The Mediterranean Region - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 166

bright colours. Your children
will love it as it rather resembles
a film set in places. The area is
given added character by the fact
that it lies adjacent to the marina
and the quayside areas, plus a
short walk to some of the city's
beaches.
Mamure Castle, Anamur,
near Alanya

Pegasus, and his rider the ancient
hero Bellerophon were said to
have slain a monster here. The
story should entertain the little
ones for a while - perhaps even
get them to look out for the
mythological horse in flight.
Patara

★★
Said to date from around 1500
BC, the settlement that became
the ancient city of Perge was an
important one in its day. It is
said to have been the birthplace
of Apollo and St Nicholas, oth-
erwise known as Santa Claus. Its
harbour is, today, considered an
important historic monument.
Right next to the harbour is a
glorious sandy beach so if the
journey tires the children or they
are not interested in the story of
Santa Claus or seeing an old har-
bour they can always head for
the sand and water.
Roman Theatre, Fethiye

★
Located on the coast road about 1 1 ⁄ 2
km from Anamur.

One of the best examples of
Byzantine architecture in the
Mediterranean region of Turkey,
the Mamure Castle sits proudly
on a headland along the coast
from Alanya. It is well worth the
trip. Your children will have huge
fun playing warriors amongst the
fortifications that are often used
as a set by filmmakers.
Olympos
A journey to Olympos, a few
kilometres inland from Antalya,
is well worth the time and trou-
ble of packing a trunk full of
picnic foods, drinks, clothing
and several bottles of sun cream.
Not only do you pass through
citrus groves, which always seem
to prompt a few squeals of
delight from the back seat from
children not used to seeing
oranges and lemons growing on
trees, but you also get to see one
of the most impressive ancient
sites in the area. The ruins of
this ancient city are remarkably
intact and can be found on the
southern side of Mount Tahtali.
What this area is most famous
for, however, is the fact that the
mythological winged horse,

★
Built in the second century on
the ruins of an ancient Greek
theatre, this Roman theatre is an
outstanding example of struc-
tures of the period. It is remark-
ably well preserved and stands
not far from the centre of
Fethiye and so is easy to find.
Children will love the chance to
play at acting. Nearby are the
ruins of a medieval castle dating
from the 11th century where
they can pretend to be soldiers.
Fethiye stands on the site of the
ancient city of Telmassos, and
ruins dating back centuries can
still be seen scattered around the
town.

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