The fire of the 3rd generation gods (Olympos)

Ruins of structures covered with the millennia of vegetation are scattered over a wide area, Olympos is situated at the foot of a mountain with the same name. Those who visit it today are bound to sense a profound mysticism of the place. Zeus, who is accepted as the figurehead of the 3rd generation of Gods, established his power on Olympos. Preceding him was Cronos, who in turn was preceded by Uronos. The final kingpin of Greek mythology, Zeus, settled on Olympos, on top of the foggiest peak in the western Taurus Mountains and highest of the known world. The name "Olympos" is known to have originate from Anatolia rather than Greece. According to the Dictionary of Mythology, the belief that lofty peaks were the domiciles of the gods might have arrived in Greece via Sumeria. The Zeus generation not only gathered on Olympos (today's Tahtali Dağ), but on other summits like Mt. ida, as well. Homer wrote that the gods held festivals and debated the problems of people.

Binlerce yıllık bitki örtüsüyle sarılmış yapılar ve etrafa saçılmış taşlar, geniş bir alana yayılmış. İnsan yoğun bir gizem hissediyor burada. Zeus, üçüncü kuşak kabul edilen iktidarını Olympos'ta kurar çünkü ondan önce Kronos vardir ve ondan da önce Uronos. Yunan mitolojisinin son hakimi Zeus, Olympos'a yerleşir, yeryüzünün yükseklerine... Olympos'un Yunanca bir sözcük olmadığı biliniyor. Eski Anadolu dillerinden gelen ve genellikle yüksek dağ anlaminda kullanilan bir sözcük. Mitoloji Sözlüğü'nde, doruklari gökte bulutlara karişan ulu dağlarin tanrilara konut olduğu inancinin Yunan'a, Sümer'den gelmiş olabileceği yazıyor. Olympos tanrıları diye anılan Zeus kuşağı, sadece Olympos dağinda görülmez, İda Daği gibi başka yüksek dağlarda da toplanıyorlardı. Homeros destanlarinda tanrilar Olympos dağinda şölenler yapar, insanların sorunlarini tartişir, sohbet ya da kavga ederlerdi.

Paradise on Earth and Caretta Caretta

According to mythology, the fire-breathing Chimaera lived on the mountain visible from Olympos called Cirali or "Yanartas." Riding atop frequent flyer Pegasus, Bellerophontes mortally wounds the beast. Today, the natual gas shooting out of the ground between the rocks parallels this legend. A project is underway to save the endangered Caretta Caretta tortoises and Çirali Beach where they spawn; it has been given top 10 priority out of 700 projects around the world. There is bus service to Antalya from all points in Turkey; Turkish Airlines flies to Antalya from Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. Minibuses leave Antalya every 20 minutes. Exit at Cirali, then hire a taxi to reach the shoreline.

Olympos ve Çıralı muhteşem kumsallari ve soyu tükenmekte olan caretta caretta türü kaplumbağlari ile bir yeryüzü cenneti sayiliyor. Caretta caretta'lar her yil haziran, temmuz ve ağustos aylarinda sahile çıkarak, kuma yumurtalarini gömüyorlar. Doğal Hayati Koruma Vakfi tarafından, çevre insani seminerler ve basılı malzemelerle carettalar'in korunmasi konusunda bilgilendiriliyor. Sahillerinin güzelliği ve yapilan bilinçli çalişmalardan dolayi, Çıralı, dünyadaki 700 doğal bölge projesinden ilk 10 arasina girmeyi başardı.

The ancient city of Olympos

The Lycian city called Olympos was situated along the shore at the foot of the mountain. The folks living here led more modest lives compared to the Gods above; they planted their fields, went on hunts, expanded overseas trade, as well as dedicated votives to the Gods for all the blessings of nature. Olympos was captured by the pirate Zenicetes in the 1st century B.C. He was evicted by Roman Commander, isauricus in 78 B.C. Rome took subsequent control of the city; when Emperor Hadrian visited in 129 A.D., he changed its name to Hadrianopolis. 100 years later, Rhodiapolitian philanthropist Opramoas financed a facelift for the town. This rejuvenation didn't last for Olympos was soon faced with marauding Venetian and Genoese pirates. Though it was abandoned by the mid-5th century, it later became an insignificant Byzantine settlement during the Middle Ages.