Chimaera

Yanartaş – The famous flames at the Chimaera in Cirali / Turkey by canmom

Ctesias (as cited by Pliny the Elder and quoted by Photius) identified the Chimaera with an area of permanent gas vents which can still be found today by hikers on the Lycian Way in southwest Turkey. Called in Turkish Yanar taş (flaming rock), it consists of some two dozen vents in the ground, grouped in two patches on the hillside above the Temple of Hephaistos about 3 km north of Cirali, near ancient Olympos, in Lycia. The vents emit burning methane thought to be of metamorphic origin, which in ancient times sailors could navigate by, and which today is used to brew tea. (Strabo held the Chimaera to be a ravine on a different mountain in Lycia.)

Strabo and Pliny are the only surviving ancient sources who would be expected to discuss a Lycian toponym, but the placename is also attested by Isidore of Seville and Servius, the commentator on the Aeneid. Isidore quotes writers on natural history (see below) that Mount Chimaera was on fire here, had lions and goats there, and was full of snakes over there. Servius goes so far as to arrange these with the lions on the peak of the mountain, pastures full of goats in the middle, and serpents all about the base, thus imitating Homer’s description of the monster exactly.

The site was identified by Sir Francis Beaufort in 1811, and described by T.A.B.Spratt in his Travels in Lycia, Milyas, and the Cibyratis, in company with the late Rev. E. T. Daniell. (1847)

Olympos

Olympos by ZuleyhaBatman

The city was founded in the Hellenistic period, sharing its name with nearby Mount Olympos (Turkish: Tahtalı Dağı). Its coins date back to the 2nd century BC. The city became one of the six leading cities of the Lycian federation. In the 1st century BC, Olympos was invaded and settled by Cilician pirates. This ended in 78 BC, when the Roman commander Servilius Isaurieus added the city to the Roman Empire. The emperor Hadrian visited the city after which it took the name of Hadrianopolis for a period, in his honour.

 Near Olympos, located in the neighbouring village of Çıralı and about 200 meters above sea level, the eternal flames called the Chimaera may be seen issuing from the ground. The fuel source for the flames is natural gas, largely methane, seeping through cracks in the earth. The mythical Chimaera – or Chimera – was a savage beast who sprouted fire from its mouth.

In the Middle Ages, Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians built two fortresses along the coast, but by the 15th century Olympos had been abandoned. Today the site attracts tourists, not only for the artifacts that can still be found (though fragmentary and widely scattered), but also for its scenic landscapes supporting wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, figs and pines.

Cirali

It is a very small rural village located just over an hours drive southwest from Antalya and boasts a beautiful 4 km secluded beach, the ruins of Olympos, the flames of the Chimaera / Yanartaş, as well as a protected area by the WWF for the nesting of the Caretta or also know as the Loggerhead sea turtles.

Also nearby to Cirali is the Ulupinar region, which is rich in rivers and creeks. Cirali  is one of the last unspoilt natural areas along the Antalya coastline.

For the intrepid trekkers highlights of the Lycian Way with hidden paths are also found in Cirali. One from Cirali to Tekirova ( 19kms ) and another travels from Cirali to Ulupınar and then back down to the flames of the Chimaera which is around 12 kms. All these trails and paths are clearly marked in Red and White.

Another wonderful section of the Lycian Way ( Likya Yolu ) near to Cirali is to the summit of Tahtalı Dag or as also know as Mt. Olympos . Located in the National Park of Olympos or Olimpos Bey Dağları Parkı .