Bloom
ABOUT DALYAN
Dalyan, town of nature and ancient rock tombs, is situated at the river, close to the Mediterrenean sea with golden sandy beach where Caretta Caretta turtles survive and breed every summer.
Dalyan is a spectacular marriage of sea and fascinating nature.
The village of Dalyan in the province of Mugla at the Southwest Mediterranean. It is one of surviving corners of paradise, an area of outstanding natural beauty and historical interest.
The Dalyan Channel through which water circulates between the Mediterranean and Koycegiz Lake winds in extravagant flourishes, forming a network of small lakes and waterways through reed rising from 3 to 5 meters height.
With its mixture of fresh and salt water these wetlands have become home to vast numbers of fishes and waterlife as well as the buds of many species which feed on them.
Diving the sea from the delta is the IZTUZU sandbar stretching for 5 km east of the channel. It’s the beach to which the endangered Mediterranean turtle CARETTA CARETTA has returned year after year to lay its eggs since time immemorial Mavikosk Appartement is situated near the riverside and you may reach the center of Dalyan only within 10 minutes by walk.
There is now a good choice of restaurants (with fresh river fish a specialty), carpet, jewellery and spice shops and small grocers. Development is strictly controlled and despite the bustle, the atmosphere is friendly, relaxed and traditional. Local inhabitants still hang their corn and peppers up to dry on strings hung from cottage eaves on the back streets and every Saturday is market day. The people are so incredibly friendly you will probably never want to leave.
Further down river towards the ‘Dalyans’ – the fish hatcheries – you can be dropped off at the dramatically situated ruins of ancient Caunos, which boast some of the most impressively fortified walls still standing in western Turkey, along with a well-preserved Greek-style theatre, Roman baths and a Byzantine basilica. You can wander among the shattered columns and the huge chunks of masonry of ancient temples for hours, photographing, drawing or just musing on the beauty of the scene and on glories past.
