the salt water of the ocean at a put called Titreyengol. Side (articulated see-day) is an old word meaning pomegranate. The remains of the old city and the advanced resort of Side are here captured by the camera.
Maybe this can be how the seagulls have seen it for thousands of a long time, wheeling within the skies. Whereas most of its landmarks are stones lying on the ground, the theater stands in all its unique wonderfulness. Did the arrive try to be ocean and reach out towards the far off skyline, or did the ocean long to be arrive and grasp it so intensely? In Alanya it is inconceivable to tell. So presently you see from ocean to arrive and from the castle to the ocean, and attempt to choose. Ancient Alanya was a minor walled ridge town, but presently it has extended right along the shore and up to the foothills of the mountains behind.
There are three ways of reaching Kaunos which attract great attention today owing to its Venetian type of channel and Lycian type of tombs. The visitors who come by means of their yachts, land on the island named Delikli Ada and reach the site of the ruins by starting off in small boats from here; those who come from Marmaris by sea route, drop anchor in the vicinity of Delikli Ada and also reach the site of the ruins in small boats; and those who come by land route, reach the ruins by starting boats from the Village of Dalyan which is at a distance of 27 km from Koycegiz.
The existance of the ruins of Kaunos was first discovered in the year 1842, and excavations have been carried on there by the Turkish archaeologists under the supervision of Prof. Baki Ogun since 1967. Kaunos, the son of Miletos, had been indicated as the founder of the city and therefore, it had been named Kaunos. The city was first captured by the Persians and then by Alexander and in the year 189 B.C., it was made subject to the Kingdom of Rhodes. We know that it continued until the year 167 B.C.
Kaunos was the subjected to the kingdom of Pergamon and was brought directly under the sovereignty of Rome after 133 B.C. You reach the site of the ruins by means of channel adorned with Lycian type tombs belonging to the 4th century B.C. The first place that we see is the acropolis of Kaunos. The northern part of the city wall, which surrounds the acropolis, belongs to the period of Mausolos. The northwestern part has Hellenistic qualities. And starting from the harbour are seen the city walls of Cyclopean type belonging to the Archaic Period.
The theater belonging to the Roman Period is located at the skirt of the acropolis and its southern part is carved in the rock; the other parts are shaped into seats supported by gable roof vaults. There are 33 rows of seats, the scene has collapsed and the part of the orchestra has been filled in. A temple, revealed by the recent excavations, is located at far west of the theater, and a church and the magnificent walls of the Roman Bath are visible beyond it. Another temple belonging to the Roman Period is located behind the bath.
As we go downwards, we see the remains of a wall built in the shape of three fourths of a circle with a row of columns on it and, behind it, a temple of the Doric order. The locality called Suluklu Gol (Lake of Leeches) in Caunos today, was a harbour closed by means of chains during the Antique Period. The excavations performed at the north of this harbour have revealed a stoa which used to form a part of the port agora. The fountain near the stoa has a plan of inantis style and has been restored recently, and the inscription which is seen on its side facing the harbour, contains the written decrees concerning the customs house.
Located in the north of Bodrum, the ancient city of is Euromos worth visiting because of her temple. The city got its name 4th century BC when Caria became under the Greek rule. It is suggested that the name Euromos was also used for the district. The Temple of Zeus, which was partially searched and excavated, revealed some interesting results indicating the existence of an earlier shrine there. This Corinthian temple with peirpteros plan with 6*11 columns is believed to built during the time of Hadrian.
The existence of some unfluted columns show that the temple never got the finishing touches. From the inscriptions on the columns, we understand that prominent figures of the city donated those columns to the temple. Sixteen of the columns are still standing with their splendid Corinthian capitals.
Twelve of the standing coleus have plaques with dedicatory inscriptions, mentioning the name of the state physians and magistrate Menecrates and his daughter who presented these columns and other five columns with the dedications of magistrate Leo Quintus. An altar was unearthed at the east of the temple.
Located in the north of Bodrum, the ancient city of is Euromos worth visiting. The city got its name 4th century BC when Caria became under the Greek rule. The Temple of Zeus, which was partially searched and excavated, revealed some interesting results indicating an earlier shrine existed here. This Corinthian temple with peipteros plan with 6*11 columns is believed to built during the time of Hadrian. The existence of some unfluted columns show that the temple never got the finishing touches. From the inscriptions on the coleus, we understand that prominent figures of the city donated those columns to the temple